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^^  HISTORY 

OF 


MICHIGAN 


BY 

CHARLES   MOORE 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  IV 


CHICAGO 

THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
1915 


tn 


THi  Mw  tow: 


j/iwyd^n  dlA  Mj^MA/) 


History  of  Michigan 


Alexander  Dodds.  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  commencement 
of  civihzation  is  the  discovery  of  some  of  the  useful  arts  or  sciences 
through  which  men  acquire  fortune,  comforts  or  kixuries,  while  the 
necessity  or  desire  of  preserving  them  leads  to  laws  and  social  insti- 
tutions. In  reality,  however,  the  origin,  as  well,  as  the  advancement  and 
improvement  of  society,  is  based  on  mechanical  and  chemical  inventions, 
in  connection  with  which  Alexander  Dodds,  of  Grand  Rapids,  has  be- 
come one  of  Michigan's  best  known  citizens.  As  inventor,  organizer, 
promoter  and  executive  he  has  shown  himself  capable,  far-seeing  and 
energetic,  and  while  he  has  found  no  time  for  public  life,  has  always 
demonstrated  a  commendable  willingness  to  perform  the  duties  of  public- 
spirited  citizenship. 

Mr.  Dodds  was  born  December  8,  1845,  ^t  Gouverneur,  New  York. 
His  grandfather,  also  named  Alexander  Dodds,  was  born  in  1770,  near 
the  village  of  Kelso,  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Tweed,  Scotland,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years  was  married  to  Jane  Wilson,  who  bore 
him  five  children :  Katherine,  Margaret,  Andrew,  John  and  Alexander. 
Shortly  after  their  marriage  they  began  to  make  plans  to  emigrate  to 
the  land  of  promise  across  the  water,  but  Mr.  Dodds  was  for  six  months 
a  mere  farm  laborer  at  about  twenty-five  dollars  per  month,  a  salary 
hardly  conducive  to  great  saving,  and  it  was  not  until  the  spring  of 
1833  that  enough  money  was  accumulated  for  the  family  to  make  the 
voyage.  After  a  six  weeks'  journey  on  a  sailing  vessel  they  arrived,  in 
May,  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  and  purchased  a  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  from  the  village  of  Gouverneur.  They  lived  to  see 
all  their  children  settled  on  good  farms,  the  mother  passing  away  in 
October.  1857,  and  the  father  in  January,  1864.  About  the  year  1835 
another  family  left  Berwick,  Scotland,  for  this  country  by  the  name  of 
Witherston,  and,  getting  lost  on  the  voyage,  were  thirteen  weeks  on  the 
high  seas  before  sighting  a  vessel  from  which  to  get  their  bearings.  They 
also  settled  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  and  one  of  the  daughters, 
Jeanette,  married  the  son,  John  Dodds,  and  with  him  took  possession  of 
"the  old  homestead.  To  them  were  born  three  children :  Jane  Elizabeth, 
Alexander  and  William  Atkin. 

Alexander  Dodds,  of  Grand  Rapids,  was  given  a  good  common  school 
education  in  his  boyhood,  and  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  or  nearly 
so,  when  he  started  to  work  at  the  trade  of  machinist.  In  February, 
1867,  he  was  converted,  but  could  not  conceive  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible  as  taught  by  the  church  of  his  fathers,  the  Scotch  Presbyterian. 
and  accordingly  became  a  Baptist  and  united  with  that  faith  to  do  Chris- 
tian work.  He  came  to  Lansing,  Alichigan,  in  December,  1867,  in  com- 
pany with  L.  L.  Houghton,  who  commenced  the  manufacture  of  wood- 

1759 


1760  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

working  machinery  at  that  place,  and  while  a  resident  there  was  raised 
to  the  sublime  degree  of  blaster  ^lason.  Mr.  Dodds  came  to  Grand 
Rapids  in  Alay,  1878.  and  went  to  work  for  the  Buss  Machine  Works, 
and  at  this  time  united  with  the  Fountain  Street  Baptist  church  and 
remained  with  that  organization  until  1883,  when,  with  a  number  of 
others,  he  formed  the  Second  Baptist  church.  He  was  interested  with 
them  in  the  Sixth  Ward  Baptist  Mission  school,  and,  it  proving  a  suc- 
cess, it  was  thought  best  that  a  church  should  be  organized  there,  and 
with  t\yenty-five  from  the  Second  Baptist  church,  and  a  few  others, 
Scribner  Street  church  was  organized  and  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
deacons.  He  is  also  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school  of  the  adult  Bible 
class,  of  which  there  are  more  than  thirty  members  present  every  Sab- 
bath, and  is  ex-president  of  the  Baptist  Alission  society. 

On  March  3,  1882,  Mr.  Dodds  purchased  a  half  interest  in  a  machine 
shop  at  the  corner  of  Front  and  Pearl  streets,  on  the  second  floor,  owned 
by  the  late  Charles  A.  Whittemore,  and  on  May  9th  of  the  following 
year  he  bought  the  remaining  half  interest.  The  year  1883  did  not  prove 
a  very  successful  one,  for  in  June  came  the  great  freshet,  which  will 
be  remembered  as  the  time  when  the  logs  went  out,  taking  Pearl  street 
bridge  on  a  trip  down  the  river.  This  caused  a  delay  for  lack  of  power 
for  six  weeks,  as  the  shop  was  operated  by  water  power,  and,  coming 
at  a  time  when  money  was  scarce,  proved  detrimental  to  successful  busi- 
ness. On  July  9,  1884,  in  order  to  get  on  the  ground  floor  and  thus  to 
secure  better  power,  Mr.  Dodds  moved  into  what  was  then  known  as 
the  G.  W.  Dean  building,  located  on  the  east  side  of  Canal  street,  opposite 
the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Co.  Things  moved  along  very  nicely  until 
AJarch  16.  1887,  when  about  thirty  feet  of  embankment  between  Canal 
street  and  the  river  gave  away,  washing  in  through  under  the  shop 
building  and  allowing  it  to  all  cave  in.  Xothing  daunted,  Mr.  Dodds 
at  once  began  to  get  his  machinery  out  of  the  wreck  and  to  find  a  place 
to  set  it  up  in  operation  again.  During  the  day  he  had  some  business  to 
dispose  of  at  the  Grand  Rapids  Savings  Bank,  then  situate4  on  Pearl 
street,  and  at  the  bank  had  a  conversation  with  the  late  C.  G.  Swens- 
berg  concerning  what  had  occurred.  At  the  time  Mr.  Swensberg  made 
the  remark :  "Well,  Dodds.  anything  that  I  can  do  for  you  or  that  this 
little  bank  can  do  we  are  ready  to  do."  Mr.  Dodds  thanked  him  for  his 
kindness,  but  nothing  more  was  said  at  the  time,  and  the  next  morning, 
while  Mr.  Dodds  was  working  at  getting  out  the  machinery,  F.  A.  Hall, 
then  cashier  of  the  bank,  came  to  him  and  said  that  he  did  not  know  as 
he  had  understood  what  Mr.  Swensberg  had  said  the  day  before,  but 
that  they  wished  him  to  know  that  he  could  have  all  the  money  he  needed 
to  get  started.  Although  he  did  not  expect  to  need  any  help,  this  cir- 
cumstance gave  Mr.  Dodds  more  courage  and  confidence  than  any  one 
thing  that  had  happened.  During  that  day  Julius  Berkey  kindly  offered 
to  rent  him  a  part  of  the  George  W.  Gay  building,  where  he  was  manu- 
facturing tripods  at  that  time,  and  after  moving  there,  getting  fairly 
started,  and  seeing  that  the  tripod  business  was  growing,  he  knew  he 
would  have  to  seek  other  quarters.  Deciding  that  No.  43  South  Front 
street  offered  favoring  advantages,  he  leased  the  ground  from  the  late 
J.  W.  Converse  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a  one-story  building. 
28x60  feet  in  dimensions,  into  which  he  moved  on  May  3rd.  The 
demand  for  the  machinery  manufactured  by  Mr.  Dodds  had  increased 
to  such  an  extent  by  the  spring  of  1892  tjiat  it  was  apparent  that  more 
room  was  needed,  and  October  19,  1892.  ]\Ir.  Dodds  succeeded  in  con- 
cluding negotiations  with  Wilder  D.  Stevens  for  that  part  of  the  Dean 
propertv  on  which  was  located  the  building.  26x94  feet,  four  stories  in 
lieight,  and   including  water  power  equipment.     After  expending  over 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1761 

$i,00O  on  the  building,  Mr.  Dodds  moved  into  it,  feeling  that  he  was 
now  situated  comfortably,  with  machinery,  premises  and  accommoda- 
tions in  first-class  order.  Business  continued  to  prosper  until  June,  1S93, 
when  it  seemed  as  though  everyone  who  was  indebted  to  the  firm  had 
concluded  to  make  an  assignment  under  the  pressure  of  the  hard  times 
of  that  period,  but  through  his  capable  management  and  excellent  finan- 
cial ability,  Mr.  Dodds  managed  to  weather  the  stomi,  discounting  his 
commercial  paper  when  due  and  paying  his  employes  every  Saturday 
night. 

As  business  revived  and  public  confidence  was  restored,  the  manu- 
facture of  special  machinery  prospered.  Orders  increased  to  such  an 
extent  eventually  that  more  room  became  necessary,  and  in  1907  the 
fine  four-story  brick  building  at  No.  181  Canal  street  was  built  over 
the  canal.  This  enabled  Mr.  Dodds  to  double  his  capacity  and  add  to 
his  equipment  and  output.  In  1909  the  business  was  merged  into  a  cor- 
poration, and  since  December  i,  1909,  the  business  has  been  conducted 
under  the  style  of  the  Alexander  Dodds  Company. 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  business  has  been  due  to  several  patents 
obtained,  of  which  Mr.  Dodds  invented  all  except  the  morticing  and 
boring  machine.  The  first  one  was  procured  June  6,  1S85,  on  a  wood 
lathe;  another  December  31,  1889,  on  a  rubbing  machine;  and  still 
another  April  22,  1890,  on  an  automatic  carving  machine.  ]\Ir.  Dodds 
in  June,  1887,  patented  and  invented  a  dovetailer  for  making  furniture 
boxes.  Some  of  these,  especially  Dodds'  new  gear  dovetailing  machine, 
used  for  dovetailing  furniture  drawers,  and  which  has  made  him  a 
fortune,  are  used  in  every  part  of  the  United  States  where  furniture  is 
manufactured  and  in  numerous  foreign  countries.  The  patent  for  the 
dovetailing  machine  was  secured  June  14,  1887.  At  this  time  Mr.  Dodds 
occupies  offices  at  Nos.  451-53  Monroe  avenue.  Northwest. 

On  November  10,  1S88.  Mr.  Dodds  was  married  to  Mrs.  A.  J.  De- 
Lamarter.  'Sir.  and  Mrs.  Dodds  reside  in  their  own  home  at  No.  325 
Benjamin  avenue.  Mr.  Dodds  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Com- 
merce. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  his  business  affairs  have 
demanded  his  undivided  attention  and  he  has  found  no  time  for  the 
activities  of  the  political  arena.  In  December,  1894,  he  became  a  member 
of  Columbian  Chapter  No.  132,  R.  A.  M. ;  in  February,  1895,  became  a 
member  of  DeMolai  Commandery  No.  5,  K.  T.,  and  has  since  taken 
the  Scottish  Rite  degrees  up  to  and  including  the  thirty-second  degree. 

In  connection  with  a  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Dodds,  the  follow- 
ing editorial  appeared  in  the  Michigan  Tradesman,  of  December  8.  1009. 
to  which  article  credit  is  herewith  given  for  much  of  the  matter  that 
appears  in  this  sketch : 

"We  laud  and  celebrate  the  individual  who  has  achieved  extraordinary 
m.erit  in  art,  letters,  military  renown,  statesmanship,  and  fame  world- 
wide rests  on  such  distinctions.  Men  also  become  famous  in  law.  juris- 
prudence, medicine  and  scientific  study  and  demonstration.  Yet  all 
such  masters  in  their  several  spheres  do  no  more,  often  not  as  much, 
for  the  well-being  of  mankind  as  the  ingenious  and  untiring  mechanics 
who  discover  something  and  make  it  conduce  to  the  benefit  of  an  industry 
that  is  the  foundation  on  which  rest  the  stability,  livelihood  and  happi- 
ness of  many  thousands  of  people.  Peace  hath  its  victories  no  less 
renowned  than  war,  and  no  victors  are  more  deserving  of  acclaim  among 
the  chieftains  of  peace  than  those  who  invent  something  that  adds  to 
productive  power  and  successfully  apply  it  to  general  use.  The  man 
who  evolves  from  the  fertile  mind  a  contrivance  whereby  a  utility  can 
be  developed  so  as  to  greatly  enlarge  capacity  to  produce  useful  things 
and   at   the    same   time   give   permanent   employment   to   thousands   who 


1762  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

would  otherwise  have  to  struggle  for  a  meager  and  squalid  existence, 
has  done  more  for  community  or  state  than  a  general,  or  legislator,  or 
judge,  or  any  other  celebrity  whose  name  figures  among  the  galaxy  of 
notables  in  ordinary  historical  annals.  The  foundation  of  society  and 
state  is  in  the  productive  industries,  for  they  are  the  means  whereby  the 
population  pursues  an  orderly  and  prosperous  life.  In  the  absence 
of  war  and  consequent  destruction  of  human  life  there  is  a  growth  of 
population.  Productive  capacity  must  keep  pace  with  this  increase  of 
human  units  or  the  peoples  will  lapse  into  a  horde  of  vagrants,  becoming 
savage,  gregarious,  degraded  and,  like  hungry,  predatory  animals,  de- 
vouring their  fellows  weaker  than  themselves.  For  this  reason  no  one 
'  confers  a  greater  benefit  upon  the  country  than  he  who  contributes  to 
the  enlargement  of  productive  capacity.  Xot  to  everyone  is  given  the 
privilege  of  adding  something  of  value  to  the  commerce  of  this  world. 
Those  who  do  enjoy  this  privilege  have  not  lived  their  lives  in  vain  and 
their  greatest  satisfaction  should  be  the  knowledge  that  their  efforts 
have  been  of  a  practical,  material  benefit  to  all  mankind." 

TiiuM.\s  J.  R-\MSDELL.  The  first  distinction  to  be  noticed  in  the  career 
of  Thomas  J.  Ramsdell  is  that  he  was  the  pioneer  lawyer  in  ^lichigan 
north  of  the  Grand  River,  and  for  more  than  half  a  century  his  name  has 
been  closely  linked  with  both  the  professional  and  the  industrial  interests 
of  the  city  of  Alanistee,  where  he  now  resides  in,  his  eighty-third  year. 
If  success  consists  in  a  steady  bettemient  of  one's  material  conditions 
and  an  increase  of  one's  ability  to  render  service  to  others,  Thomas  T. 
Ramsdell  deserves  mention  as  one  of  the  exceptionallv  successful  men  of 
this  state. 

He  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Alichigan,  in  1832,  a  son  of  Gannet 
Ramsdell,  who  was  bom  in  the  state  of  Xew  York  in  1802,  and  came  to 
Michigan  during  the  twenties,  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the  admission 
of  the  state  to  the  Union.  As  a  pioneer  he  took  up  a  tract  of  wild  land  in 
Wayne  county,  reclaimed  a  farm,  and  became  an  influential  and  promi- 
nent citizen.  In  the  early  days  he  owned  and  operated  machine  shops, 
was  engaged  in  the  buying  and  shipping  of  grain,  and  gauged  by  the  stand- 
ards of  the  locality  and  period  was  a  wealthy  man.  His  home  was  in 
Wayne  county  until  his  death.  Gannet  Ramsdell  married  and  brought  his 
wife  to  Wayne  county,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  four  sons :  Ashley, 
Dyer,  Jonathan  and  Thomas  J.,  the  last  being  the  onlv  survivor  of  this 
family.  The  Ramsdell  family  is  of  Scotch  lineage  and  was  founded  in 
America  during  the  seventeenth  century. 

Thomas  J.  Ramsdell  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Wayne 
county,  and  as  the  opportunities  for  gaining  an  education  were  limited 
he  devised  means  to  supplement  his  resolute  purpose  for  a  higher  educa- 
tion. Independent  and  self-reliant,  he  did  not  wait  for  fortune  to  over- 
take him,  but  went  in  search  of  those  things  which  his  ambition  craved. 
In  early  youth  he  set  out  for  Poughkeepsie,  Xew  York,  to  acquire  a  col- 
lege education.  A  considerable  part  of  his  journey  was  made  on  foot, 
and  on  arriving  at  his  destination  entered  the  law  department  of  a  col- 
lege and  while  a  student  maintained  himself  and  paid  his  tuition  from 
the  earnings  of  his  individual  labors.  He  finally  completed  a  course  and 
was  graduated  Bachelor  of  Laws.  On  his  return  to  ^Iichigan  }ilr.  Rams- 
dell engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Lansing,  the  capital  city 
being  at  that  time  a  mere  village.  In  1858  Mr.  Ramsdell  moved  to 
IManistee,  then  a  lumbering  town,  with  all  the  typical  activities  and  en- 
vironment of  such  an  industrial  center.  He  was  the  first  lawyer  to  set 
up  an  office  not  only  in  Manistee  but  in  the  entire  region  north  of  Grand 
river.    As  a  pioneer  member  of  the  bar  and  through  his  exceptional  abil- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1763 

ity,  he  soon  came  to  control  a  large  and  representative  practice,  and 
through  the  medium  of  his  profession  and  his  judicious  investments  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  large  fortune.  Mr.  Ramsdell  retired  from  active 
professional  work  in  1894,  being  at  the  time  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
honored  members  of  the  bar  of  his  native  state.  Since  then  his  time  and 
attention  has  been  given  to  the  supervision  of  his  extensive  and  important 
propert)'  interests,  and  his  estate  is  one  of  the  largest  in  that  section  of 
Michigan  of  which  Manistee  is  the  metropolis.  His  real  estate  holdings 
include  many  improved  business  and  residence  properties  in  Manistee,  and 
he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  organization  and  is  still  president  of  the 
First  National  Hank  of  that  city. 

Thomas  J.  Ramsdell  has  been  a  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  from  the  time  of  its  organization,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
dominating  figures  in  ]niblic  affairs  in  his  section  of  the  state.  After 
Manistee  was  incorporated  under  a  city  charter  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  first  board  of  aldermen,  and  also  gave  valuable  service  while  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  county  in  the  state  legislature.  For  one  who  began 
life  without  financial  resources  or  influence  outside  of  himself,  he  has 
filled  the  years  with  large  and  worthy  achievement,  and  throughout 
his  course  has  been  governed  by  the  highest  principles  of  integrity  and 
honor.  No  citizen  has  done  more  to  further  the  best  interests  of  Manis- 
tee, and  he  takes  great  pride  in  the  city  which  has  been  his  home  since 
pioneer  times. 

Mr.  Ramsdell  married  Nettie  L.  Stanton,  who  was  born  at  Lansing, 
Michigan,  when  that  place  was  a  frontier  village.  To  their  marriage  were 
born  fourteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living.  One  of  the  sons. 
Dr.  L.  S.  Ramsdell,  is  a  leading  physician  and  surgeon  of  Manistee, 
and  another  son,  F.  W.  Ramsdell,  has  gained  distinction  in  the  field  of 
art,  and  spent  a  number  of  years  in  study  in  Europe,  and  has  a  high 
reputation  among  American  artists. 

RoiiERT  R.  R.-MMSDELL.  A  son  of  Thomas  J.  Ramsdell,  the  pioneer 
lawyer  of  Manistee,  Robert  R.  Ramsdell  is  one  of  the  successful  busi- 
ness men  of  that  city,  and  for  several  years  has  given  most  of  his  time 
to  the  management  of  the  large  estate  founded  by  his  father. 

Robert  R.  Ramsdell  was  born  at  Manistee  September  25,  1867,  and 
in  his  youth  attended  the  local  schools  and  finished  a  course  at  the  high 
school.  Some  of  his  younger  years  were  spent  in  the  west  as  a  cattle 
rancher,  a  life  that  gave  him  varied  experience  and  adventure.  On  re- 
turning to  Michigan  he  became  identified  with  lumbering,  with  Manistee 
as  his  headquarters,  and  his  success  in  this  field  proves  a  fine  capacity 
for  the  management  of  important  afifairs.  His  later  years  have  been 
required  almost  exclusively  in  the  management  of  his  father's  estate, 
which  involves  a  number  of  important  business  enterprises. 

Mr.  Ramsdell  has  given  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  Manistee. 
Fraternally  his  affiliations  are  with  Manistee  Lodge  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In  1895  Mr.  Ramsdell  married  Miss  Zoe 
Harris  of  Chicago.  Their  two  children,  Helen  E.  and  Louis  S.,  are 
students  in  the  public  schools  of  ^lanistee. 

Edmund  C.  Shields.  One  of  the  most  forceful  figures  in  Democratic 
politics  in  his  state,  Edmund  C.  Shields,  has  risen  to  his  present  position 
as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  solely  through 
merit.  A  man  of  vast  legal  learning,  with  a  broad  and  comprehensive 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  men  and  affairs,  he  has  on  numerous 


1764  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

occasions  demonstrated  his  executive  ability  and  organizing  powers,  and 
these,  combined  with  a  capacity  to  recognize  and  readily  grasp  opportuni- 
ties, an  energetic  and  courageous  nature,  and  an  attractive  personality, 
make  his  services  of  inestimable  value  to  his  party. 

Mr.  Shields  has  the  distinction  of  being  a  native  son  of  Michigan, 
having  been  born  at  Howell,  Livingston  county,  December  30,  1871.  His 
grandfather,  John  Shields,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  was  a  pioneer  of 
Wayne  county.  Michigan,  during  the  early  'thirties.  About  the  year  1840 
he  removed  his  family  to  Livingston  county,  and  there  settled  on  a  farm, 
where  he  continued  to  carry  on  agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  retirement  from  active  labor  located  at  Fowlerville, 
where  his  death  occurred.  Dennis  Shields,  the  father  of  Edmund  C. 
Shields,  was  one  of  Michigan's  pioneers  and  best  known  legists.  He  was 
born  at  Dearborn,  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  September  19,  1836,  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  primitive  common  schools  of  Unadilla, 
subsequently  spending  one  term  in  the  schools  of  Ypsilanti.  He  read  law 
under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  H.  H.  Harmon  and  Marcus  Wilcox,  of 
Howell,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1862,  entering  the  practice  of  law 
in  that  same  year  and  continuing  therein  until  his  death  in  1898.  He  was 
a  man  of  many  attainments,  and  for  years  was  a  familiar  figure  in  the 
courts  of  ^Michigan,  where  his  connection  with  numerous  important  cases 
of  jurisprudence  brought  him  prominently  and  favorably  before  the 
public.  At  one  time  he  was  the  partner  of  Judge  Person,  who  is  now  the 
senior  member  of  the  legal  iirm  of  which  his  son,  Edmund  C.  Shields, 
is  now  a  member.  Dennis  Shields  married  Miss  Lydia  Lonergan,  a  native 
of  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  and  she  died  in  January,  1910. 

Edmund  C.  Shields  attended  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  Howell, 
being  graduated  from  the  latter  in  June,  1889.  He  subsequently  became 
a  student  in  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1894,  and  then  took  the 
legal  course  in  the  same  institution,  being  graduated  with  his  law  degree 
in  1896.  During  his  college  career  Mr.  Shields  was  prominent  in  athletics, 
being  a  baseball  and  football  hero,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Board  of  Control  of  Athletics  at  the  university,  which  has  since  developed 
into  a  decided  factor  in  keeping  college  athletics  clean  and  sportsmanlike. 
Upon  his  admission  to  the  bar.  in  1896,  Mr.  Shields  became  associated  in 
practice  with  his  father,  but  at  the  end  of  two  years  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Francis  J.  Shields,  at  Howell,  this  connection  continuing 
tintil  August  I,  1913,  when  he  came  to  Lansing  to  enter  the  law  firm  of 
Person,  Shields  &  Silsbee.  This  is  now  accounted  one  of  the  most  for- 
midable legal  combinations  in  the  state. 

It  was  but  natural  that  a  man  of  ]Mr.  Shields'  abilities  and  energetic 
nature  should  enter  the  strenuous  field  of  politics.  Allying  himself  with 
the  forces  of  Democracy,  he  w-as  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Living- 
ston county  by  that  party  in  1900,  and  succeeded  himself  in  that  office  in 
1902,  serving  in  all  four  years.  Here  his  talents  were  given  full  play,  and 
in  1909,  in  order  to  fill  a  vacancy  the  leaders  of  his  party  chose  him  as 
leader  of  the  State  Central  Committee.  In  1910,  at  the  state  convention, 
held  at  Kalamazoo,  he  was  elected  unanimously  to  that  position,  and 
again  in  1912  was  chosen  unanimously  to  succeed  himself.  As  the  leader 
of  his  party  in  the  state  he  has  shown  himself  possessed  of  every  trait  of 
leadership,  and  the  success  of  Democracy  in  Michigan  may  in  large  part 
be  accredited  directly  to  his  sterling  efforts.  In  June,  1913,  he  was  hon- 
ored by  appointment  of  Governor  Ferris  to  membership  on  the  committee 
chosen  to  recompile  and  codify  the  state  statutes.  While  a  resident  of 
Howell,  Mr.  Shields  rendered  signal  services  as  a  member  of  the  city 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1765 

council  and  the  school  board.  He  was  a  delegate  at  large  to  the  National 
Democratic  convention,  held  at  Baltimore  in  1912.  where  with  his  fellow- 
delegates  he  did  much  to  advance  the  presidential  interests  of  Woodrow 
Wilson. 

Mr.  Shields  was  married  to  Miss  Marv  Folev.    Thev  have  no  children. 


Ellsworth  S.  Ellis,  M.  D.  In  point  of  years  of  continuous  practice 
Dr.  Ellis  takes  precedence  of  virtually  all  other  members  of  his  profes- 
sion in  the  city  of  Manistee,  judicial  center  of  the  county  of  the  same 
name,  and  he  is  known  and  honored  as  one  of  the  able  and  representative 
physicians  and  surgeons  of  Michigan,  where  by  his  character  and  services 
he  has  lent  dignity  and  distinction  to  the  humane  vocation  to  which  he 
has  devoted  himself  with  all  of  zeal  and  with  marked  self-abnegation. 

Dr.  Ellis  claims  the  old  Bay  State  as  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  is  a 
scion  of  a  family  that  was  founded  in  New  England  in  the  colonial  days. 
He  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  of  his  father,  near  Huntington, 
Hampshire  county,  Massachusetts,  on  the  2d  of  October,  1848,  and  is  a 
son  of  Ebenezer  S.  and  Betsy  L.  (Hancock)  Ellis,  both  likewise  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  where  the  former  was  born  in  181 5  and  the  latter  in 
1822.  their  marriage  having  been  solemnized  in  1845.  The  parents  passed 
the  closing  years  of  their  lives  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  and  both 
entered  into  eternal  rest  in  the  year  1892,  so  that,  after  long  and  devoted 
companionship,  in  death  they  were  not  long  divided.  Ebenezer  S.  Ellis 
devoted  his  entire  active  career  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  his  industry 
and  good  management  brought  to  him  definite  independence  and  pros- 
perity, though  he  was  by  no  means  a  man  of  wealth.  He  was  originally 
a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  in  the  climacteric  period 
prior  to  the  Civil  War  he  was  an  ardent  Abolitionist.  He  was  a  zealous 
member  of  the  Congregational  church,  as  were  also  his  first  and  his  sec- 
ond wives.  He  was  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Ruth  (Stiles)  Ellis,  the 
former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the  latter  of  Connecticut,  and  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  Samuel  Ellis,  who  was  a  patriot  soldier  in 
the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  two  of  whose  brothers  were  killed  while 
serving  in  the  French  and  Indian  war.  Ruth  (Stiles)  Ellis  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ashbel  Stiles  and  she  was  born  at  Windsor.  Connecticut,  of  which 
state  her  ancestors  were  very  early  settlers,  having  there  established  their 
home  on  coming  to  America  from  England,  in  1634.  Ashbel  Stiles  like- 
wise served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  thus  Dr.  Ellis  is  eligible  in 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  for  membership  in  the  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  Ebenezer  S.  Ellis  was  twice  married 
and  he  became  the  father  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living: 
Charles  A.,  the  only  child  of  the  first  union,  is  a  prosperous  merchant  at 
Pierport,  Manistee  county,  Michigan;  Laura  L.  is  the  wife  of  Mahlon 
C.  Sheldon,  of  Southhampton,  Massachusetts ;  Dr.  Ellis,  of  this  review, 
was  the  next  in  order  of  birth  ;  Edward  A.  is  a  resident  of  Westfield,  Mas- 
sachusetts ;  and  Benjamin  H.  is  also  a  resident  of  Westfield. 

Dr.  Ellis  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state  and  supplemented  this  by  higher  academic  courses  in  Alle- 
gheny College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  In  preparation  for  his  chosen 
life  work  he  finally  was  matriculated  in  the  (jollege  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  New  York  City,  and  in  this  fine  institution  he  was  graduated 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1876^  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  For 
five  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Aleadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  for  the  ensuing  five  vears  he  was  similarly  engaged  at  Ripley, 
New  York.    In  1886  he  established  his  home  at  ^lanistee,  ^Michigan,  and 


1766  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

here  he  has  since  continued  liis  able  ministrations,  his  practice  having 
long  been  large  and  representative  and  marked  affection  and  esteem 
being  accorded  him  by  the  many  families  to  whom  he  has  given  timely 
assistance  in  the  hours  of  suft'ering  and  distress.  His  practice  is  of  a  gen- 
eral order,  but  in  later  years  he  found  special  demands  upon  him  in  gyne- 
cology and  obstetrics.  He  is  known  and  honored  throughout  this  section 
of  the  state,  not  only  as  a  physician,  but  also  as  a  man  of  broad  human 
s\-mpathy  and  tolerance  and  of  invincible  integrity  in  all  the  relations  of 
life.  He  is  one  of  the  most  valued  members  of  the  Manistee  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  president  in  1914.  and  he  is  identified  also 
with  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation. During  his  long  years  of  exacting  professional  work  he  has 
not  pennitted  himself  to  flag  in  study  and  investigation,  and  he  thus 
keeps  abreast  of  the  advances  made  in  medical  and  surgical  science. 

Dr.  Ellis  is  liberal  and  loyal  as  a  citizen  and  while  he  has  had  no  desire 
for  political  preferment  he  is  found  aligned  as  a  stalwart  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  com- 
municants of  the  Catholic  church  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of 
Columbus. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1874,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Dr. 
Ellis  to  "Miss  Alary  E.  Clapp,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Massachusetts, 
and  they  have  four  children:  Ellsworth  S.,  Jr.,  is  a  resident  of  the  city 
of  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  is  in  the  employ  of  the  John  S.  Xoel  Company  ; 
Fidelia  is  the  wife  of  John  F.  Bailey,  manager  of  the  New  Royal  Theater, 
in  Manistee ;  Frederick  has  charge  of  the  offices  of  an  iron  company  at 
Elk  Rapids.  Michigan :  and  Theodore  R.  is  employed  in  Chicago,  by 
the  Germania  Fire  Insurance  Company. 

\\'iLBUR  E.  Warr,  editor  and  manager  of  the  Daily  Nezi's.  at  Luding- 
ton,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  only  since  1912,  but  there  is  prob- 
ably no  better  known  newspaper  man  in  Northwestern  Michigan  at  this 
time.  Connected  with  journalistic  work  since  his  sixteenth  year,  his 
labors  have  carried  him  to  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  his 
fine  talents  have  received  recognition  in  diversified  fields  of  his  chosen 
profession.  Mr.  Warr  is  a  native  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  was  born 
March  26,  1880,  a  son  of  John  \\'.  and  Harriet  AI.  (  Smith )  \\'arr,  natives 
of  Ohio,  the  former  born  in  1846  and  the  latter  in  1850,  and  now  resi- 
dents of  Gardena.  California. 

John  W.  Warr  was  a  graduate  of  an  Ohio  college,  and  early  in  life 
took  up  educational  work,  becoming  a  college  professor  and  subsequently 
one  of  the  owners  of  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College.  For  many 
years  he  was  engaged  in  editorial  work  and  as  a  writer  for  the  leading 
magazines  and  periodicals,  and  although  he  is  now  living  a  somewhat  re- 
tired life  frequent  articles  still  come  from  his  prolific  pen.  There  were 
five  children  in  the  family:  Percy  B..  who  is  the  proprietor  of  a  retail 
merchandise  store  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Bertha  M..  who  is  single: 
\\"ilbur  E. ;  Archie  J.,  a  bookkeeper  of  Avery,  Iowa:  and  E.  N..  manager 
of  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  at  San  Pedro,  California.  Mrs.  \\  arr  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Wilbur  E.  Warr  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Louisville,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  graduated  from  the  Moline 
(Illinois)  high  school.  Inheriting  his  father's  predilection  for  literary 
work,  he  secured  employment  at  that  time  in  a  newspaper  office,  and  sub- 
sequentlv  became  a  reporter  for  a  Moline  newspaper,  remaining  at  that 
prominent  manufacturing  city  for  about  six  years.  Following  this,  he 
went  to  Metropolis,  Illinois,  where  he  became  the  proprietor  of  a  weekly 
publication,   but  after  four  years   disposed   of  his  interests  to  take  up 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1767 

special  work  for  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  papers.  While  thus  engaged  he 
was  sent  to  Kentucky  during  the  noted  Night  Rider  troubles,  during 
which  he  had  some  thrilling  experiences,  and  his  reports  of  the  inci- 
dents there  were  printed  in  leading  papers  throughout  the  Middle  West. 
Upon  his  return  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  accepted  the  editorship  of 
a  paper,  but  soon  removed  to  Janesville,  \\'isconsin,  where  he  was  editor 
and  manager  of  the  Morning  Recorder,  severing  his  connection  there- 
with to  come  to  Ludington,  in  iyi2,  to  accept  the  position  of  editor  of 
the  Daily'  Nccvs.  Since  that  time  he  has  also  been  made  manager,  and 
under  his  direction  the  sheet  is  building  up  a  large  circulation,  having  more 
than  doubled  its  list  of  subscribers  within  six  months'  time.  Aside  from 
his  duties  with  this  newspaper,  Mr.  Warr  has  done  a  great  deal  of  spe- 
cial writing  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Bob  Linnett." 

^1t.  \\'"arr  was  married  in  1900  to  ^liss  Pearl  N.  Giles,  of  Aloline, 
Illinois.  They  are  consistent  members  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  Mr. 
Warr  affiliate's  fraternally  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Politically  a  Democrat,  he  has  taken  a  keen 
interest  in  the  success  of  his  party,  which  he  has  aided  through  the 
medium  of  his  newspaper  as  a  molder  of  public  opinion.  He  takes  a 
prominent  part  in  the  councils  of  his  party  here,  and  has  served  as  sec- 
retarv  of  the  county  commissioners.  Although  a  very  busy  man,  he  is 
easilv  approached,  and  his  friends  are  legion  wherever  he  is  kn— — 


10  wn. 


Re\-.  Ed\v.\ud  a.  C.\ldwell,  who  has  recently  become  pastor  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  Church,  Saginaw,  Michigan,  has  labored  zealously  in 
the  priesthood  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  born  April 
7,  1861,  in  the  citv  of  Detroit,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  ]\Iargaret  (McDon- 
ald) Caldwell,  who  were  married  at  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  and  are  both 
now  deceased.  The  parents  of  Father  Caldwell  were  in  modest  circum- 
stances, but  were  honest,  reliable.  God-fearing  people  and  devout  mem- 
bers of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  In  their  family  there  were  six  sons 
and  one  daughter,  the  latter  dying  October  15,  1913. 

When  stiU  a  lad,  attending  the  parochial  schools  of  Saginaw,  Father 
Caldwell  decided  upon  devoting  his  life  to  the  priesthood,  although  none 
of  his  brothers  engaged  in  religious  work.  He  prosecuted  his  studies  in 
Assumption  College.  Sandwich,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  in  1887  was  grad- 
uated from  the  American  College  of  Louvain,  Belgium.  Upon  being 
ordained  his  first  charge  was  St.  Patrick's  Church,  at  Grand  Haven,  ;Mich- 
igan.  where  he  spent  three  years,  then  going  to  St.  Mary's  Church  at  Big 
Rapids,  where  five  years  were  spent,  following  which  he  was  in  charge  of 
St.  ^ilarv's  Church  at  Sheboygan  for  five  years,  and  then  was  sent  to  St. 
Mary's  Church,  Bay  City,  wliere  he  continued  as  priest  thirteen  years.  At 
the  last-named  place.  Father  Caldwell  accomplished  possibly  his  greatest 
work.  St.  Mary's  Church  of  West  Bay  City  was  founded  in  November, 
1873.  when  the  building  now  used  as  a  schoolhouse  was  dedicated  as  a 
church.  The  erection  of  the  present  house  of  worship  was  begun  in  the 
latter  part  of  May,  1881,  and  was  dedicated  November  30th  of  that  year 
by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Casper  H.  Borgess,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Detroit,  and 
completed  as  the  fourth  church  of  the  diocese  in  1883.  A  very  large 
share  of  the  credit  for  the  erection  of  this  church  is  due  to  the  untiring 
and  zealous  efforts  of  Father  Schutjes.  The  parish  was  set  off  from 
Bay  City  in  1873,  and  the  first  pastor  was  Rev.  M.  G.  Cantors,'  who  was 
succeeded  bv  Father  Schutjes  in  the  summer  of  1880.  and  on  March  i. 
1888,  Rev.  Tohn  Sanson  became  assistant  pastor,  a  capacity  in  which  he 
acted  until  Father  Schutjes  returned  to  Europe  when  the  former  became 
pastor.  Flis  successor  was  Father  Schrembs,  who  served  eleven  years, 
and  was  succeeded  in  October,  igoo,  by  the  Rev.  Edward  A.  Caldwell, 


1768  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

with  Rev.  Anthony  O.  Bosler  as  assistant  pastor,  tlie  latter  now  lieing 
pastor.  In  1887  the  school  was  founded  by  the  Catholic  Sisters,  the  old 
church  building  being  remodeled  for  school  purposes,  and  it  now  has 
400  pupils,  with  eight  grades,  four  high  school  grades  and  a  commercial 
course,  and  is  placed  with  the  accredited  schools  of  the  state.  The  con- 
gregation consists  of  350  families,  or  about  1,600  persons.  On  October 
27,  1913,  Father  Caldwell  bid  farewell  to  those  with  whom  he  had  la- 
bored so  long,  having  been  appointed  pastor  of  St.  ]Mary's  Church  at 
Saginaw,  by  Bishop  Richter,  to  fill"  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
the  late  Father  Dalton.  In  his  new  field  of  labor  Father  Caldwell  will 
no  doubt  continue  to  make  his  activities  a  most  potent  element  in  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  Catholicism.  He  is  a  man  of  congenial  dis- 
position, broad  and  charitable  in  his  views,  with  a  smile  and  pleasant 
word  for  everyone.  In  his  wide  circle  of  friends,  he  has  probablv  as 
many  Protestant  admirers  as  those  of  his  own  faith,  while  among  those 
with  whom  he  has  worked  he  is  greatly  beloved.  One  of  his  chief  char- 
acteristics may  be  said  to  be  his  fondness  for  a  good  clean  joke,  and  in 
his  rare  moments  of  leisure  enjoys  a  spell  of  story  and  anecdote.  A 
learned  and  able  man,  he  commands  the  respect  of  people  of  all  denomina- 
tions, and  his  influence  has  worked  for  righteousness  in  whatever  local- 
ity he  has  labored. 

Hnx.  Charles  Sumner  Pierce.  The  official  career  of  Hon.  Charles 
Sumner  Pierce,  state  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds,  of  Lans- 
ing, has  covered  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years,  and  his  record  has 
been  characterized  by  excellent  public  services  and  loyal  and  conscientious 
devotion  to  the  best  interest  of  his  state.  'Sir.  Pierce  is  a  native  of 
Michigan,  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Redford  township,  Wavne  county, 
June  12.  1S58,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Onesimous  O.  Pierca,  who 
was  a  pioneer  of  Wayne  county.  He  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county. 
New  York,  in  1S09,  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1837,  the  same  year  that 
the  state  was  admitted  to  the  L'nion.  Mr.  Pierce  became  a  farmer  in 
Redford  township,  accumulated  a  valuable  property  through  industry 
and  able  business  management,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  com- 
munity and  was  frequentlv  elected  to  township  offices  within  the  gift  of 
his  appreciative  fellow-citizens.  The  mother  of  Charles  Sumner  Pierce 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Blue  and  was  born  in  Oneida  county. 
New  York,  in  1818,  from  whence  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Wayne 
county,  ^lichigan  in  1836,  when  this  was  still  a  territory.  She  was  here 
married  to  Mr.  Pierce,  who  died  in  1872,  and  she  survived  until  1893. 

Charles  Sumner  Pierce  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  secured 
his  primary'  education  in  the  district  schools.  Later  he  entered  the  state 
normal  school  at  Ypsilanti,  and  after  taking  the  Latin  and  German  courses 
was  graduated  in  1882.  At  that  time  IVIr.  Pierce  adopted  the  vocation  of 
educator,  and  in  1883  became  principal  of  the  schools  of  Au  Sable,  con- 
tinuing at  the  head  of  those  schools  for  two  years.  During  this  time  he 
purchased  the  Au  Sable  and  Osceola  Mezi's,  which  he  first  rechristened 
The  Saturday  Alight  and  later  The  Press,  and  published  the  latter  until 
1900.  In  1884  Mr.  Pierce  had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1885 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  L'niversity  of  Michigan,  where  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1887,  receiving  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  Soon  thereafter  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Oscoda,  Michigan,  in  1888.  and  in  the  following 
year  was  elected  attorney  for  that  village,  an  office  which  he  held  until 

1891.  He  was  commissioner  of  schools  of  Iosco  county  during  1891  and 

1892.  and  in  the  latter  year  was  elected  to  represent  the  Twenty-eighth 
District  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Senate,  in  which  distinguished 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1769 

body  lie  served  one  term.  In  1897  Mr.  Pierce  was  chosen  secretary  of 
the  Senate,  serving  in  that  capacity  during  the  sessions  of  1897,  1898, 
1899  and  1900,  and  in  January,  1901,  his  ability  was  recognized  by  his 
appointment  as  deputy  secretary  of  state,  serving  as  such  until  [anuary, 
1906.  While  an  incumbent  of  that  office,  Mr.  Pierce  was  granted  a  leave 
of  absence  to  accept  the  position  of  clerk  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, for  the  session  of  1903,  and  again,  under  the  same  circumstances, 
served  as  clerk  of  the  House  during  the  session  of  1905,  Two  years  later 
he  occupied  the  same  office,  and  July  i,  1907,  was  appointed  state  game, 
fish  and  forestry  warden,  an  office  which  he  held  for  four  years,  or  until 
July  I,  191 1.  The  special  session  of  the  legislature  held  in  191 1  saw  Mr. 
Pierce  again  chosen  as  clerk  of  the  House,  and  two  years  later  he  was 
again  honored  by  that  office.  In  May,  1913,  came  Mr.  Pierce's  appoint- 
ment as  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  at  the  state  capitol,  a 
position  which  he  has  continued  to  hold.  Mr.  Pierce's  official  life  has 
been  one  of  intense  activity,  in  which  he  has  displayed  executive  and 
administrative  talents  of  a  high  order.  He  is  widely  known  in  political 
circles  of  the  state,  and  has  the  friendship  of  men  of  all  parties  who  have 
appreciated  his  steadfast  honesty  and  devotion  to  high  principles. 

Mr.  Pierce  has  been  twice  married.  In  1889  he  was  united  with  Miss 
Frances  Barnard,  of  Detroit,  who  died  in  1900,  leaving  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Barnard,  a  senior  at  the  University  of  ^Michigan,  where  he  is 
taking  the  law  and  literary  courses ;  \'irginia,  a  member  of  the  sophomore 
class  at  that  institution;  and  Kenneth,  who  is  attending  the  Lansing  High 
school.  In  1907  Mr.  Pierce  was  married  to  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Ken- 
nedy, of  Grancl  Marais,  Michigan,  and  they  have  one  son — Charles 
Sumner,  Jr. 

William  P.  Kavanaugh.  It  is  no  inconsiderable  attainment  to 
start  a  poor  boy  of  sixteen  and  by  years  of  consecutive  endeavor  build  up 
a  large  industry  in  the  fish  business,  to  become  president  of  a  bank,  and 
officially  connected  with  several  other  .well  known  concerns.  That  is  a 
concise  account  of  Mr.  Kavanaugh's  present  position  in  the  business  life 
at  Bay  City.  What  he  has  he  owes  to  the  talents,  the  energies  and  the 
business  qualities  of  his  own  character. 

Born  near  Guelph,  Ontario,  Canada,  December  25,  1872,  William 
P.  Kavanaugh  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mdry  (Kelly)  Kavanaugh.  His 
father  was  born  in  Ireland,  came  to  Canada  early  in  the  fifties,  followed 
the  trade  of  saddler  and  died  about  1877.  The  mother,  who  was  born 
in  Canada,  and  who  had  five  children,  of  whom  William  was  the  third, 
after  her  husband's  death  moved  to  Bay  City,  where  she  died  in  1889 
at  the  age  of  forty.  The  son  was  five  years  of  age,  when  he  lost  his 
father,  and  from  the  time  he  was  sixteen  he  was  out  in  the  world  on  his 
own  resources.  In  the  meantime  the  public  schools  of  Bay  City  had 
given  him  a  fair  foundation  of  learning,  and  after  leaving  school  he 
found  employment  in  the  fishing  industry,  which  is  one  of  the  large  and 
important  activities  in  this  section.  From  a  very  humble  start,  he  de- 
veloped a  business  in  which  a  large  force  of  men  are  now  employed, 
and  he  has  a  trade  which  is  the  largest  in  live  fish,  and  at  the  same  time 
employs  much  capital  and  many  hands  in  the  freezing,  salting  and 
smoking  of  fish. 

His  success  in  one  industry  has  naturally  led  him  to  connection  with 
various  other  enterprises.  His  headquarters  in  the  fish  business  are  at 
Essexville,  and  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  State  Savings  Bank 
of  Essexville,  and  now  its  president.  This  bank  is  under  State  super- 
vision and  is  owned  by  local  people.  In  August,  1913,  its  resources  were 
over  sixty  thousand   dollars,   the  capital   stock  being  twenty   thousand. 


1770  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  its  deposits  over  forty  tiiousand.     Mr.  Kavanaugh  is  also  director 
and  treasurer  of  tlie  Ro^-al  Coal  Company. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  is  at  this  writing  a  member  of  the  board 
of  estimates,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  taken  an  active  part  in  civic 
affairs.  His  fraternal  affiliations  are  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  belongs  to  the  Catholic 
church,  is  a  member  of  the  Country  Club  and  the  Board  of  Commerce. 
At  Bay  City  on  October  5,  1904,  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Nellie 
Callahan,  who  was  born  in  Bay  City,  a  daughter  of  Dennis  Callahan,  one 
of  the  old  settlers  of  that  locality.  They  have  four  children,  Helen 
Kavanaugh,  William  Patrick,  Jr.,  Alargaret  Kavanaugh,  and  John  Virgil 
Kavanaugh.  The  Kavanaugh  home  is  at  242  N.  Madison  Street  in 
Bay  City. 

\ViLLi.\M  H.  G.\Y.  The  precedence  of  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids  as 
an  industrial  and  commercial  center  has  been  signally  fostered  through 
the  extensive  operations  of  the  extensive  manufacturing  enterprise  of 
the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Company,  which  is  recognized  as  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  the  corporations  that  have  made  Grand  Rapids 
a  world  center  for  the  manufacturing  of  furniture.  The  products  of  the 
great  plant  of  this  company  comprise  general  lines  of  high-grade  furni- 
ture and  its  trade  extends  into  the  most  diverse  sections  of  the  civilized 
world,  with  specially  wide  ramifications,  as  may  be  supposed,  throughout 
the  United  States  and  the  Canadian  provinces.  He  whose  name  initiates 
this  paragraph  is  known  and  honored  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
and  progressive  business  men  and  most  liberal  and  loyal  citizens  of 
Michigan's  beautiful  "\'alley  City,"  and  he  has  done  much  to  further 
the  civic  and  material  advancement  of  his  native  city  and  state.  He  is 
president  of  the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Company  and  is  a  scion  of  a 
family  whose  name  has  been  long  and  conspicuously  identified  with  large 
and  important  business  activities  in  Grand  Rapids. 

Mr.  Gay  was  born  in  Grand  Jiapids  on  the  30th  of  May,  1863,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Helen  (  Hovey)  Gay,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  New  York,  in  1837,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  the  city  of  Boston,  ^Massachusetts,  in  1835.  The 
father  passed  from  the  scene  of  life's  mortal  endeavors  on  the  13th  of 
September,  1899,  his  devoted  wife  having  been  summoned  to  eternal 
rest  in  April  of  the  pre;ceding  year.  George  W.  Gay  came  to  Michigan 
in  the  year  1859  and  forthwith  established  his  residence  in  the  small  but 
promising  village  of  Grand  Rapids,  which  was  at  that  time  known  prin- 
cipally as  a  center  of  lumbering  operations.  He  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  as  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the  city,  but  about  two 
years  later  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacturing  of  furniture. 
This  work  of  founding  a  great  industrial  enterprise  was  accomplished 
in  the  year  1863,  when  he  became  associated  with  William  A.  and  Julius 
Berkey.  under  the  firm  name  of  Berkey  Brothers  &  Company.  From  a 
modest  inception  was  built  up  an  industry  that  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  the 
names  of  the  founders  of  the  business  are  still  retained  in  the  corporate 
title  under  which  the  enterprise  is  conducted,  for  this  is  given  enduring 
recognition  of  men  who  played  a  large  part  in  the  industrial  and  general 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  second  city  of  Michigan.  With  the 
passing  of  the  years  the  manufacturing  business  of  the  firm  expanded 
rapidlv  in  scope  and  importance,  and  in  1873,  as  a  matter  of  commercial 
and  financial  expediency,  the  concern  was  incorporated  under  the  title 
of  the  Berkev  &  Gav  Furinture  Company,  which  has  been  retained  dur- 
ing the  long  intervening  years,  the  extensive  operations  of  the  company 
being  based  on  a  capital  stock  of  $900,000  at  the  present  time. 


GEORGE  W.  GAY 


THI  MW  TOM 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1771 

In  Grand  Rapids  the  year  1861  bore  record  of  the  marriage  of  George 
W.  Gay  to  Aliss  Helen  Hovey,  who  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
sterling  pioneer  families  of  Michigan,  her  father,  William  Ilovev,  who 
was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  who  had  been  a  prominent  architect  and 
contractor  in  the  city  of  Boston,  having  come  to  Michigan  in  1857.  Mr. 
Hovey  built  up  a  successful  contracting  business  in  Grand  Rapids,  but 
he  soon  became  one  of  the  influential  figures  in  the  development  of  the 
fine  gypsum  mines  which  were  destined  to  make  "Grand  Rapids  plaster" 
a  famous  commercial  product,  and  in  this  field  of  enterprise  he  was  the 
valued  representative  of  a  number  of  substantial  Eastern  capitalists. 
yir.  Hovey  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  his 
name  merits  enduring  place  on  the  roster  of  those  who  aided  in  the  early 
development  of  the  city's  industrial  activities.  George  W.  Gay.  who 
began  his  independent  career  as  a  youth  with  no  special  financial  re- 
sources, achieved  large  and  worthy  success  as  one  of  the  world's  pro- 
ductive workers,  and  he  was  long  numbered  among  the  representative 
men  of  affairs  in  Grand  Rapids,  even  as  he  was  a  citizen  imbued  with 
utmost  loyalty  and  public  spirit.  His  father,  Joel.  Gay,  was  a  native  of 
^Massachusetts,  but  became  a  farmer  in  the  state  of  Xew  York,  where 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  an  early  day  and  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  his  death.  George  W.  Gay  was  a  stalwart  and  well-fortified 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and,  while  he  had  no 
definite  ambition  for  political  preferment,,  his  saijee  of  civic  duty  caused 
him  to  consent  to  serve  in  various  municipal  offices  in  Grand  Rapids, 
including  that  of  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  and  that  of  member 
of  the  board  of  police  and  fire  commissioners.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  most  zealous  members  of  the  Fountain  Street  Baptist  church  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  in  the  same  he  held  the  office  of  deacon  for  a  luimber 
of  years.  He  was  a  man  of  noble  character  and  much  business  abilitv, 
and  his  name  shall  be  held  in  lasting  honor  in  the  city  in  which  he  long 
lived  and  labored  and  to  the  advancement  of  which  he  contributed  in 
most  generous  measure.  Of  the  two  children  surviving  him,  the  elder 
is  William  H.,  of  this  review,  who  has  proved  his  worthy  successor  in 
the  direction  of  the  affairs  of  the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Company, 
and  the  younger  is  Gertrude  Gay  Carman,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
W.  Carman,  her  husband  having  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  valued 
member  of  the  faculty  of  the  celebrated  Lewis  Institute,  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  and  being  now  a  representative  farmer  of  Kent  county. 

William  H.  Gay  attended  the  public  schools  of  Grand  Rapids  until, 
he  had  completed  the  curriculum  of  the  high  school.  His  health  was 
somewhat  delicate  at  this  stage  of  his  career,  and  in  order  to  obtain  the 
fullest  amount  of  fresh  air  and  a  quota  of  incidental  physical  exercise  he 
sought  outdoor  work.  After  being  thus  engaged  for  a  time,  he  entered 
the  factory  of  the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Company,  and  with  this 
great  establishment  he  has  literally  grown  up,  his  experience  having 
been  such  as  to  familiarize  him  with  all  details  of  the  business  of  which 
he  is  now  the  able  executive  head.  Besides  holding  preferment  as  presi- 
dent of  the  company,  he  is  also  the  general  manager  of  the  business,  and 
his  regime  in  this  capacity  has  shown  by  results  his  distinctive  admin- 
istrative capacity  and  progressive  policies.  Mr.  Gay  has  other  important 
capitalistic  interests  than  those  represented  in  the  great  corporation  of 
which  he  is  president.  He  is  a  director  of  each  of  the  following  named 
and  representative  financial  institutions  of  Grand  Rapids :  The  Fourth 
National  Bank,  the  Commercial  Savings  Bank,  the  People's  Savings 
Bank,  and  the  Michigan  Trust  Company,  besides  which  he  is  a  stock- 
holder in  other  financial  and  industrial  corporations.  He  devotes  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  his   executive  responsibilities 


1772  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

as  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Com- 
pany, and  is  ever  found  ready  to  lend  his  influence  and  co-operation  in 
the  furtherance  of  movements  and  enterprises  projected  for  the  civic 
and  material  advancement  of  his  native  city,  where  his  circle  of  friends 
is  limited  only  by  that  of  his  acquaintances.  In  politics  Mr.  Gay  is 
aligned  as  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  he  has  had  no  desire  for  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  ]Mrs.  Gay  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church.  They  are  prominent  in  the  representa- 
tive social  activities  of  Grand  Rapids,  and  their  beautiful  home  is  known 
for  its  gracious  hospitality. 

In  the  year  1888  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  2^Ir.  Gay  to  ]^Iiss 
Xetta  Cole,  daughter  of  the  late  Edwin  Cole,  who  was  long  a  representa- 
tive shoe  merchant  of  Grand  Rapids,  in  which  city  IMrs.  Gay  was  born 
and  reared. 

Julius  Er.astus  Thatcher.  Manager  of  the  Thatcher  Real  Estate 
Exchange,  with  offices  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  building  at  Detroit, 
Julius  E.  Thatcher  is  a  native  of  ^Michigan.  He  was  born  at  Pontiac, 
Oakland  county,  Alay  27,  1859,  son  of  Erastus  and  Fanny  Elizabetli 
(Richardson)  Thatcher.  Grandfather  Asa  Thatcher,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, was  a  soldier  in  Washington's  armj-  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Julius  E.  Thatcher  is  one  of  the  few  men  still  living  who  had 
grandfathers  as  revolutionary  soldiers  and  is  probably  the  only  member 
of  the  Michigan  Chapter  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  so  distinguished.  The  Thatchers  have  a  long  and  interesting 
geneaIog}^  The  first  of  the  name  was  Rev.  Thomas  Thatcher,  founder 
and  first  pastor  of  the  Old  South  church  in  Boston,  one  of  the  shrines  of 
American  patriotism.  Coming  from  England  to  America  as  early  as 
1635,  and  residing  for  a  time  in  the  Plymouth  colony  of  Massachusetts 
and  subsequently  moving  to  Boston,  Rev.  Thomas  Thatcher  performed 
his  first  ceremony  service  as  a  minister  in  what  was  known  as  the  old 
Cedar  Meetinghouse,  on  the  site  of  which  was  subsequently  erected  Old 
South  church,  an  institution  that  had  peculiar  relations  with  the  events 
of  colonial  and  revolutionary  history. 

Erastus  Thatcher,  father  of  the  Detroit  business  man,  was  born 
at  North  Bennington,  \'ermont,  October  30,  1825,  and  died  in  \\'ash- 
ington,  D.  C,  December  25,  1898.  In  the  early  fifties  coming  to  Michi- 
gan and  locating  at  Pontiac,  his  learning  and  ability  quickly  made  him  a 
man  of  prominence.  He  had  been  educated  in  Amherst  College,  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession  and  training,  served  as  first  mayor  of  Pontiac,  and 
practiced  law  in  that  city  until  a  short  time  before  the  Civil  war,  when 
his  interests  were  transferred  to  Saginaw,  where  as  a  merchant  his  suc- 
cess was  as  great  as  had  been  his  work  in  the  law.  In  1876  occurred  his 
removal  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  serving 
as  editor  of  the  Washington  Law  Reporter.  A  man  of  versatile  talents 
and  abilities,  his  success  in  each  field  of  endeavor  was  clear-cut,  and  his 
associates  regarded  him  as  a  leader  and  an  authority.  Fanny  Elizabeth 
Richardson,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  Pontiac,  was  a  native  of  New- 
York  state,  of  Quaker  stock,  daughter  of  Peter  Richardson,  who  became 
a  pioneer  farmer  of  Oakland  county  in  Michigan.  Mrs.  Erastus  Thatcher 
died  in  1895  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 

After  finishing  his  education  in  the  Ann  Arbor  high  school,  Julius 
E.  Thatcher  in  18S0  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  \\"eather 
bureau  at  Washington.  That  service,  almost  like  that  of  the  army,  in- 
volved much  change  of  residence,  and  in  1889  the  department  sent  him 
to  Texas,  where  he  worked  as  a  weather  forecaster  for  about  three  years. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1773 

On  leaving  the  government  service  'Mr.  Thatcher  engaged  in  the  insur- 
ance business  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  as  agency  director  for  the  New 
Yorlv  Life  Insurance  Company.  He  was  in  the  bond  and  banking  busi- 
ness at  Chicago  until  1910,  at  which  time  the  Thatcher  Real  Estate 
Exchange  was  established  in  Detroit.  Mr.  Thatcher  is  the  owner  of 
some  valuable  improved  real  estate  in  Detroit,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Real  Estate  Board  and  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce.  His 
wife  before  her  marriage  was  Miss  Maude  A.  Metcalf,  a  native  of  Rome, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Eliot  and  Mira  A.  (Metcalf)  Metcalf. 
Eliot  Metcalf  was  in  the  direct  line  of  descent  from  the  Eliot  family  from 
which  is  also  descended  Professor  Charles  Eliot,  formerly  of  Harvard 
University.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thatcher  have  one  daughter.  Vera. 

Arthur  Elliott  Owen,  M.  D.  Few  among  the  younger  genera- 
tion of  Michigan  physicians  have  gained  a  more  substantial  reputation  in 
the  special  field  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  than  that 
which  has  crowned  the  career  of  Dr.  Arthur  Elliott  Owen,  of  Lansing. 
He  is  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a  descendant  of  two  pioneer  families  of 
the  state,  those  of  Owen  and  Gardutt.  He  was  born  on  the  family  farm  in 
Grand  Blanc  townshij),  Genesee  county,  Michigan,  October  6,  18S2,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  Elliott  and  Ella  Mary  (Gardutt)  Owen. 

The  Owen  family  is  of  Welsh  stock,  but  its  members  have  been  in 
America  for  at  least  four  generations,  the  ^Michigan  settler  being  William 
Owen,  who  was  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  came  to  Michigan  dur- 
ing the  early  days  of  the  history  of  this  commonwealth.  Taking  up  land 
in  Grand  Blanc  township,  of  the  present  site  thereof,  he  cleared  and 
improved  a  good  farm,  and  there  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  long, 
active  and  useful  life.  The  farm  is  stiU  in  the  possession  of  the  Owen 
family.  William  Elliott  Owen  was  born  on  the  old  homestead,  which  he 
inherited  from  his  father,  and  resided  on  it  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
subsequently  removed  to  the  village  of  Grand  Blanc,  although  he  con- 
tinued to  superintend  the  operations  on  the  home  place.  In  1894  Mr. 
Owen  left  Grand  Blanc  and  went  to  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  there  has 
continued  to  reside  to  the  present  time.  Ella  Mary  Gardutt,  the  mother 
of  Doctor  Owen,  was  born  at  Drayton  Plains,  Michigan,  a  daughter  of 
Richard  Gardutt,  a  Michigan  pioneer,  and  she  also  survives  and  resides 
in  Detroit. 

The  primary  education  of  Doctor  Owen  was  secured  in  the  village 
schools  of  Grand  Blanc,  and  subsequently  he  entered  the  Central  High 
school,  Detroit,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1903.  At  that  time  he 
took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  and  a  short  time  later  became  a  student 
in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  being  graduated  from  that  noted  in- 
stitution with  the  class  of  1907,  and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
During  the  following  year  he  embarked  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Lansing,  as  assistant  to  Doctor  Foster,  with  which  well-known 
physician  he  continued  two  years,  and  then  succeeded  him  in  practice. 
Since  that  time  Doctor  Owen  has  established  a  professional  business 
that  extends  all  over  Ingham  county,  confining  himself  to  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat.  Doctor  Owen  has  been  p.  con- 
stant and  close  student  of  his  profession,  and  has  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  research  and  investigation.  In  1910  he  furthered  his  fine  training  by  a 
trip  to  Europe,  where'he  took  post-graduate  work  in  the  cities  of  Lon- 
don, England,  and  Vienna,  Austria.  He  belongs  to  the  Ingham  County 
Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.  His  finely-appointed  offices  are  located  at  No.  12S 
West  Allegan  street,  where  he  has  a  large  medical  library  and  the  finest 
instruments  known  to  the  profession.     Fraternally,  Doctor  Owen  is  iden- 


1774  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tified  with  Lansing  Lodge  No.  66,  of  the  .]\Iasonic  order,  and  Lansing 
Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  The  Doctor  is  un- 
married. 

Ch.arles  N.  Belcher  has  been  a  member  of  the  Manistee  County  Bar 
during  the  past  twelve  years.  The  name  Belcher  is  the  old  French  for 
"Bel  chere" — good  company.  "Bon  compagnon,"  or  goodfellow,  would 
be  another  form.  Chaucer  has  it,  "For  cosynage  and  eek  for  bele  cheer." 
Kingswood,  Wiltshire,  England,  has  been  the  seat  of  the  Belcher  fam- 
ily for  centuries.  The  family  coat  of  arms  is  Poly  of  six  or  (gold)  and 
gules  (red  )  a  chief  vair.  The  family  crest  was  a  greyhound's  head  erased 
(i.  e.  not  "couped"  or  cut  oil,  but  torn  off)  ermine.  The  motto,  "Loyal  au 
Mort" — Loyal  even  to  death. 

The  Belcher  family  in  America  is  traced  directly  back  to  one  of  the 
family  who  came  to  the  colonies  on  the  Mayflower.  Later  one  of  the  fam- 
ily became  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  another  of  New  Hampshire. 

Elisha  Belcher,  the  grandfather  of  Charles  N.  Belcher,  was  born  at 
Boston,  Alassachusetts,  in  1810,  and  in  1826  came  to  ^Michigan.  He  be- 
came a  lawyer  of  exceptional  ability  and  for  a  number  of  years  served  on 
the  bench,  dying  in  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  in  1852. 

C.  M.  Belcher,  father  of  Charles  N.  Belcher,  was  born  at  Kalamazoo 
in  1839.  He  was  a  member  of  Co.  I,  First  Michigan  Cavalry,  during  the 
Civil  War,  the  last  thirteen  months  of  which  he  was  confined  in  Ander- 
sonville,  Libby  and  other  southern  prisons.  He  was  married  in  1868  to 
Nellie  Norton,  who  was  born  at  Cooper,  Michigan,  in  1843,  her  parents 
having  come  to  Alichigan  from  Connecticut.  ;\Ir.  Belcher  was  engaged  in 
the  cattle  business  in  "south-western  Kansas  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
now  resides  at  Manistee. 

Charles  N.  Belcher  was  born  at  Otsego,  Michigan,  in  1876.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1898  from  Kansas  University,  and  M.  A. 
from  the  same  institution  in  1899.  He  graduated  from  the  Law  School  at 
the  University  of  Michigan  in  1901.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth  May 
Vickers  of  Paola,  Kansas,  January  i,  1903. 

Mrs.  Belcher  secured  her  degree  of  A.  B.  from  the  University  of 
Kansas  in  1899,  and  M.  A.  from  the  University  of  ^Michigan  in  1902.  She 
is  prominent  in  club  work  in  ]\Ianistee.  Mr.  and  yirs.  Belcher  have  two 
daughters,  Helen  aged  eight  years,  and  Hazel,  aged  six  years. 

Mr.  Belcher  has  offices  in  the  First  National  Bank  Building.  While 
his  practice  is  general,  he  has  specialized  in  commercial  and  real  estate 
law.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  as  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Manistee  Countv.  as  United  States  commissioner,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  School  Board  of  Manistee  city  schools,  of  which  he  was  secretary  for 
five  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  Past  Exalted  Ruler  of  B.  P.  O. 
E.  No.  250. 

Drs.  W.  and  C.  M.  Ryno.  It  is  not  unusual  to  lind  the  members  of 
a  family  showing  a  predilection  for  the  same  line  of  business  or 
profession,  the  son  inheriting  from  the  father  the  qualities  which  have 
made  for  success  in  a  chosen  field.  Particularly  is  this  true  in  the  science 
of  medicine,  and  an  illustration  in  point  may  be  found  in  the  persons  of 
Drs.  Wakeman  and  Corydon  Mott  Ryno,  father  and  son,  of  Benton  Har- 
bor, who  are  numbered  among  the  most  prominent  physicians  of  South- 
western ^Michigan. 

The  Ryno  family  is  accounted  one  of  the  pioneer  organizations  of 
Berrien  county,  where  the  founder  was  a  worthy  citizen,  and  the  two  suc- 
ceeding generations  have  proven  themselves  worthy  to  bear  the  name  of 


HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN  1775 

the  Michigan  pioneer,  John  Boice  Ryno.  That  stalwart  early  settler  was 
born  at  Ovid,  Seneca  county.  New  York,  April  2,  1821,  and  was  a  son  of 
John  Stites  Ryno,  a  native  of  Westfield,  New  Jersey.  He  removed  from 
Jersey  to  Seneca  county,  New  York,  and  died  there' in  1825.  John  Boice 
Ryno  married  at  Trumanlnirg,  New  York,  Sabra  Garrett,  who  was  born 
at  that  place.  Losing  his  father  at  the  age  of  four  years,  John  B.  Ryno 
acquired  only  a  common  school  education  in  the  schools  of  Seneca  county, 
and  when  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade 
of  blacksmith.  In  1851,  seeking  a  new  lield  for  his  activities,  he  came  to 
the  West,  securing  some  wild  land  in  Hagar  township,  Berrien  county, 
where  his  family  joined  him  in  1856.  In  1859  ^^^-  Ryno  traded  his  wild 
land  for  an  improved  farm  near  Coloma,  in  Watervliet  township  and  re- 
moved thereto,  and  there  carried  on  blacksmithing  and  farming  until  i860, 
when,  after  losing  an  eye  he  gave  up  his  trade  and  concentrated  his  entire 
energies  upon  the  pursuits  of  the  soil,  and  continued  to  be  so  engaged 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  April  18,  1900,  Mrs.  Ryno  having  died  in  1889. 
He  was  originally  a  Whig  in  his  political  views,  and  subsequently  became 
a  Lincoln  Republican,  giving  his  support  to  that  party  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  although  he  was  not  an  office  seeker,  he  always  took  a  good  and 
public-spirited  citizen's  interest  in  affairs  of  a  political  character. 

Dr.  ^^'akeman  Ryno,  son  of  John  Boice  Ryno,  was  born  at  Lodi, 
.Seneca  county.  New  York,  June  9,  1849.  He  received  his  literary  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  at  Coloma.  and  subsequently  attended  the 
Trumanburg  (New  York)  Academy.  He  was  a  lad  of  seven  years  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Michigan,  and  here  he  grew  up  amid  rural 
surroundings,  but  was  not  satisfied  to  remain  a  farmer,  and  with  the  in- 
tention of  entering  upon  a  professional  career  took  up  the  study  of  med- 
icine. He  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  with  the  class  of  1872,  and  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  and  two  years  later  took  post-graduate  work  at  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital, New  York  City.  In  1872  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, at  Coloma,  where  he  remained  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  successful 
patronage  until  1891,  and  in  that  year  came  to  Benton  Harbor,  where  he 
has  since  continued.  The  doctor  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Ber- 
rien County  Medical  Society  in  1873 ;  member  of  the  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, 1886,  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  1886;  Michigan  Cre- 
mation Society,  1887 ;  also  a  member  of  the  F.  A.  M.,  K.  T.  and  S.  A.  R. 
He  is  the  author  of  "Amen,"  an  astro-theological  work,  1910;  and  "The 
Ryno  Family,"  now  ready  for  the  press. 

In  1875  Doctor  Ryno  was  married  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  to  Miss 
Hannah  Jane  Rosa,  who  was  born  in  Hagar  township,  Berrien  county, 
i\Iichigan,  daughter  of  Wallace  Rosa,  a  pioneer  of  that  township.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Rosa  enlisted  in  a  Michigan  regiment 
of  volunteers,  as  did  his  three  brothers,  but  while  they  all  returned  safely 
home  at  the  end  of  their  periods  of  enlistment,  Mr.  Rosa  died  as  a  pris- 
oner of  war  in  the  horrible  Andersonville  stockade,  of  starvation. 

Dr.  Corydon  Mott  Ryno,  son  of  Dr.  Wakeman  Ryno,  was  born  at 
Coloma,  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  January  31,  1876,  and  early  gave  evi- 
dence of  a  predilection  for  his  father's  profession.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  after  some  preparation  entered  Rut- 
gers College,  N.  t-.  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1898  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences.  He  then  continued  his  medical  studies 
under  his  father's  preceptorship  for  a  short  time,  and  then  entered  the 
medical  department  of  Yale  University,  there  receiving  his  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1901.  Succeeding  this.  Doctor  Ryno  spent  a  year 
in  study  and  travel  in  Europe,  and  in  1903  returned  to  Benton  Harbor 
and  joined  his  father  in  practice.    Doctor  Ryno  has  also  been  prominent 


1776  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

in  puljlic  affairs  in  the  city,  having  Ijeen  elected  alderman  in  1909.  In 
1910  he  was  elected  to  the  mayoralty,  but  in  1912  met  with  defeat,  only  to 
be  re-elected  to  that  office  in  1914.  He  is  giving  his  city  a  good,  clean  and 
business-like  administration,  which  has  been  characterized  by  progress 
and  advancement  in  civic  affairs. 

On  July  16,  1902,  Doctor  Ryno  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Eder,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  they  have  three  children:  Dorothea,  Elizabeth  and  Jane. 
Doctor  Ryno  is  a  member  of  the  Berrien  County  Medical  Society,  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  ^ledical  Association. 
He  belongs  also  to  Lake  Shore  Lodge  No.  29S,  F.  &  A.  IM.,  to  Michigan 
Consistory  of  the  thirty-second  degree  and  to  Saladin  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
X.  !\I.  S.,  of  Grand  Rapids,  ^Michigan. 

Hox.  Orvice  R.  Leon.\rd.  In  business  circles  Mr.  Leonard  is  best 
known  in  Detroit  and  through  Michigan  as  general  agent  in  the  Lower 
Peninsula  for  the  National  Surety  Company  of  New  York,  and  is  an 
insurance  man  of  long  and  varied  experience,  both  in  this  state  and  else- 
where. Mr.  Leonard  has  recently  completed  his  second  term  in  the  [Mich- 
igan legislature,  where  his  service  was  particularly  valuable  in  insurance 
legislation  and  also  in  the  investigation  of  the  affairs  of  the  Pere  Mar- 
quette railroad  system.  A  successful  business  man,  he  has  also  been  hon- 
ored at  various  times  with  -important  offices  and  his  home  has  been  in 
Detroit  for  more  than  twenty-years. 

Orvice  R.  Leonard  is  a  New-Ejiglander  by  birth,  born  at  Keene,  New 
Hampshire,  September  24,  1865.  His  parents  were  Henry  O.  and  Har- 
riette  (  Hendrick)  Leonard.  Henry  O.  Leonard  was  born  in  \'ermont  in 
1839,  the  son  of  Oliver  R.  Leonard,. a  native  of  that  state  and  a  descendant 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  Henry  O.  Leonard  was  for  four  and  a 
half  years  in  the  service  of  the  government  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
though  enlisting  as  a  private  soldier  on  account  of  his  fine  penmanship 
was  detailed  for  clerical  work  in  the  field  department.  As  a  boy  he  had 
learned  fine  finish  work  in  cabinet  making  and  kindred  lines,  and  that  was 
the  basis  of  his  regular  vocation  all  his  life,  being  employed  on  the  higher 
class  of  work  on  pianos  and  wagons.  His  career  was  spent  in  ^'ermont 
and  New  Hampshire  until  his  declining  years,  and  he  now  makes  his  home 
in  Cambridge,  [Massachusetts.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife,  Harriette  Hendrick,  was  born 
in  New  Hampshire  in  1836  and  died  in  1887.  Ancestors  in  both  the 
Leonard  and  Hendrick  lines  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  the  war  of  1812. 

Mr.  Orvice  R.  Leonard  grew  up  and  received  his  educational  advan- 
tages in  the  two  New  England  states  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire, 
attending  the  public  schools  of  Keene  and  also  of  Brattleboro,  \'ermont, 
and  was  also  a  student  in  the  \^ermont  Academy  at  Saxton's  River.  His 
business  e.xperiences  began  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  store,  and  was  varied 
by  considerable  work  as  a  piano  and  organ  tuner.  After  coming  to  De- 
troit in  1890  [Mr.  Leonard  was  for  two  years  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Register  of  Deeds  in  Wayne  county.  This  was  followed  by  eleven  years 
in  the  bond  business.  In  1903  [Mr.  Leonard  became  resident  manager  in 
Detroit  for  the  National  Surety  Company,  and  since  1908  has  served  that 
company  as  general  agent  for  the  Lower  Peninsular  and  under  his  man- 
agement that  company  has  a  well  fortified  position  in  all  parts  of  the 
state. 

Mr.  Leonard  has  had  an  interesting  military  career.  Back  in  X'ermont 
he  spent  nine  years  in  the  National  Guards,  and  after  coming  to  [Michigan 
was  in  the  [Michigan  Naval  Reserve,  and  during  the  Spanish-American 
war  went  with  that  notable  organization  on  the  famous  cruise  on  board  the 


rai  jfiw  leMt 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  ]777 

U.  S.  S.  Yosemite,  a  ship  that  won  unusual  honors  while  in  Cuban  waters. 
Since  locating  in  Detroit  he  has  been  more  or  less  actively  identilied  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  has  accepted  several  appointments  outside  the 
usual  routine  of  public  office.  In  1906  President  Roosevelt  appointed  him 
the  first  marshal  of  the  United  States  court  for  China,  and  for  several 
months  he  was  located  at  Shanghai.  President  Taft,  in  1910,  made  him 
supervisor  of  census  for  the  first  district  of  Michigan.  In  the  same  year 
came  his  first  election  to  the  Michigan  legislature  as  representative  of  the 
first  district  in  Wayne  county,  and  in  1912  he  was  re-elected,  his  plurality 
the  second  time  being  nearly  3.000.  During  the  session  of  1913  Mr. 
Leonard  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  insurance  in  the  House,  and 
the  various  important  insurance  measures  that  were  considered  and  en- 
acted in  the  law  bore  the  impress  of  his  thorough  experience  and  judg- 
ment. However,  his  time  was  chiefly  taken  up  in  that  session  with  the 
investigation  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  system.  It  was  largely  due 
to  his  efiforts  that  the  bill  was  passed  for  the  organization  of  the  Michigan 
Naval  Reserve.  Mr.  Leonard  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  affi- 
liates with  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  order,  and  belongs  to  the  Detroit 
Athletic  Club  and  other  clubs. 

Georce  Whitfield  P.\rker.  Prominent  in  railway  trafific  circles  in 
Detroit,  George  Whitfield  Parker  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  active 
business  men  and  civic  leaders  of  the  Michigan  metropolis,  and  outside 
of  his  immediate  and  chief  business  has  connections  with  a  number  of 
the  commercial  and  social  organizations  of  the  city.  His  family  has  been 
prominent  in  the  city  for  a  great  many  years,  and  Mr.  Parker  is  a  native 
son  of  Detroit. 

George  Whitfield  Parker  was  born  in  Detroit,  May  5,  1870,  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Helen  Dodsley  (Watts)  Parker.  The  parents  were  born 
and  married  in  England,  coming  to  the  United  States  about  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war.  Their  first  home  was  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  there  they 
came  to  Michigan,  and  after  a  residence  of  brief  duration  at  Saginaw, 
located  in  Detroit.  Thomas  Parker  was  an  expert  in  the  manufacture  of 
leather  belting,  and  that  was  his  line  of  work  for  many  years.  In  the 
religious  life  of  Detroit  he  had  a  very  active  part.  Reared  a  ]\Iethodist, 
on  coming  to  Detroit,  he  identified  himself  with  the  Jeflferson  Avenue 
]\Iethodist  Episcopal  church,  a  church  which  at  that  time  had  its  home  at 
the  corner  of  Jeiiferson  and  St.  Aubin  Avenues.  The  subseiiuent  removal 
of  that  church  caused  Mr.  Parker  to  affiliate  with  the  Memorial  Presby- 
terian Church  at  the  corner  of  Joseph  Campau  Avenue  and  Clinton 
Streets.  The  pastor  of  the  Memorial  Church  was  the  Rev.  Cooper,  D.  D., 
who  had  been  a  lifelong  friend  of  Mr.  Parker.  With  that  church  he 
continued  a  working  member,  and  was  also  a  ruling  elder.  Some  years 
later  the  family  home  was  moved  to  the  northern  part  of  Detroit,  and 
there  the  late  Mr.  Parker  became  a  member  of  the  Highland  Park  Pres- 
byterian church,  in  which  he  was  a  ruling  elder  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  died  July  15,  1907,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  and  his  widow  sur- 
vives, being  now  in  her  seventy-third  year. 

George  W.  Parker,  during  his  boyhood  in  Detroit,  attended  the 
Duffield  school,  and  the  Central  high  school.  His  equipment  for  life  was 
further  improved  by  attendance  at  the  Detroit  Business  University.  His 
first  regular  position  on  the  ladder  of  advancement  was  as  a  clerk  in  ^Mac- 
Farland's  Book  Store,  a  well  known  old  shop,  which  in  those  years 
stood  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Majestic  Building.  After  three 
months'  experience  in  the  book  shop,  ^Ir.  Parker  found  a  place  with 
greater  opportunities,  and  which  opened  the  way  for  his  permanent  career. 
He  entered  the  office  of  James  H.  Muir,  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway, 


1778  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  continued  in  the  traffic  department  of  that  road  in  different  capacities, 
inckiding  work  as  rate  clerk,  chief  clerk,  soliciting  freight  agent,  and 
traveling  freight  agent,  until  September  4,  1900.  At  that  date  came  his 
resignation  in  order  to  take  the  place  of  general  express  and  freight  agent 
of  the  Detroit  United  Railway,  and  its  suburban  lines.  That  is  the  im- 
portant office  which  ]\Ir.  Parker  holds  at  the  present  time,  in  transporta- 
tion affairs  centering  at  Detroit.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  traffic 
officials  in  the  city,  and  has  served  as  secretary  three  years  and  presi- 
dent three  years  of  the  Detroit  Transportation  Club. 

On  October  8,  1910,  Mr.  Parker  accepted  the  honorary  position  as  a 
member  of  the  Perry  Victory  Centennial  Commission  for  the  state  of 
Michigan.  He  has  since  acted  as  chairman  of  the  Michigan  Committee, 
and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Interstate 
Board  of  the  Perry  \'ictory  Commission,  this  committee  having  charge 
of  the  erection  of  the  memorial  of  that  celebration  at  Put-in-E!ay.  Sep- 
tember loth,  and  nth,  1913.  Among  other  social  and  civic  relations 
enjoyed  by  Mr.  Parker  is  his  membership  with  the  Detroit  Board  of  Com- 
merce, the  Detroit  Club,  the  Detroit  Boat  Club  and  the  Detroit  Athletic 
Club  (New).  He  is  prominent  in  Y.  AI.  C.  A.  work  and  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church. 

On  June  20,  1906,  Mr.  Parker  married  }\Iary  C.  McGregor,  who  was 
born  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  a  daughter  of  Robert  B.  and  Anne  Mc- 
Gregor, now  residents  of  Detroit. 

John  Leo  Burk.\rt,  M.  D.  One  of  Michigan's  able  surgeons  and 
stirring  and  helpful  citizens  is  Dr.  John  Leo  Burkart,  of  Big  Rapids, 
secretary  of  the  Alichigan  State  Board  of  Health  and  for  many  years 
prominently  identified  with  medical  and  National  Guard  affairs.  Doctor 
Burkart  is  a  Canadian  by  birth,  born  in  County  Norfolk,  Ontario,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1853,  and  is  a  son  af  the  late  Anselem  Burkart,  of  Canada  and 
Michigan,  who  was  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in 
1 85 1,  settling  in  County  Norfolk,  Ontario,  Canada,  where  a  brother,  Sef- 
rin  Burkart,  was  then  residing. 

The  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America  was  William  Burkart,  the 
eldest  brother  of  Anselem  Burkart,  a  musician,  who  emigrated  in  about 
the  year  1845  and  settled  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  mu- 
sician in  the  bands  of  the  old  circus  men,  Barnum  and  \'an  Amburg,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  band  which  played  for  Jenny  Lind,  "the  Swedish 
nightingale,"  on  her  first  tour  of  America  under  the  management  of  P. 
T.  Barnum.  Anselem  Burkart,  the  father  of  Doctor  Burkart,  learned  the 
moulding  trade  in  Germany  and  in  Canada  he  and  his  brother  Sefrin  es- 
tablished a  foundry  at  Delhi,  in  the  county  of  Norfolk.  There  Mr.  Burk- 
art married  the  daughter  of  Squire  Patrick  Doyle  of  Talbot  street,  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  a  noted  pioneer  of  that  county.  Later  Anselern 
Burkart  sold  stoves  throughout  Ontario,  traveling  through  the  country  in 
a  wagon  and  selling  direct  to  the  people,  thus  disposing  of  the  first  stove 
sold  in  that  county.  In  1882  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he 
became  a  traveling  salesman,  and  continued  to  be  so  engaged  until  within 
a  few  years  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1899,  when  he  was  seventy- 
seven  years  of  age.  ^Irs.  Burkart  still  survives,  and  is  now  making  her 
home  with  her  son.  Doctor  Burkart,  at  Big  Rapids. 

The  primary  education  of  Doctor  Burkart  was  acquired  in  the  Can- 
adian grammar"  schools,  following  which  he  was  prepared  for  college  at 
St.  Michael's  College,  Toronto,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1870 
at  Ingersoll.  Entering  \'ictoria  Medical  College  (now  a  part  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Toronto)  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  ]\Ied- 
icine  in  May,  1874,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1779 

profession  at  Beechville.  County  Oxford,  Ontario.  In  1876  Doctor  Burk- 
art  spent  some  time  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  at- 
tended Trinity  ^ledical  College  ( now  a  part  of  the  University  of 
Toronto),  there  receiving  his  AI.  B.  degree  in  1877.  Following  this  he 
took  the  examination  before  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and 
next  became  a  licentiate  of  the  Ontario  College  of  Pharmacy,  subse- 
quently opening  a  drug  store  at  Thamesford,  County  Oxford,  Ontario, 
where  he  also  practiced  medicine  for  four  years.  In  1881  Doctor  Burk- 
art  came  to  Big  Rapids,  Michigan,  to  accept  a  partnership  with  Dr.  W.  A. 
Hendricks,  and  at  the  same  time  became  attending  surgeon  to  Mercy 
Hospital,  Big  Rapids,  which  position  he  held  until  he  moved  to  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  in  1895.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  captain  and  as- 
sistant surgeon  of  the  Second  Regiment  Infantry,  Michigan  National 
Guards,  in  1895  removed  to  Grand  Rapids,  and  in  April,  1898,  went  with 
his  regiment  into  the  Spanish-American  War.  While  absent  from  the 
city,  he  was  appointed,  May  i,  1898,  city  physician  of  the  city  of  Grand 
Rapids.  Doctor  Burkart  went  into  service  as  captain  and  assistant  sur- 
geon of  the  Thirty-second  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
throughout  the  period  of  the  war,  seeing  service  at  Tampa  and  Fernan- 
dino,  Florida,  and  Huntsville,  Alabama.  Upon  being  mustered  out  of 
the  army,  October  2-j.  189S,  he  took  up  his  duties  as  city  physician  of 
Grand  Rapids,  from  which  office  he  retired  in  June,  1900. 

In  July,  19CX),  Doctor  Burkart  was  offered  and  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment as  acting  assistant  surgeon  in  the  medical  corps  of  the  United  States 
army  and  served  his  first  tour  of  three  years  duty  in  the  Philippine 
Islands,  seeing  active  service  in  the  Department  of  the  Vizayas,  returning 
to  the  United  States  in  1903.  During  all  this  time  he  continued  to  hold 
his  commission  in  the  Michigan  National  Guard,  and  in  June,  1903,  was 
promoted  major  and  surgeon  of  the  Second  .]\Iichigan  Infantry,  serving 
with  his  regiment  in  the  joint  military  manoeuvers  at  West  Point.  On 
February  i,  1904,  the  Doctor  returned  to  the  Philippines  and  served  his 
second  tour  of  duty  as  acting  assistant  surgeon  of  the  Medical  Corps, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1906  was  assigned  to  duty  at  Fort  Sheridan,  Chicago, 
and  subsequently  at  Fort  Wayne,  Detroit.  He  retired  from  the  service 
December  22,  1908,  to  return  to  Big  Rapids  to  take  up  private  practice. 
Doctor  Burkart  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  Michigan  State  Board  of 
Health,  with  headquarters  at  Lansing,  in  December.  1913,  and  took  up 
his  duties  Februarv  i,  1914.  He  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Mecosta 
County  Medical  So'cietv  and  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  hav- 
ing served  as  president  of  the  surgical  section  of  the  latter  society  and 
as  president  of  the  Tri-County  Medical  Society  of  Northern  Michigan. 
He  held  the  chair  of  Materia  ^Medica  and  Therapeutics  at  the  Grand 
Rapids  Medical  School,  and  is  department  adjutant  of  the  Department 
of  :\Iichigan  of  the  Spanish-American  War  Veterans  Society.  Doctor 
Burkart  resigned  from  the  Michigan  National  Guard  in  1904  being  the 
first  officer  to  be  retired  under  the  new  law  regulating  retirement  there- 
from. He  has  been  prominent  in  Catholic  fraternal  affairs  in  Michigan, 
having  served  as  grand  president,  grand  medical  examiner,  grand  chan- 
cellor and  in  other  capacities  in  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Asodation  of 
Michio-an,  was  a  charter  member  of  Grand  Rapids  Council  of  the 
Kniglits  of  Columbus,  and  belongs  to  the  \\'oodmen  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters. 

Doctor  Burkart  was  married  in  1888  to  Ellen  Jane  McGurrin,  a  sister 
of  Gen.  William  T.  :McGurrin,  who  is  prominently  known  in  Grand 
Rapids  and  throughout  the  state.  Four  daughters  have  been  born  to  this 
union  namelv:  Marv  Clarissa,  Helen  Alphonsa,  Gertrude  Philomena, 
and  Catherine  Harriet,  all  at  present  attending  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania. 


17S0  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Robert  Daniel  Tripp.  If  to  be  the  founder  of  one's  own  fortune, 
to  face  seemingly  insuperable  difficulties,  and  by  untiring  perseverance 
make  a  name  widely  known  and  respected,  be  to  hold  an  honored  record, 
then  Robert  Daniel  Tripp  is  worthy  of  a  foremost  place  on  the  roll  of 
men  who  have  helped  to  build  up  the  city  of  Petoskey.  A  native  son  of 
this  place,  although  he  is  still  a  young  man,  his  career  has  been  one  of 
striking  accomplishments  in  varied  fields  of  endeavor,  and  his  versatility 
has  been  shown  by  his  connection  with  widely  diverging  vocations. 

Robert  Daniel  Tripp  was  born  at  Petoskey,  Michigan,  February  6, 
1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Gorden)  Tripp,  residents  of  this 
city.  His  father,  a  native  of  Canada,  was  in  his  early  life  widely  known 
as  a  soldier  of  fortune  who  passed  through  numerous  exciting  experi- 
ences in  the  earlv  davs  of  the  Far  West,  being  a  chum,  associate  and 
friend  of  Col.  William  F.  Cody  ("Bufifalo  Bill").  During  the  Civil  War 
he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  took  a  conspicuous  part 
in  the  activities  of  that  famous  organization,  also  being  active 
in  the  capture  of  manv  desperadoes  and  bushwhackers  during  the  days 
of  the  black-hearted  Ouantrell  and  the  James  boys.  Mr.  Tripp  wooed 
and  won  his  bride,  a  native  of  ^lississippi.  while  on  his  campaign  in  that 
state,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  came  to  Midland,  Michigan,  and  settled 
on  wild  land,  hewing  a  farm  out  of  the  woods.  There  he  resided  until 
the  year  1876,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Bear  Creek  township, 
Emmet  county,  Michigan,  securing  another  farm,  which  he  homesteaded, 
and  which  was  also  improved  into  a  valuable  property.  Mr.  Tripp  re- 
tired from  farming  and  in  1904  moved  to  Petoskej'  here  becoming  a 
member  of  the  police  force.  ^Slr.  Tripp  is  a  Mason,  in  which  he  has  at- 
tained to  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  and  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows: 
]\Iarion,  who  met  an  accidental  death  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  being 
drowned  in  Traverse  Bay ;  Willard,  who  was  fifteen  years  old  when  ac- 
cidentally killed  by  a  lumber  pile  falling  on  him ;  Henry  and  Bartlett, 
who  both  died  in  childhood;  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy;  Albert, 
who  was  last  heard  from  seven  years  ago  when  at  Alabatt,  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  a  soldier  during  the  Philippine  insurrection  in  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Fred  Funston ;  Robert  Daniel :  Ralph  Ray,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Toledo,  C)hio;  Orrell,  who  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Dodge  and  re- 
sides at  Bay  Shore,  Michigan ;  and  Effie,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Brill, 
of  \\'alloon  Lake,  Michigan. 

Robert  Daniel  Tripp  was  ten  years  of  age  when  he  left  school  to 
accept  a  position  in  the  handle  works  (Brown's)  at  Petoskey,  and  sub- 
sequentlv  worked  on  farms  until  learning  the  trade  of  cooper.  For  a  time 
he  was  emploved  at  the  heading  mills  at  Bay  Shore,  and  then  spent  a  year 
as  a  sailor,  in  the  meantime  working  in  the  lumber  woods  during  the 
winter  months.  Realizing  the  need  of  further  education,  on  every  op- 
portunity he  applied  himself  faithfully  to  his  studies,  chief  among  which 
was  mathematics,  in  which  he  became  very  proficient.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  Spanish-American  War,  Mr.  Tripp  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-fifth 
Regiment,  ^^lichigan  \'olunteer  Infantry,  continuing  to  serve  therewith 
until  the  close  of  hostilities,  when  he  returned  to  his  home.  Three  months 
later,  when  President  .^IcKinley  declared  war  upon  the  Philippines,  he 
went  to  Chicago  and  enlisted  in  the  Thirtieth  United  States  Volunteer 
Infantrv,  and  went  to  the  islands  and  engaged  in  various  battles  and  skir- 
mishes.'seeing  a  great  deal  of  active  service.  On  his  return  to  ^Michigan. 
Mr.  Tripp  began  a  course  in  civil  engineering  and  mathematics  and 
eventually  secured  a  position  as  assistant  engineer  under  Fred  \\'illiams, 
\vith  whom  he  worked  during  1901-5,  learning  every  detail  of  this  pro- 
fession.    In  1906  Mr.  Tripp  was  appointed  city  engineer  of  Petoskey, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1781 

by  Mayor. George  Raycraft,  a  position  which  he  has  continued  to  hold  to 
the  present  time,  witli  the  exception  of  one  year,  and  during  a  part  of  that 
time  devoted  himself  to  the  building  of  three  miles  of  stone  road  as  one 
of  the  contractors.  \Vhen  his  contract  was  completed,  Mr.  Tripp  went 
to  Florida  and  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  surveying  in  Orange  and 
Seminole  counties,  and  upon  his  return  was  again  appointed  city  engineer 
and  resumed  his  duties  as  such.  Mr.  Tripp  has  thoroughly  mastered  the 
details  and  practical  application  of  the  Storm  sewer  system,  extending  to 
sanitary  sewering  and  water  works,  and  during  his  incumbency  of  his 
present  office  has  built  the  greater  part  of  the  streets  in  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city,  of  asphaltic  concrete,  without  the  aid  of  a  consulting 
engineer.  A  septic  tank  project  is  now  under  way,  under  Mr.  Tripp's 
supervision,  and  will  be  completed  in  1914,  at  a  cost  of  several  thousand 
dollars.  An  active  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  Mr.  Tripp  has  long 
taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  in  1906  his  popularity  was 
demonstrated  when  he  was  elected  county  surveyor,  the  first  Democrat 
in  eighteen  years  to  hold  a  county  office  in  Emmet  county  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Tripp  has  been  active  as  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  in  both  of  which  orders  he  has 
numerous  friends.  Mr.  Tripp  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes, 
and  as  one  of  his  community's  self-educated,  self-made  men  is  entitled  to 
the  high  esteem  and  respect  in  which  he  is  universally  held  by  the  people 
of  the  communities  in  which  his  labors  have  been  prosecuted  and  his 
successes  accomplished. 

On  August  16,  1905,  Mr.  Tripp  was  married  at  the  home  of  the 
bride,  in  Bear  Creek  township,  Emmet  county,  to  Miss  Minnie  Bohm,  a 
native  of  Saginaw,  Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Karl  and  Sophia  Bohm, 
and  to  this  union  there  have  come  two  children,  Ruth,  born  December  15, 
1909.  Mrs.  Tripp  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 
The  family  resides  in  a  pleasant  home  at  Petoskey,  where  their  many 
friends  are  frequently  entertained. 

John  Taylor  Nichols.  This  prominent  lawyer  of  Detroit,  where 
he  has  been  active  in  his  profession,  and  also  as  a  business  man  for  the 
last  twenty  years,  is  a  representative  in  the  third  generation  of  the  Nichols 
family,  which  has  probably  contributed  more  to  the  development  of 
manufacturing  and  industry  in  the  state  of  Michigan  than  any  other 
individual  family  group.  The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Nichols,  the  lawyer, 
was  John  Nichols,  one  of  the  founders  and  for  many  years  president  of 
Nichols  &  Shepard  Company,  of  Battle  Creek  manufacturers.  His 
father  is  Hon.  Edwin  C.  Nichols,  who  still  has  a  guiding  hand  in  the 
industrial  fortunes  of  the  city  of  Battle  Creek  and  is  president  of  the 
Nichols  and  Shepard  Company.  Mr.  John  T.  Nichols  himself  has  an 
executive  position  as  vice  president  in  the  great  company  founded  by 
his  father,  and  developed  largely  by  its  members.  In  a  history  of  the 
notable  personalities  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  there  is  an  obvious  pro- 
prietv  in  giving  space  to  the  record  of  the  \arious  members  of  the 
Nichols  famil^^ 

The  late  John  Nichols,  the  pioneer  of  the  name  in  ^Michigan,  was  born 
at  Liverpool",  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  January  i,  1814,  cameto 
Michigan  territory  in  1835,  and  after  a  long  and  remarkable  career  died 
at  his  home  in  Battle  Creek,  April  15,  1891.  John  Nichols  was  one  of  the 
remarkable  men  of  the  last  century.  His  work  was  largely  created,  and 
his  industry  and  character  became  the  foundation  on  which  rests  the 
material  prosperitv  of  one  of  Alichigan's  larger  cities.  Personally  he  was 
a  man  of  untiring  industry,  great  executive  capacity,  indomitable  energy 
and   perseverence,  and  never   faltered   before  the   untried  obstacles  that 


1782  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

barred  his  way.  Business  sagacity  was  less  an  element  in  his  success  than 
solid  ability  to  do  and  direct  others  in  doing. 

His  parents,  Eliakini  and  Sally  Nichols  were  early  settlers  of  western 
New  York.  It  was  in  practically  a  pioneer  community  that  John  Nichols 
spent  his  youth,  and  had  only  limited  schooling  in  the  modern  sense. 
When  thirteen  years  old  he  began  figuring  his  own  fortune,  and  at  Pal- 
myra became  an  apprentice  to  the  moulder's  and  iron  foundry  trade.  This 
trade  became  the  basis  for  his  subsequent  career.  In  1834  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  married  Miss  Nancy  C.  Galloway.  They  had  an  unusually 
long  and  happy  wedded  life,  which  was  prolonged  beyond  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary,  until  the  death  of  Mrs.  Nichols,  December  26, 
1892. 

In  1835  John  Nichols  brought  his  young  wife  to  the  territory  of 
Michigan,  the  settlement  of  which  was  only  begun  in  most  of  the  south- 
ern counties.  After  one  year  in  Lenawee  county  he  found  work  in  the 
machine  shops  then  maintained  by  the  state  of  Michigan,  which  was  con- 
structing the  Michigan  Central  Railroad.  In  1848,  he  went  west  and 
located  at  Battle  Creek,  which  thereafter  was  his  home,  and  was  the  seat 
of  his  larger  enterprise.  He  was  first  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
stoves,  plows  and  other  farm  implements  and  iron  castings.  To  his  plant 
were  afterwards  added  facilities  for  making  engines,  saw  mill  and  grist 
mill  machinery.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  into  California,  but  after 
a  brief  residence  tiiere  returned,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  David 
Shepard,  thus  beginning  the  firm  name  which  has  continued  for  more 
than  sixty  years,  and  now  has  an  international  reputation  wherever 
agriculture  flourishes. 

Their  earliest  output  was  one  of  the  crude  types  of  grain  threshers  in 
use  during  the  decade  of  the  fifties.  They  made  a  good  machine,  how- 
ever, and  they  invented  great  improvements  which  soon  made  it  the  lead- 
ing threshing  machine  of  its  day  and  generation.  Their  business  ever 
since  has  kept  abreast  of  the  inventions  and  facilities  of  each  succeeding 
decade.  It  was  largely  owing  to  the  genius  and  practical  business  talent 
of  Mr.  Nichols  that  the  product  acquired  its  popularity,  and  in  a  few 
years  the  first  shop  was  unable  to  fill  the  orders  for  the  "Vibrator"  thresh- 
ing machine  as  it  was  called.  In  1870  a  stock  company  was  organized, 
and  extensive  works  were  built  on  the  east  side  of  Battle  Creek,  at  the 
place  now  called  Nichols  Station.  The  late  John  Nichols  was  not  only 
a  great  industrial  captain,  but  he  also  possessed  a  generous  public  spirit 
and  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  the  first  to  under- 
take the  building  of  homes  for  workingmen,  and  he  did  much  to  make 
the  lives  of  his  employes  more  comfortable.  The  Nichols  Memorial 
Hospital  in  Battle  Creek  is  a  monument  to  his  substantial  interest  in  his 
community.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  afterwards  equally  loyal 
to  the  Republican  principles.  He  never  sought  office  and  was  quite 
content  to  do  his  dutv  through  the  avenues  of  private  citizenship.  A 
great  lover  of  forest  and  streams,  he  was  an  eager  sportsman,  and  for 
many  years  it  was  his  delight  to  take  a  party  of  invited  friends  into  the 
wilds  of  the  north  and  west  during  the  autumn  hunting  season.  For  for- 
ty-four successive  years  did  he  follow  this  most  interesting  habit,  and  the 
"Vibrator"  hunting  party,  of  which  he  was  the  host  and  directing  spirit, 
with  its  multitude  of  people,  its  pack  of  hounds  and  the  camp  equipage 
and  supplies  for  entertaining  most  royally  his  friends  and  the  passers-by 
for  many  week,  was  one  of  the  notable  events  of  each  season.  Many 
scores  of  men  in  Michigan  and  elsewhere  will  recall  with  interest  and 
pleasure  his  generous  hospitality. 

The  late  John  Nichols  was  the  father  of  three  children.  His  daugh- 
ter, ;\Irs.  Helen  N.  Caldwell,  died  March  8,  1903,  and  a  younger  daugh- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1783 

ter,  Alary  Elizabeth  Nichols,  died  in  1854.     His  only  son  and  surviving 
cRild  is  Hon.  Edwin  C.  Nichols. 

Edwin  C.  Nichols,  both  during  his  father's  lifetime  and  since,  has 
been  one  of  the  vital  forces  in  the  progress  of  Battle  Creek  and  the  State 
of  Alichigan.  He  was  born  in  Lenawee  county,  at  the  town  of  Clinton, 
July  20,  1838,  only  about  one  year  after  .^Michigan  became  a  state.  Edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Battle  Creek,  he  received  his  practical  education 
for  a  career  in  the  industry  founded  by  his  father.  He  started  in  at  the 
bottom  and  learned  every  detail  thoroughly.  Air.  Nichols  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Nichols  &  Shepard  Company,  since  1857,  and  to  him  is 
due  the  credit  for  the  later  successful  enlargement  of  tlie  industry.  The 
plant  at  Battle  Creek  as  developed  under  his  presidency  now  covers 
about  forty  acres  of  ground,  gives  employment  to  five  or  six  hundred 
skilled  workmen,  and  its  product  in  threshing  machines  finds  a  market 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Mr.  Nichols  is  also  president  of  the  Old  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Battle  Creek,  and  he  is  director  of  half  a  dozen  or  more 
large  local  industries  and  business  enterprises  of  that  city. 

In  politics  Edwin  C.  Nichols  has  done  much  for  the  Republican  party 
in  Michigan.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  convention.  He 
has  steadily  refused  all  the  larger  political  honors,  such  as  nomination  to 
congress  and  for  governor,  but  has  served  his  home  city  as  mayor,  as 
president  of  the  school  board,  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  board  of 
public  works  of  Battle  Creek.  Edwin  C.  Nichols  is  a  Knights  Templar 
Mason,  is  prominent  in  the  club  life  of  Battle  Creek,  and  is  also  well 
known  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  membership  in  the  Detroit  Club,  the 
Detroit  Country  Club,  and  the  Yondotega  Club.  He  belongs  to  the 
old  and  exclusive  Chicago  Club  of  Chicago.  While  not  a  member  of  any 
particular  church,  he  has  always  been  liberal  in  his  support  of  religion 
and  benevolence.  The  Nichols  Memorial  Hospital  at  Battle  Creek  is  an 
institution  in  which  he  is  much  interested,  and  he  has  done  much  to  sup- 
port and  maintain  this  hospital.  Battle  Creek  both  in  its  past  and  present 
attainments  owes  much  to  the  broad  capacity  and  ability  of  Mr.  Nichols. 

Edwin  C.  Nichols  in  i860  married  Sarah  J.  Rowan  of  Argyle,  New 
Y'ork.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James  Hvatt  and  at  her  death  in  1897  she 
left  three  children.  These  are  Mrs.  Helen  N.  Newberry  of  Chicago, 
Illinois;  Mrs.  Harriet  Atterbury  of  Detroit:  and  John  T.  Nichols  of 
Detroit.  All  the  children  were  born  and  partly  educated  in  Battle  Creek. 
Both  the  daughters  completed  their  education  in  a  Seminarv  for  young 
ladies  near  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

The  only  male  representatives  of  the  Nichols  family  in  its  third  gener- 
ation in  Michigan,  John  Taylor  Nichols  was  born  in  Battle  Creek  on 
February  3,  1868.  From  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  he  entered 
Cornell  University,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  i88g  in 
the  literary  department.  In  1892  he  was  graduated  LL.  B.  from  the 
Harvard  Law  School,  and  in  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Calhoun  county.  Air.  Nichols  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Federal 
court,  in  1894. 

His  practice  as  a  lawyer  began  in  Battle  Creek  in  the  offices  of  Hul- 
l.iert  &  Aleetcham.  After  about  a  year,  in  1893,  he  located  in  Detroit,  and 
was  connected  with  the  firm  of  Russe!  &  Campbell  until  1889.  Since  that 
year  he  has  practiced  alone.  Mr.  Nichols  has  membership  in  the  Detroit 
and  Alichigan  Bar  Associations.  As  already  stated  he  is  vice  president  of 
the  Nichols  and  Shepard  Company  of  Battle  Creek  and  is  a  director  in 
the  Oak  Belting  Company  of  Detroit. 

Socially  Mr.  Nichols  has  membership  in  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Y'anto- 
dega  Club,  the  Racquet  Club,  the  Country  Club,  and  the  New  Detroit 
Athletic  Club.    Mr.  Nichols  married  Helen  Beaudrier  de  Morat  of  Piiila- 


1784  HIST(3RY  OF  MICHIGAN 

delphia,  the  daughter  of  Oliver  Beaudrier  de  Morat.  They  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  cliildren,  who  are  the  fourth  generation  of  the 
Nichols  name  in  ilichigan :  Helen  Ikaudrier  de  Morat  Nichols,  and 
Joan  Nichols. 

James  J.  Jones.  After  James  J.  Jones  had  completed  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Genesee  county,  he  took  up  a  business  career,  and  for 
the  past  fifteen  years  has  enjoyed  an  increasing  success  as  a  merchant  at 
Clio. 

Born  at  Arcade.  New  York,  April  24.  1870,  he  is  a  son  of  Frederick 
and  Amanda  F.  (Gleason)  Jones.  His  mother,  who  was  born  in  Rut- 
land, ^'ermont,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  stock.  His  father  was  born  at 
Arcade,  New  York,  of  Holland-English  stock  and  in  the  family  there 
is  a  revolutionary  ancestor,  Daniel  Bakeman,  who  after  his  service  on 
the  American  side  during  the  war  of  independence  lived  to  the  extreme 
age  of  one  hundred  and  nine  years,  and  is  buried  at  Freedom  in  New 
^'ork  State.  The  father  brought  his  family  west  to  Michigan,  on  April 
5,  1881,  engaged  in  farming  in  Genesee  county,  and  now  lives  on  the  old 
farmstead  at  Clio,  aged  seventy-one  years.  He  also  had  a  military  record, 
having  served  with  the  State  Troops  of  New  York  during  the  Civil  war. 
The  j)arents  were  married  in  Allegany  county.  New  York,  and  the  mother 
died  in  March,  1907,  at  Clio  when  sixty-one  years  of  age. 

James  J.  Jones,  who  was  the  third  of  five  children,  was  eleven  years 
old  when  the  family  located  in^ Genesee  county,  and  finished  his  school- 
ing, which  had  been  begim  at  Arcade  Center,  New  York,  at  the  district 
school,  and  later  the  high  school  at  Clio.  For  several  years  he  was  a 
teacher,  and  on  March  11,  1899,- established  his  present  business,  which 
from  a  small  beginning  he  has  developed  and  now  carries  a  lafge  stock 
of  merchandise  with  a  well  established  trade  over  a  large  community. 
He  is  also  interested  in  small  fruit  farming,  making  a  specialty  of  straw- 
berries, raspberries  and  peaches.  His  farm  of  eighty  acres  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  township.  He  has  also  done  his  part  in  community  affairs,  and 
served  as  township  clerk  for  four  terms.  His  politics  is  Democratic.  The 
township  is  normally  Republican  by  two  hundred  majority. 

Mr.  Jones  affiliates  with  the  Maccabees  and  is  record  keeper  of  the 
local  tent.  His  church  is  the  Methodist  Episcopal.  At  Clio,  on  Sep- 
tember 16,  1896,  he  married  Miss  Rose  Haven,  a  daughter  of  Ahira  and 
Rosanna  Haven,  who  were  of  an  old  family  in  this  part  of  Michigan, 
and  still  live  in  Clio.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Ralph  \V.  Jones,  born  in  1899,  and  now  attending  school; 
Paul  Haven  Jones,  born  June  14,  1903,  and  also  in  school ;  Lois  ^I.  Jones, 
born  June  31,  1910,  and  died  in  191 1.  Mr.  Jones  has  always  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  the  religious  and  educational  life  of  the  village  of  Clio. 
He  taught  a  Simday  school  class  for  nearly  twenty  years  and  he  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

Fr.xxk  Elliott  Tyler.  President  and  director  of  the  \Vashington 
Theatre  Company  of  Bay  City,  a  director  and  the  largest  stockholder  in 
the  Bav  City  Bank,  a  director  in  the  Crapo  Building  Company,  Mr.  Tyler 
is  one  of  the  old  and  stanch  business  men  of  Bay  City,  where  he  has  lived 
for  over  forty  years,  and  where  his  scope  of  business  and  civic  activities 
have  been  centered.  In  later  years  he  has  confined  his  attention  chiefly 
to  real  estate,  but  there  are  a  number  of  concerns  which  have  contributed 
to  the  ])rosperity  and  substantial  enterprise  of  Bay  City  with  which  his 
name  has  been  identified. 

P'rank  Elliott  Tyler  was  born  April  4,  1852,  at  Flushing,  Michigan. 
His  parents  were  Dr.  Columbus  V.  and  Marie  (Harrick)  Tyler.     With 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1785 

a  good  home  training  and  with  an  education  practical  but  not  ornamental, 
Mr.  Tyler  was  nineteen  years  old  when  he  and  his  parents  came  to  Bay 
City.  His  first  eniplo}-ment  was  two  years  as  bookkeeper  in  the  dry  goods 
firm  of  iMunger  &  Company,  and  from  that  establishment  he  went  into 
the  Bay  City  Bank,  with  which  solid  institution  he  has  been  connected 
for  forty  years,  first  as  bookkeeper,  later  as  assistant  cashier,  and  now  in 
the  relation  which  has  been  above  stated.  On  leaving  the  clerical  work 
with  the  bank  Mr.  Tyler  engaged  in  the  livery  business.  His  enterprise 
was  the  nucleus  for  the  Bay  City  Omnibus  Company,  on  Saginaw  street. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  company,  and  was  its  president  until 
recent  years.  He  was  also  on  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Shearer 
Brothers  Building  Company.  In  business  affairs  he  has  always  kept  with 
the  leaders  of  this  community. 

As  to  his  relations  with  the  civic  community  in  which  he  has  lived 
for  more  than  forty  years,  his  part  has  always  been  that  of  a  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  but  without  a  large  amount  of  his  time  de- 
voted to  office  holding.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  a 
time  after  being  elected  in  1890,  and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  police 
commissioners  and  a  director  in  the  Elm  Lawn  Cemetery  Company. 
Until  1896  he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  having  been  brought  up  in  that 
political  faith,  but  then  changed  and  voted  for  President  McKinley.  His 
fraternal  afliliations  are  chiefly  with  the  Masonic  order,  and  his  connec- 
tions are  with  Joppa  Lodge,  No.  315,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Bay  City  Chapter, 
No.  136,  R.  A.  M.;  and  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  in  Bay  City  and  Detroit. 
He  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Consistory  and  to  the  Moslem  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  Detroit.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  organization  of  the 
First  Elks  Club  in  Bay  City,  and  belongs  to  the  Bay  City  Club. 

In  1875  Mr.  Tyler  married  Ella  Fay,  whose  father,  Hon.  William  L. 
Fay,  was  one  of  the  first  mayors  of  Bay  City.  To  their  marriage  were 
born  three  children,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  The  eldest  is  L.  Fay  Tyler, 
and  the  daughter  is  Jessie  Arvilla,  wife  of  W.  D.  McX'ay,  now  deceased. 

L.  Fay  Tyler,  a  son  of  Frank  E.  Tyler,  is  one  of  the  vigorous  young 
business  men  of  Bay  City,  and  though  not  yet  thirty  has  already  taken  a 
position  in  the  business  and  civic  community.  He  was  born  January  i, 
1885,  in  Bay  City,  grew  up  and  attended  the  public  schools,  and  then  en- 
tered the  Detroit  University,  where  he  was  graduated  as  a  mechanical 
engineer  in  1905.  While  a  member  of  the  University  he  was  a  leader  in 
athletic  s]iorts,  and  for  two  years  was  a  member  of  the  football  and  track 
teams.  On  leaving  college  Mr.  Tyler  spent  four  months  abroad,  and  on 
returning  to  Bay  City  acted  for  a  time  as  representative  of  the  Overland 
&  Northern  Automobile  Company.  Later  he  became  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Pioneer  Boat  Pattern  Company,  and  for  three  years  was  an 
active  director  in  that  concern.  In  1914  he  organized  the  Bay  City  Au- 
tomobile Tire  &  Repair  Company,  and  they  have  the  distribution  of 
Firestone  tires  for  northeastern  Michigan,  and  they  also  have  the  largest 
and  most  complete  repair  shop  north  of  Detroit. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1910,  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  Mr.  Tyler  married  Miss 
Nina  Harriet  Kuhl.  Her  parents  are  Theodore  and  Harriet  (Hurd) 
Kuhl,  her  father  being  president  of  the  Block  &  Kuhl  Dry  Goods  Com- 
pany, the  largest  dry  goods  company  in  Illinois  outside  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Tyler  has  affiliations  with  the  Phi  Delta  Kappa,  in  Michigan,  and  he  is  a 
director  in  the  Crapo  Building  Company  and  is  secretary  of  the  Bay  City 
Recreation  Club. 

George  DeWitt  M.\son.  In  thirty-five  years  of  active  practice  as  an 
architect,  George  DeWitt  Mason  has  acquired  a  position  in  his  profes- 
sion in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  his  reputation  is  well  known  in  many 


1786  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

other  sections  of  the  United  States.  It  is  unnecessary  to  make  any 
claims  for  his  ability  except  as  are  expressed  through  his  record  of  prac- 
tical achievements.  It  would  be  possible  to  draw  up  a  long  list  of  notable 
•Structures  for  which  Mr.  .Mason  has  drawn  the  plans  and  supervised  the 
construction,  but  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  will  indicate  the  character 
of  his  work  and  will  show  that  he  has  been  retained  as  architect  on  some 
of  the  best  known  buildings  in  the  state  of  ^Michigan  and  the  citv  of 
Detroit.  He  planned  and  erected  the  Detroit  Masonic  Temple,  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  Trinity  Episcopal  Church,  the  Detroit  Opera 
House,  the  Hotel  Pontchartrain,  the  Detroit  Inre  and  Marine  Insurance 
building,  the  Herman  Kiefer  Hospital,  the  office  buildings  of  the  Hiram 
^^■alker  and  Sons  at  WalkerAille.  Canada,  the  L.  \V.  Bowen  residence 
on  Woodward  avenue,  and  the  .V.  L.  Stephens  residence  on  Jefferson 
avenue. 

George  DeW'itt  ]\Iason  was  born  in  the  city  of  Syracuse.  New  York, 
July  4,  1856,  a  son  of  James  H.  and  Zada  E.  (Griffin)  Mason.  Both  his 
father  and  mother  were  born  in  Syracuse,  came  to  Detroit  in  1870.  and 
spent  the  rest  of  their  days  in  that  city.  George  D.  Mason  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Syracuse,  where  he  lived  during  the  first  fourteen  years 
of  his  life,  and  finished  at  Detroit,  where  he  graduated  from  the  Detroit 
high  school  in  1873.  Beginning  the  study  of  architecture  in  the  office 
of  the  late  Henry  T.  Brush  of  Detroit,  and  being  possessed  of  a  special 
aptitude  for  the  art  he  made  rapid  strides  toward  proficiency,  and  was 
soon  doing  independent  work.  In  1878  Mr.  Mason  formed  a  partnershii) 
W'ith  Zachariah  Rice,  under  the  firm  name  of  ^lason  and  Rice,  which 
name  continued  until  1898.  The  partners  dissolved  in  that  year  and  Mr. 
Alason  has  since  continued  alone  in  his  profession. 

He  has  membership  in  the  Michigan  Chapter  of  the  .\merican  Insti- 
tute of  .•\rchitects,  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Masonic  Club  and 
other  social  organizations. 

In  1882  he  married  Miss  Ida  \\'hitaker,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Bvron 
\\"hitaker,  now  deceased,  a  former  well  known  citizen  of  Detroit.  ^Ir. 
and  Mrs.  ^lason  have  one  daughter,  Lillian,  who  married  Hal.  C.  Smith 
at  Detroit. 

J.^icon  Raquet.  a  resident  of  Saginaw  since  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war  and  now  retired  from  a  long  career  as  a  brewer.  Jacob  Raquet  de- 
serves honorable  mention  in  any  record  of  Saginaw's  citizenship  during 
the  last  half  century.  His  individual  prosperitv  is  bv  no  means  the  most 
important  distinction  of  Mr.  Raquet,  for  no  other  citizen  has  been  more 
liberal  handed  in  his  benefactions  and  has  been  more  ready  to  assist  in 
movements  for  the  advancement  of  the  community  along  well  defined 
lines  of  progress. 

Jacob  Raquet  was  born  in  Lamprecht.  Rhinepfalz,  Bavaria,  December 
13,  1844,  a  son  of  Henry  and  ^Margaret  (Hofman)  Raquet,  his  father 
having  lieen  a  prominent  business  man  in  his  native  citv.  There  were 
four  children  born  to  Henry  and  Margaret  Raqtiet,  and  all  were  edu- 
cated in  Lamprecht.  The  children  were  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  and 
both  the  sons  came  to  -America.  Peter  Raquet  was  the  oldest  of  the 
children;  Catherine  is  the  wife  of  Frederick  Koelsth  and  lives  in  the  old 
home  at  Lamprecht :  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Koelsth,  the  sisters 
having  married  relatives,  and  she  also  lives  at  Lamprecht.  Peter  Raquet 
came  to  Saginaw  in  1862.  and  Jacob  came  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  war, 
in  1866.  In  the  following  year  the  brothers  organized  what  is  known  as 
the  Raquet  Brothers  Brewery  at  Saginaw.  That  institution  was  con- 
ducted with  glowing  success  by  them  until  1884,  and  Jacob  continued 
therein  until   1912,  when  he  sold  his  interest  and  the  business  was  reor- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  .     1787 

ganized  into  \vliat  is  now  known  as  the  Star  Brewing  Company.  They 
had  an  up-to-date  business  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  their  brew 
quicklv  obtain  a  reputation  beyond  the  local  confines  of  Saginaw.  The 
Star  Brewery  was  one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  quality 
of  its  output,  and  its  beers  are  distributed  throughout  ^Michigan.  Mr. 
Raquet  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Michigan  Paving  Brick  Com- 
pany, and  served  on  its  board  of  directors  until  191 1.  With  firm  faith 
in  the  future  development  and  prosperity  of  Saginaw,  his  earnings  have 
been  steadily  reinvested  in  local  real  estate,  and  he  has  not  only  been  an 
investor,  but  has  been  active  in  improving  all  his  property,  and  a  large 
number  of  buildings  might  be  noted  in  various  parts  of  the  city  which 
were  constructed  by  his  capital.  His  large  property  interests  represent 
a  life  time  of  hard  work,  energy  and  enterprise.  Throughout  his  career 
he  has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  local  citizens,  and  counts  among  his  per- 
sonal friends  many  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Michigan. 

Mr.  Raquet  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  also  of 
several  German  societies.  His  beautiful  home  is  at  118  North  Second 
street.  On  April  14,  1873,  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Erni, 
who  was  born  in  Switzerland,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Erni,  who  for  a  long 
period  of  vears  lived  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  vocation 
as  watchmaker,  a  profession  he  had  learned  in  Switzerland,  which  might 
be  considered  the  home  of  watchmaking.  Now  deceased,  he  was  one  of 
the  successful  jewelers  of  Cleveland.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Raquet  were  born  six  children ;  three  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  the  liv- 
ing are :  John,  Alice  and  Wanda.  Mr.  Raquet  has  made  eight  European 
trips,  on  three  of  which  he  was  accompanied  by  his  family. 

M.\x  Heavenrich.  Few  merchants  in  Michigan  have  made  a  more 
noteworthy  record  of  progress  and  enterprise  than  Max_  Heavenrich, 
whose  name  has  been  indentified  with  successful  merchandising  in  Sagi- 
naw for  the  past  thirty-five  years.  He  and  other  members  of  the  family 
came  to  this  country  'practically  without  resources  and  without  friends 
in  the  new  world.  Their  ability  and  industry  quickly  found  them  useful 
places  in  mercantile  circles,  and  for  a  long  period  of  years  ^lax  Heaven- 
rich has  enjoyed  more  than  ample  prosperity.  With  a  high  sense  of  the 
duties  and  obligations  imposed  by  success  and  wealth,  he  has  long  ex- 
tended a  liberal  hand  toward  promoting  the  general  prosperity  of  his 
home  city  and  also  to  the  performance  of  a  great  deal  of  individual 
charity  and  benevolence.  The  people  of  Saginaw  gave  him  special  credit 
for  his  work  as  a  member  of  the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  is  a  director,  and  since  1913  the  president.  This 
association  some  years  ago  successfully  undertook  the  task  of  raising 
money  in  the  locality  and  inducing  other  capital  and  industry  to  make 
Saginaw  their  home'  Mr.  Heavenrich  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  six  members  who  raised  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  cash  to  bring 
factories  to  Saginaw,  and  the  plan  and  scope  of  the  undertaking  were 
originated  by  him  and  his  leadership  was  probably  the  most  effective  in- 
fluence in  making  it  a  success.  ]\Ir.  Heavenrich  is  also  an  active  member 
of  the  Saginaw  Board  of  Trade. 

Born  November  28,  1845,  at  Bamberg,  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  he  is  a 
son  of  Abram  and  Sarah  (Bru'ell)  Himmelreich.  After  the  sons  came 
to  America  they  translated  their  German  name  into  an  English  _equiva- 
lent,  and  Heavenrich  is  in  English  what  Himmelreich  is  in  German. 
Abram  Himmelreich,  the  father,  was  a  merchant  and  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  prominence  in  his  native  city  of  Bamberg,  where  all  his 
years  were  spent.     His  wife  also  lived  there  until  death. 

Of  the  nine  children  Max  was  the  sixth.    At  the  age  of  fourteen  his 


1788  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

boyhood  may  be  said  to  have  to  an  end,  and  in  the  meantime  he  had  ac- 
quired a  general  education  in  his  native  town.  His  two  older  brothers, 
Simon  and  Samuel,  had  already  gone  to  America  and  succeeded  in  es- 
tablishing themselves  in  business  at  Detroit,  and  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 
Max,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  followed  them.  After  a  short  visit  in  Detroit 
he  left  for  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  The  first  practical  experience  of  Max 
Heavenrich  in  America  was  gained  under  the  supervision  of  his  brother 
at  Leavenworth,  who  left  the  business  in  his  charge  two  years  later. 
Then  returning  to  Detroit  and  entering  his  brother's  store,  he  remained 
until  1868.  Then  being  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  started  a  mercantile 
career  on  his  own  account.  His  savings  gave  him  some  capital,  and  open- 
ing a  stock  of  goods  at  St.  Johns.  Michigan,  he  quickly  built  up  a  repu- 
tation with  his  creditors  and  with  the  community,  and  from  that  time  for- 
ward never  had  any  difficulty  in  getting  the  goods  he  needed  from  the 
wholesalers,  and  his  financial  rating  has  been  of  the  very  best.  For  ten 
years  St.  Johns  was  his  center  of  operation,  and  during  that  time  he  built 
up  a  very  large  enterprise.  Selling  out  his  interests  at  St.  Johns,  IMr. 
Heavenrich  moved  to  Saginaw,  in  1878,  thirty-si.x  years  ago.  There  he 
was  one  of  the  organizers  and  a  partner  in  an  establishment'  known  as 
the  Little  Jake  &  Company,  the  firm  being  composed  of  Jacob  Seligman, 
Max  Heavenrich  and  Carl  Heavenrich.  In  1882  the  Heavenrich  brothers 
bought  out  the  Seligman  interests,  and  the  firm  then  became  Heavenrich 
Brothers  &  Company.  They  bought  the  block  which  is  known  today  as 
the  Heavenrich  Block,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  brick  store  buildings  in 
Saginaw.  It  is  three  stories  in  height,  has  a  frontage  of  ninety  on  both 
Franklin  street  and  Genesee  avenue,  and  stands  as  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar shopping  centers  in  the  metropolis  of  northeast  Michigan.  In  1893 
the  death  of  Carl  Heavenrich  removed  one  of  the  active  members  of  the 
firm,  and  his  brother  Max  bought  his  interests  from  his  heirs.  Max 
Heavenrich.  since  coming  to  Saginaw,  has  been  the  active  head  and  presi- 
dent of  the  firm,  Samuel  Heavenrich  is  vice  president,  Max  Ph.  Heaven- 
rich is  treasurer  and  general  manager  and  Miss  Pepi  Heavenrich  is 
secretary.  The  history  of  the  firm  has  been  one  of  continued  success,  and 
the  store  is  the  largest  for  the  supplying  of  clothing  and  men's  furnishing 
goods  and  men's  and  ladies'  shoes  in  Saginaw.  The  sales  force  is  steadily 
kept  at  about  thirty-five  people.  Besides  his  activities  in  connection  with 
the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers  Association  in  inducing  industries  to 
locate  at  Saginaw,  Mr.  Heavenrich  has  directed  his  means  to  another 
worthy  and  really  benevolent  cause,  in  the  building  of  homes  for  work- 
ing jieople  and  extending  every  assistance,  consistent  with  conservative 
business,  to  enable  the  buyers  of  such  homes  to  eventually  become  owners 
and  householders.  Mr.  Heavenrich  is  known  throughout  Saginaw  for 
his  charitable  dis{X)sition  and  he  has  friends  in  all  the  walks  of  life. 

In  1883  he  built  a  fine  home  for  himself  at  603  South  Jei^'erson  ave- 
nue. In  the  year  1873  Mr.  Heavenrich  married  IMiss  Esther  Lilenthal, 
a  daughter  of  Rabbi  Max  and  Pepi  (Netter)  Lilenthal,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Their  two  children  are  Pepi  Heavenrich,  who  is  secretary  of  the 
large  mercantile  enterprise  of  which  her  father  is  president,  and  Max  Ph., 
who  is  general  manager  of  the  store.  Mr.  Heavenrich  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  since  18(18,  and  has  taken  the  degres  of  the  York 
Rite  and  belongs  to  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Elks  and  with  the  East  Saginaw  and  Country  Clubs.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Hebrew  church  and  a  director  in  the  Jewish  Orphan  Asylum 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  During  recent  years  IVIr.  Heavenrich  has  found  the 
rigors  of  Michigan  winters  too  severe  for  his  health,  and  he  and  his  wife 
usually  spend  those  months  in  travel  in  the  south. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1789 

John  W.  Smart.  Vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Michi- 
gan Drug  Company,  of  Detroit,  also  known  as  Williams,  Davis,  Brooks 
and  Hirchman's  Sons,  the  largest  and  oldest  concern  in  the  wholesale 
drug  trade  in  the  state,  Mr.  Smart  belongs  to  a  family  that  is  generously 
represented  in  the  wholesale  circles  in  Michigan  and  elsewhere,  and  is 
himself  a  splendid  example  of  a  successful  man  who  has  it  in  him  to 
reach  high  places  and  accomplishes  his  ambition  regardless  of  conditions 
surrounding  his  youth.  Mr.  Smart  was  at  one  time  a  "tally  boy"  in  a 
lumber  yard,  also  dusted  off  the  bottles  in  a  retail  drug  store,  and  by 
studying  the  business  and  showing  his  ability  advanced  to  association  with 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  American  drug  trade.  In  the  company  of  which 
he  is  now  an  executive  member  and  director,  the  other  important  names 
are:  James  E.  Davis,  president;  Alanson  S.  Brooks,  treasurer;  Maurice 
O.  Williams,  secretary;  William  H.  Dodd,  director;  and  Robert  S. 
Forbes,  superintendent. 

John  Walter  Smart  was  born  in  Port  Huron,  ^Michigan,  August  20, 
1874,  a  son  of  Rev.  James  S.  and  Elmira  (Carter)  Smart,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Maine  and  Ohio.  Rev.  Smart  devoted  his  life  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  Methodist  church,  became  prominent  in  his  conference,  and 
served  as  pastor  and  presiding  elder  of  many  districts.  For  a  long  period 
of  years  he  was  agent  for  the  Albion  College  of  Michigan.  His  death 
occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  when 
sixty-two  years  of  age,  both  being  interred  at  Mount  Clemens.  Of  their 
eight  children  one  is  deceased,  and  the  family  record  is  as  follows: 
Frederick  A.  Smart,  the  oldest,  is  a  prominent  insurance  man  of  Detroit; 
Mary  S.  is  the  wife  of  John  W.  Symons,  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Saginaw; 
Nellie  is  the  wife  of  George  A.  Skinner,  of  Mount  Clemens,  Michigan; 
James  S.  Smart  is  a  retired  member  of  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of 
Lee,  Cady  &  Smart,  the  largest  firm  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  and  he  is  now 
living  in  Santa  Anna,  California ;  Minerva  is  the  wife  of  Albert  M. 
Miller,  a  lumber  man  of  Bay  City,  :\Iichigan,  and  who  also  holds  the  office 
of  postmaster  of  that  city;  Lilla  Grace  is  the  wife  of  Professor  Borris 
Ganapol,  of  Detroit. 

John  Walter  Smart,  after  finishing  his  education  in  Flint,  obtanied 
his  "first  position,  as  .clerk  in  a  Flint  drug  store,  a  short  time  later ;  the 
A.  M.  Miller  Lumber  Company  employing  him  as  tally  boy,  but  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  began  his  real  career  of  progress  when  he  came  to 
Saginaw  and  found  a  place  with  the  :\IcCausland  Wholesale  Grocery 
Company.  Mr.  James  Smart,  his  older  brother,  was  a  member  of  that 
firm.  Later  this  company  was  reorganized  and  became  the  Lee,  Cady  & 
Smart  Wholesale  Grocerv  Company.  In  1898  the  company  organized  at 
Saginaw  the  Saginaw  Valley  Drug  Company,  dealing  wholesale  in  drugs, 
and  in  1899  John  W.  Smart  became  manager  of  the  local  busuiess.  In 
1913  another"  reorganization  occurred,  and  out  of  several  large  constitu- 
ent drug  companies  resulted  the  present  Michigan  Drug  Company,  whose 
general  offices  are  in  Detroit  and  which  is  today  the  largest  concern  of 
its  kind  in  Michigan,  emploving  in  Detroit  two  hundred  and  fifty  people. 

On  November  25,  1902,  'Mr.  Smart  married  :\Iiss  Winifred  U.  Wood, 
of  Lansing,  a  daughter  of  John  L  and  Clara  (Price)  Wood.  Their  two 
children  are:  John  W.,  Jr.,  aged  nine,  and  Richard  Carter,  aged  hv-e. 
Mr  Smart  occupies  a  pleasant  home  at  1997  West  Grand  Boulevard,  De- 
troit, and  he  also  has  a  pleasant  summer  cottage^  on  Saginaw  Bay,  where 
the  hot  months  are  spent  with  his  wife  and  family. 

J  George  Keebler.  While  Air.  Keebler  for  the  past  ten  years  has 
been  identified  with  the  wholesale  grocery  trade  in  the  city  of  Jackson, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  city,  he  is  perhaps 

Vol.  IV— 3 


1700  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

best  remembered  by  most  people  for  his  long  and  efficient  service  in 
the  city  treasurer's  office.  JMr.  Keebler  was  for  tifteen  years  employed 
in  that  office,  first  as  clerk,  then  as  deputy,  and  then  for  six  years  as 
chief  of  the  office.  It  is  said  that  no  more  popular  candidate  ever  ap- 
peared in  Jackson  for  a  public  office  than  Mr.  Keebler,  who  had  two 
special  distinctions,  one  being  that  he  was  the  youngest  man  ever  elected 
to  the  office  of  city  treasurer,  and  the  second  that  he  obtained  the  largest 
majority  ever  paid  a  candidate  for  a  local  office. 

J.  George  Keebler  was  born  on  North  Jackson  Street,  in  the  city 
of  Jackson,  May  25,  i86g.  His  father,  the  late  J.  Fred  Keebler.  who 
died  August  8,  1905,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine,  was  born  in  W'uertemberg, 
CScrmany,  August  17,  1836.  and  was  for  more  than  forty  years  a  resident  of 
Jackson.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  for  thirty-eight  years  was 
employed  in  one  of  the  wood-working  plants  at  Jackson.  He  was  married 
October  15,  1864,  to  Wilhelmina  Schweitzer.  She,  too,  was  born  in  Wuer- 
temberg,  Germany,  on  November  8,  1844.  She  came  to  the  United  States 
with  her  parents,  Christian  Frederick  and  Barbara  (Schuster)  Schweitzer, 
March  7,  1855,  and  they  settled  at  Canandaigua,  New  York.  The  mother 
slill  lives  in  Jackson,  being  now  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  J.  George 
Keebler  had  two  brothers  and  five  sisters,  of  whom  only  three  sisters  are 
living,  namely :  Wilhelmina  Barbara,  the  wife  of  Martin  Braun,  of 
Jackson;  Sarah  Louise,  wife  of  B.  J.  Lowe,  of  Kalamazoo;  and  Mary, 
wife  of  L.  H.  Dabbert,  of  Saginaw.  Gertrude  M.  married  George  Breit- 
meyer  and  both  are  now  dead.  She  was  born  July  19,  1865,  and  died 
May  31,  1906.  Christian  F.,  bom  August  27,  1867,  died  March  14,  1894. 
J.  Frederick,  born  December  31,  1870,  died  January  5,  1871.  Katharine 
Eva,  born  May  7,  1874,  died  March  3,  1896. 

Mr.  Keebler  has  lived  in  Jackson  all  his  life,  grew  up  in  the  surround- 
ings of  his  home  locality,  on  North  Jackson  Street,  attended  school  for 
some  vears  until  he  had  the  practical  fundamentals  of  education,  but 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  order  that  he  might  contribute  something  to  the 
family  welfare  he  left  school  and  engaged  as  shipping  clerk  in  the  sash 
and  blind  factory  of  S.  Heyser  &  Sons.  It  w-as  in  that  factory  where 
his  father  was  employed  for  so  many  years.  He  made  good  use  of  his 
opportunities  there,  but  was  soon  called  to  a  broader  field  of  work.  On 
October  i.  1888,  he  was  appointed  deputy  city  treasurer  under  E.  F. 
Lowrey,  and  continued  to  serve  as  Mr.  Lowrey's  assistant  for  five  years. 
T.  W.  Chapin,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Lowrey  as  city  treasurer,  retained 
the  services  of  this  capable  assistant  four  years  longer  and  on  .-Vpril 
5,  1897,  Mr.  Keebler  was  elected  treasurer  as  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  at  that  time  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  no 
younger  man  had  ever  been  called  to  this  important  office.  He  led  the 
ticket  by  a  majority  of  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  votes.  At  the  second 
election,  on  April  3,  1899,  ^^^-  Keebler  received  the  majority  of  nine- 
teen hundred  and  eighty-seven  votes,  and  in  the  annals  of  Jackson  city 
government,  no  larger  majorit\'  has  ever  been  given  a  candidate  for  ]3ublic 
office.  Again  on  April  i,  1901,  Mr.  Keebler  was  elected  for  a  third 
term,  and  again  led  his  ticket.  His  final  time  expired  on  May  5.  1903, 
and  after  six  years  of  service  in  which  he  made  his  office  a  place  for 
the  orderly  and  efficient  transaction  of  public  business,  he  retired  with 
the  continued  confidence  and  commendation  of  the  great  host  of  sup- 
porters and  friends,  who  had  steadily  stood  by  him  in  all  his  public 
career.  Since  leaving  the  office  in  1903  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
wholesale  grocery   firm  of  Howard,  Solon  &  Company. 

Mr.  Keebler  has  been  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  Democratic  party 
from  the  time  he  was  able  to  cast  his  first  vote,  and  since  leaving  the 
office  of  citv  treasurer,  has  served  four  vears  as  chairman  of  the  Demo- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1791 

cratic  City  Committee,  and  four  years  as  police  commissioner.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Jackson,  is  affil- 
iated with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum, the  Jackson  Schwaben  Verein,  the  Jackson  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Jackson  Country  Club. 

On  June  7,  1904,  he  married  Miss  Mary  O'Rafferty,  of  Jackson. 
Mrs.  Keebler  was  born  in  Detroit,  October  3,  1879,  a  daughter  of  John 
O'Rafferty,  who  came  to  the  United  States  from  Ireland. 

Clarence  L.  Greilick.  The  initiative  and  constructive  ability  that 
augur  for  large  and  worthy  achievement  have  been  signally  exemplified 
in  the  career  of  Mr.  Greilick,  who  is  one  of  the  veritable  captains  of 
industry  in  Michigan  and  whose  well  ordered  enterprise  has  contributed 
in  great  measure  to  the  industrial  and  civic  precedence  of  Traverse  City, 
the  beautiful  metropolis  and  judicial  center  of  Grand  Traverse  county. 
He  is  president  of  the  Traverse  City  Chair  Company  and  also  of  tiie 
J.  E.  Greilick  Company,  manufacturers  of  library  tables,  chair-frames, 
etc.  These  represent  two  of  the  leading  industrial  enterprises  of  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  the  two  concerns  give  employment  to  a  force 
of  nearly  200  persons,  the  majority  of  whom  are  men  and  skilled  artisans. 
The  factories  are  essentially  modern,  the  buildings  being  of  substantial 
order  and  admirably  equipped,  the  aggregate  ground  space  utilized  being 
more  than  ten  acres.  The  plants  are  eligibly  situated  on  Grand  Traverse 
Bay  and  are  directly  accessible  to  the  three  railroads  and  boat  lines  en- 
tering Traverse  City,  so  that  the  shipping  facilities  are  excellent  and 
adequate.  Mr.  Greilick  has  not  only  shown  marked  circumspection  in 
the  upbuilding  of  these  important  enterprises  but  has  also  stood  exponent 
of  high  civic  ideals  and  much  public  spirit,  so  that  he  naturally  holds 
precedence  as  one  of  the  representative  men  of  affairs  in  his  home  city 
and  county. 

Further  interest  attaches  to  the  record  of  Mr.  Greilick  by  reason 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  born  in  the  city  that  is  now  his  home  and  is  a 
scion  of  an  honored  pioneer  family  of  this  part  of  the  Wolverine  State. 
He  was  born  in  Traverse  City  on  the  14th  of  August,  1869,  and  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Nancy  (Case)  Greilick,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Austria  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Gustavus,  Ohio, 
her  parents  establishing  their  home  in  Benzonia,  Michigan,  at  a  very 
early  dav.  Joseph  E.  Greilick.  a  son  of  Godfrey  Greilick,  was  a  child 
at  the  time  "of  his  parents'  immigration  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
family  disembarked  in  New  York  City  on  the  nth  of  September.  1848. 
They  remained  in  the  national  metropolis  until  1854,  when  they  came 
to  Michigan  and  settled  in  the  Grand  Traverse  region,  the  development 
of  which  had  at  that  time  been  represented  almost  entirely  in  connection 
with  the  lumbering  industry,  as  ]\Iichigan  had  been  admitted  to  state- 
hood only  about  a  decade  previously.  Godfrey  Greilick  became  one  of 
the  pioneer  lumbermen  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  continued  to  be 
identified  with  this  branch  of  industrial  enterprise  until  his  death,  his 
name  meriting  enduring  place  on  the  roll  of  the  sterling  pioneers  of 
northwestern  Michigan.  As  a  youth  Joseph  E.  Greilick  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  to  which  he  continued  to  devote  his  attention  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  in  connection  with  other  industrial  activities.  In  1867  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  as  well  as  doing 
general  mill  work  of  incidental  order,  and  he  was  associated  with  the 
operation  of  one  of  the  first  planing  mills  in  Traverse  City,  as  an  in- 
terested principal  in  the  firm  of  Hannah,  Lay  &  Company.  In  1879  he 
purchased  the  interests  of  his  associates  and  he  thereafter  conducted 
in  an  individual  way  a  large  and  prosperous  business  until  his  death, 


1792  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

when  well  advanced  in  years,  his  wife  surviving  liini  l)y  several  years. 
Among-  the  large  contracts  carried  out  by  this  honored  citizen  was  the 
furnishing  of  all  the  mill  work  for  the  building  of  the  Northern  ]\Iichi- 
gan  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  in  Traverse  City.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  influential  citizens  of  Grand  Traverse  county  during  the 
long  years  of  an  essentially  active  and  productive  business  career,  and 
he  did  much  to  further  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Traverse 
City,  where  he  likewise  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  civic  affairs.  He 
was  generous  and  charitable  and  was  always  ready  to  aid  those  in  mis- 
fortune or  distress,  the  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were  zealous  members 
of  the  Congregational  church.  Mr.  Greilick  was  an  uncompromising 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  was  long  one 
of  its  influential  representatives  in  Grand  Traverse  county.  Of  the 
seven  children  in  the  family,  Clarence  L.,  of  this  review,  was  the  first- 
born ;  Ernest  W.,  is  vice  president  of  each  the  Traverse  City  Chair 
Company  and  the  J.  E.  Greilick  Company,  the  latter  of  which  per- 
petuates the  name  of  the  honored  father;  Amy  is  the  wife  of  Claire 
B.  Curtis,  of  this  city ;  Frances  is  the  wife  of  Albert  J.  Haviland,  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  Traverse  City  State  Bank;  Arthur  is  a  member  of 
the  United  States  Navy  and  is  serving  on  the  battleship  "Tennessee'' ; 
Edna  died  in  childhood,  and  Josephine,  who  still  maintains  her  home 
in  Traverse  City,  is  aV  the  present  time,  1914,  a  student  in  the  Cincin- 
nati Conservatory  of  Music,  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Clarence  Leroy  Greilick  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of  Traverse 
City  for  his  early  educational  training.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  became  associated  with  the  operation  of  his  father's  planing  mill, 
and  he  learned  the  business  in  all  its  practical  details,  besides  familiariz- 
ing himself  with  its  administrative  policies,  his  apprenticeship  having  been 
as  thorough  as  would  have  been  that  of  any  youth  not  a  son  of  the 
proprietor  of  the  establishment.  In  1908  Mr.  Greilick  effected  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Traverse  City  Chair  Company,  of  which  he  became  the 
executive  head,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  in  consonance  with  a 
wish  shortly  before  expressed  by  the  latter,  he  brought  about  the  incor- 
poration of  the  J.  E.  Greilick  Company,  of  which  he  has  since  been 
the  president.  He  has  shown  marked  ability  and  discrimination  in  the 
up1)uilding  of  these  valuable  industrial  enterprises  and  both  as  a  citizen 
and  Inisiness  man  has  well  upheld  the  high  prestige  of  the  family  name, 
which  has  been  long  and  ]3rominently  identified  with  the  history  of 
Traverse   City. 

Mr.  Greilick  has  shown  especially  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs 
in  his  home  city,  where  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education,  in  which  body  he  has  held  membership  on  a  number  of  the 
most  important  committees.  His  liberality  and  intrinsic  public  spirit 
were  further  shown  through  his  loyal  representation  of  the  Second 
ward  as  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  aldermen  of  his  native  city. 
His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity  he  has  received  the  chivalric  degrees,  as  a  memlier 
of  the  local  commandery  of  Knights  Templars,  besides  which  he  is  affil- 
iated with  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
the  Maccabees  and  the  Elks.  He  supports  the  Asbury  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Traverse  City,  his  wife  being  a  zealous  communicant 
of  the  same. 

In  earlier  years  Mr.  Greilick  showed  his  appreciation  of  the  unex- 
celled attractions  of  northern  Michigan  as  a  sportsman's  paradise,  by 
becoming  an  ardent  fisherman  and  hunter  of  small  game,  and  at  the 
present  time  he  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  automobile  tours.  The 
beautiful  family  home,  situated  on  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  in  the  western 
division  of  the  city,  is  know-n  as  a  center  of  gracious  hospitality. 


^y  /Ccyt^A-^  ^7^;^^^^C^i-^:^^^^C__ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1793 

In  1892,  at  Traverse  City,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Air. 
Greilick  to  Miss  Anah  McCool,  who  was  born  in  the  State  of  Indiana, 
and  they  have  three  children — J.  Edwin,  Agalia,  and  Leroy. 

KiRKE  Lathrop.  Secretary-treasurer  of  the  Michigan  United  Rail- 
way Company,  Kirke  Lathrop  has  been  identified  with  electric  transporta- 
tion and  other  public  facilities  in  Michigan  for  the  past  fourteen  years. 
Mr.  Lathrop  represents  an  old  American  family  of  colonial  stock,  is  a 
native  of  Detroit,  and  has  a  broad  and  diversified  experience  in  affairs 
both  in  this  country  and  abroad. 

Kirke  Lathrop  was  born  in  Detroit,  September  12,  1873.  His  father. 
Dr.  Henry  Kirke  Lathrop,  born  in  ^Michigan  in  1849,  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  the  successful  practice  of  dentistry  in  Detroit.  He'  was  a 
graduate  of  a  dental  college  at  Cincinnati,  C)hio,  and  has  for  many  vears 
been  regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  men  in  his  line  in  Detroit.  Dr.  Lath- 
rop's  father  was  Henry  Kirke  Lathrop,  Sr.,  who  was  born  at  West 
Springfield,  Massachusetts.  The  latter  was  a  son  of  Solomon  Lathrop, 
who  held  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Yale  College,  and  who  es- 
tablished the  family  in  Michigan  in  1837,  where  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
one  of  the  leading  pioneer  lawyers  of  the  state.  The  ancestry  is  English. 
The  Rev.  John  Lathrop,  AI.  A.,  came  from  England  to  America  in  1634, 
and  some  representatives  of  the  name  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  and  had  also  participated  in  the  earlier  colonial  and  Indians 
wars.  Dr.  Henry  K.  Lathrop  married  Miss  Mary  Woodward  Gillett, 
a  native  of  Torringford,  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut.  Her  father, 
Rufus  Woodward  Gillett,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit,  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  State  Savings  Bank  and  president  of  the  Detroit  Copper  and 
Brass  Rolling  Mills,  one  of  the  early  and  important  industrial  enter- 
prises of  the  city. 

Kirke  Lathrop  was  educated  in  the  Detroit  public  schools  and  the 
University  of  Michigan,  graduating  B.  L.  in  1896.  During  the  last 
year  of  his  regular  college  work  he  studied  law  and  continued  in  -the 
law  department  until  1897.  His  studies  were  interrupted  in  order  that 
he  might  accept  the  diplomatic  duties  of  vice-consul  and  acting  consul 
for  the  United  States  Government  at  Hanover,  Germany.  His  official 
duties  kept  him  abroad  until  1900,  and  in  the  meantime  he  had  gained  a 
broad  knowledge  of  the  German  language  and  commerce  and  institu- 
tions, and  his  residence  abroad  was  an  admirable  training  for  his  busi- 
ness career.  Since  his  return  to  Detroit  in  1900  Mr.  Lathrop  has  been 
identified  chiefly  with  public  utility  corporations  both  in  Detroit  and 
Grand  Rapids.  Besides  his  office  as  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Mich- 
igan United  Railway  Company,  he  has  at  different  times  been  identified 
with  other  business  aft'airs. 

Mr.  Lathrop  is  a  member  of  the  American  Historical  Association,  of 
the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Society  of 
Colonial  Wars,  and  the  Huguenot  Society  of  New  York  City.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the  University  Club,  the  Country 
Club,  and  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Hunting  and  Fishing  Club,  better  known  as 
the  Old  Club.  At  London,  England,  October  5,  1901,  Mr.  Lathrop  mar- 
ried Miss  Beatrice  Elizabeth  Proudlock,  daughter  of  Alarmaduke  Proud- 
lock,  of  Beresford  House,  Marten,  Yorkshire,  where  the  family  is  one 
of  prominence  and  distinction.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Lathrop  have  two  chil- 
dren :     Beatrice  Anne  Gillett  Lathrop,  and  Mary  Woodward  Lathrop. 

A-Iicii.xEr,  C.  CoYLE.  Division  superintendent  of  the  Alichigan  Cen- 
tral Railroad  and  superintendent  of  the  Detroit  &  Charlevoi.x  Railroad 
at  Bay  City,  Air.  Coyle  has  been  in  railway  service  since  he  was  thirteen 


1794  IIISTURV  Ui'   MICHIGAN 

years  old,  has  a  splendid  record  of  advancement  from  a  position  in  the 
ranks,  and  belongs  to  a  family  of  railroad  men,  his  brothers  occupying 
high  positions  in  transportation  circles. 

Michael  Charles  Coyle  was  born  Marcli  24,  1853,  at  Angelica,  New 
York-,  a  son  of  Bernard  and  Susan  (Kilduti)  Coyle,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  New  York  City.  The  father,  who  moved  to  Angelica  in  1831, 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  that  town,  and  continued  in  busi- 
ness in  Alleghany  county  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1887,  when 
sixty-nine  years  old.  His  wife  died  in  1867,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest 
in  Scio,  Alleghany  county.  The  elder  Coyle  was  prominent  in  county 
politics,  and  "for  many  years  was  identified  with  the  militia  organiza- 
tion. Until  fifteen  years  before  his  death  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
thereafter  equally  strong  as  a  worker  in  the  Republican  interests.  There 
were  eleven  children,  and  six  are  deceased.  Those  living  are  mentioned 
as  follows:  Philip  Coyle,  who  was  prominent  in  railway  service  until 
1907,  and  has  since  been  traffic  manager  of  the  St.  Louis  Business  Men's 
Association  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  Michael  C,  who  is  the  second  in 
age  of  those  still  living;  Hugh  Coyle,  superintendent  of  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway,  with  residence  at  Belleville,  Ontario:  Bernard  Coyle,  who 
is  general  freight  agent  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  at  St.  Louis ;  Margaret, 
wife  of  lohn  Ragen  of  Corry.  Pennsylvania;  Susan,  wife  of  James 
Keogh,  of  Rochester,  New  York. 

Michael  C.  Coyle  grew  up  in  Allegheny  county,  New  York,  attended 
the  public  schools'  at  Scio,  and  when  thirteen  years  old  became  a  mes- 
senger for  the  New  York  &  Lake  Erie  Railroad.  During  his  spare 
moments  he  learnei^  telegraphy,  and  in  a  short  time  was  promoted  to 
the  responsibility  of  a  key.  From  1871  to  1873  he  served  as  train  dis- 
patcher for  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  c^  Pacific  Railroad,  with  headquarters 
at  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  from  that  time  forward  through  forty  years  his 
promotions  have  come  at  steady  intervals  until  he  is  well  known  among 
the  leading  transportation  managers  in  the  country.  From  1873  to  18S3 
he  was  train  dispatcher  for  the  Canadian  Southern,  located  at  Detroit. 
I'rom  1883  to  1888  he  was  dispatcher  for  the  Michigan  Central  at 
Detroit,  and  from- the  ist  of  April,  1888,  until  September  i,  1894,  was 
chief  train  master  for  that  same  line.  Since  December.  1898,  Mr.  Coyle 
has  been  division  superintendent  of  the  Michigan  Central,  with  head- 
quarters at  Bay  City.  On  September  i,  1910,  the  additional  responsi- 
bility was  given  him  as  superintendent  of  the  Detroit  &  Charlevoix 
Railroad. 

Mr.  Coyle  has  membership  in  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Detroit,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  In  ])olitics  he  is  a  Progressive 
Democrat,  and  has  hosts  of  friends  not  only  in  the  railroad  circles  l)ut 
among  business  men  throughout  the  state  of  Michigan.  He  is  an  en- 
thusiastic trout  fisherman,  and  owns  a  fine  summer  cottage  at  Mullett 
Lake.  His  Bay  City  home  is  at  1701  Sixth  Avenue,  at  the  corner  of 
Hampton  Place. 

On  May  30,  1878,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Coyle  with 
Miss  Georgeana  Wallace,  who  was  born  in  Northumberland  couniw 
England,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza  (Rexby)  Wallace.  To  their 
marriage  have  been  born  four  children :  Bernard  Coyle.  who  is  auditor 
for  the  St.  Louis,  Portland  Company,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri:  Charles 
Covle,  yardmaster  for  the  Michigan  Central  at  Saginaw ;  Raymond, 
freight  solicitor  for  the  Michigan  Central  at  Bay  City ;  and  Grace  Coyle, 
at  home. 

H()\.  JoTix  Wir.i.TAM  BAii.r.v.  There  is  no  more  interesting  figure 
in  the  puhJic  life  of  Michigan  than  the  ITon.  John  William  Bailey,  mayor 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1795 

of  LSattle  Creek,  a  leading  legal  practitioner  and  a  resourceful  and  hard- 
fighting  Democrat  whose  indomitable  courage,  aptitude  for  organiza- 
tion and  innate  principles  and  character  to  dictate  and  permit  only 
legitimate  and  honorable  courses  of  action  have  given  him  state-wide 
fame  and  on  frequent  occasions  brought  his  name  favorabl)'  forward 
in  connection  with  gubernatorial  honors.  During  all  the  twenty-five 
years  that  he  has  kept  in  touch  with  political  affairs  of  his  native  city, 
but  more  especially  during  the  period  from  1909  to  the  present,  nothing 
of  victory  has  come  easy  to  him  as  it  does  to  many  less  worthy.  A 
member  of  a  party  that  is  in  the  minority  in  his  city,  success  with  him 
has  been  synonymous  with  struggle  at  every  step  of  the  way.  Yet,  even 
among  those  of  opposing  political  beliefs  he  has  won  friends  and  ad- 
mirers, and  the  fact  that  he  has  never  overlooked  his  supporters  in  his 
well-deserved  victories  and  hard-earned  successes  has  enabled  him  to 
encourage  and  retain  his  loyal  and  continually  increasing  following 
through  any  and  all  reverses. 

Mayor  Bailey  is  a  native  of  Battle  Creek  and  has  resided  all  his 
life  in  the  comfortable  home  at  No.  24  College  Street.  His  father, 
Michael  Bailey,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United  States  as 
a  youth  of  fourteen  years,  settling  in  Battle  Creek,  where  he  met  and 
married  Catherine  McCarthy,  who  had  also  been  born  on  the  Emerald 
isle.  They  commenced  housekeeping  on  their  wedding  day  in  the 
family  home  on  College  Street,  which  Mr.  Bailey  had  just  built  on  two 
lots  purchased  from  Judge  Sands  AlcCamly,  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers 
of  the  city,  who  had  taken  up  the  land  from  the  Government.  For  forty 
years  Michael  Bailey  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road, during  the  greater  part  of  which  time  he  was  yardmaster  at  Battle 
Creek.  He  died  in  this  city  August  9,  1889,  while  the  mother  passed 
away  November  24,  1892.  Their  seven  children  are  all  still  alive,  as 
follows :  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Peter  McLee,  of  Battle  Creek ;  John 
William,  of  this  review ;  Julia,  who  is  a  teacher  of  mathematics  and  Eng- 
lish in  the  Battle  Creek  high  school ;  George  F.,  of  Battle  Creek ;  Helen 
B.,  who  is  the  widow  of  the  late  Edward  L.  Murphy,  of  Marshall,  Michi- 
gan, and  the  mother  of  four  daughters :  Catherine,  who  was  principal 
of  the  Maple  Street  school  in  Battle  Creek  for  several  years  and  foi 
three  years  principal  of  the  United  States  Government  schools  at  Ancon, 
Empire  and  Gorgona,  Panama,  Canal  Zone,  and  who  now  teaches  at 
Boise,  Idaho ;  and  Anne,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  Ann 
Arbor,  who  also  taught  in  the  high  schools  of  Battle  Creek,  Duluth. 
Minnesota,  and  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  Central  high 
school,  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  All  the  children  graduated  from  the  Battle 
Creek  high  school. 

The  youngest  member  and  valedictorian  of  the  class  of  1876,  of  the 
Battle  Creek  public  schools,  John  W.  Bailey  early  displayed  his  willing- 
ness to  take  his  place  among  the  world's  workers  in  a  humble  capacity 
and  to  work  his  own  way  upward  through  individual  effort.  He  was 
offered  and  accepted  a  position  with  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad, 
where  his  duties  consisted  of  drawing  wood  with  one  horse  and  piling 
it  on  a  stand  for  use  in  the  old  wood-burning  engines  of  that  day.  Later 
his  fidelity,  energy  and  cheerful  performance  of  duty  won  him  promotion 
to  a  position  in  the  warehouse  of  the  company,  and  he  subsef|uently  rose 
to  the  position  of  foreman  thereof.  From  that  time  his  consecuti\e 
promotions  carried  him  through  the  positions  of  baggageman,  ticket- 
seller,  cashier  and  chief  clerk,  and  in  1883  he  was  appointed  freight  and 
ticket  agent  of  the  Battle  Creek  station,  a  position  of  some  importance 
which  he  held  until  his  appointment  in  1896  to  the  oiifice  of  commercial 
agent  of  the  Michigan  Central  lines  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  which  capacity 


1796  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

he  had  charge  of  tlie  freight  business  of  the  company  and  its  fast  freight 
lines  at  that  point  as  well  as  the  traffic  from  the  Oliio,  Indiana  and  Illi- 
nois territory  and  all  points  south.  During  all  this  time,  however,  he 
continued  to  maintain  his  residence  in  Battle  Creek. 

A  predilection  for  the  law,  which  he  had  always  fostered,  but  which, 
until  now,  he  had  been  unable  to  gratify,  caused  Mr.  l!ailey  to  leave 
the  railway  service  in  1899  and  enter  the  I'niversity  of  ^Michigan,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1902  from  the  law  depariment  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  He  at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  George  \V. 
Alechem  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Battle  Creek,  and  this  as.so- 
ciation  continued  until  1905.  since  which  time  Mr.  Bailey  has  practiced 
alone. 

Mayor  Bailey's  connection  with  pulilic  life  began  in  1889,  when  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Battle  Creek  school  board,  and  following 
this  he  was  re-elected  for  two  more  terms  of  three  years  each,  but  re- 
signed during  the  last  one  when  he  went  to  Toledo  in  1S96.  When  he 
was  first  elected  mayor  of  the  city,  in  1890,  he  was  the  youngest  chief 
executive  the  city  has  had  before  or  since  that  time,  and'  on  that  occa- 
sion served  one  term.  On  his  return  to  Battle  Creek,  after  graduating 
with  honor  from  the  University  of  Michigan,  a  full-fledged  corporation 
lawyer,  he  had  decided  to  set  aside  politics  for  all  time.  He  was  unable, 
however,  to  withstand  the  continued  and  strenuous  importunities  of  his 
own,  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  friends  in  the  Republican  party, 
and  finally,  in  1909.  allowed  himself  to  become  the  nominee  of  the 
Democratic  party  for  the  office  of  mayor.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
Battle  Creek  is  overwhelmingly  Republican,  after  one  of  the  most  hotly- 
contested  campaigns  the  city  has  known,  he  was  again  sent  to  the 
mayoralty  chair. 

Here  a  peculiar  condition  of  things  was  found  to  exist.  The  council 
was  wholly  Republican  and  frankly  antagonistic,  and  it  was  predicted 
alike  by  friend  and  foe  that  the  new  mayor  could  be  but  a  figure-head 
in  the  management  of  the  municipality.  ]iIayor  Bailey,  however,  while 
inheriting  the  usual  Irish  sympathy,  responsiveness,  humor  and  imagina- 
tion, also  possessed  the  qualities  of  alertness  and  courage  for  which 
that  race  is  noted,  and  was  not  long  in  asserting  himself.  "Having  Ijeen 
elected  mayor,"  he  stated,  "l  intend  to  be  mayor,"  and  forthwith  went 
about  to  prove  it.  From  that  moment  forward,  until  the  mayor  had  the 
reins  of  government  well  in  hand,  proceedings  in  municipal  affairs  were  ' 
of  a  distinctly  stormy  character  and  attracted  widespread  interest  all 
over  the  state.  At  that  time  the  mayor  whose  term  had  not  yet  expired, 
Charles  C.  Green,  a  Republican,  was  in  South  America,  and  Alderman 
L.  G.  Nichols,  president  of  the  council,  was  acting  mayor.  Custom  dic- 
tated that  such  a  condition  maintain  for  two  weeks  before  Mr.  Bailey 
should  appear  in  the  crowded  council  chamber  and.  in  the  midst  of  a 
great  celebration,  assume  the  mayoralty.  Mayor  Bailey's  eagerness  to 
be  doing  something,  however,  was  shown  in  his  precipitating  himself 
into  the  mayor's  office  before  the  first  meeting  of  the  council,  and  his 
act  of  forcing  a  Republican,  City  Recorder  Thorne,  to  swear  him  into 
office,  was  eminently  characteristic  of  the  man.  The  Republican  alder- 
men, taken  thoroughly  by  surprise  and  at  a  loss  for  a  course  to  take, 
were  compelled  to  allow  iheniselves  to  be  sworn  in  in  the  same  manner, 
one  by  one,  and  the  annual  inaugural  show  was  canceled. 

In  his  determination  to  gather  about  him  strong,  reliable  and  prac- 
tical men  to  assist  him  in  advancing  the  efficiencv  of  the  city  service. 
Mayor  Bailey  appointed  Dr.  Eugene  Miller,  a  Democrat,  to  the  office 
of  health  officer,  but  the  latter  was  immediately  rejected  bv  the  Repub- 
lican council,  and  Mr.  Bailey  subsequently  named  Dr.  A.  S.  Kimball,  a 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1797 

Republican,  who  at  that  time  was  in  Europe,  studying  medicine.  Doctor 
Kimball  was  accepted  by  the  aldermen,  and  the  chief  executive  imme- 
diately named  Doctor  ]\liller  as  "temporary"  health  officer,  thus  gaining 
his  first  point.  His  next  appointment  was  Elza  Shoup  for  street  com- 
missioner, but  this  Democrat  was  also  rejected  by  the  council,  the  alder- 
men advising  that  Charles  Caldwell,  chairman  of  the  Republican  city 
committee,  be  retained  in  that  office.  This  Mr.  Caldwell  did  until  he 
found  that  without  the  mayor's  signature  he  could  not  collect  his  salary, 
nor  the  wages  for  the  men  he  hired,  and  when  the  mayor  preferred 
charges  of  graft  against  him  and  started  to  prove  them,  Mr.  Caldwell 
resigned  under  fire.  The  mayor  at  once  appointed  Mr.  Shoup  to  fill 
the  vacancy,  an  appointment  which  did  not  require  the  council's  con- 
firmation. 

Further  complications  were  not  long  in  coming.  In  the  election  of 
Mayor  Bailey  a  Republican  alderman,  F.  H.  Starkey,  had  played  a 
leading  part.  Air.  Starkey  had  desired  the  Republican  nomination  for 
the  mayoralty  and  had  been  defeated  by  Mr.  Jacobs,  who  at  the  election 
was  in  turn  beaten  by  Mr.  Bailey.  For  some  time  ^^Ir.  Starkey  was  the 
new  mayor's  only  support,  but  subsequently,  when  he  tried  to  dictate 
to  Mr.  Bailey,  their  friendship  was  broken  and  !Mr.  Starkey  assumed 
the  position  of  "opposition  leader."  Numerous  encounters  ensued,  and 
eventually  one  evening  in  the  council  chamber,  when  Mr.  Starkey  be- 
came particularly  pugnacious,  the  mayor  ordered  his  removal.  Police 
Captain  McCarthy  obeyed  the  order,  and  when  Air.  Starkey  again  en- 
tered the  council  room  he  was  cowed  to  some  extent,  but  once  again 
became  ofifensive  in  remarks  and  manner,  and  the  mayor  instructed 
Chief  of  Police  Farrington,  a  Republican,  to  eject  the  alderman.  On 
the  chief's  refusal  to  obey  instructions  lie  was  at  once  suspended  for 
ten  days,  whereupon  the  police  commissioners,  whose  co-operation  the 
mayor  had  not  bothered  to  enlist,  became  angry  and  began  to  make 
threats,  none  of  which  materialized,  however.  Chief  Farrington  re- 
mained suspended  for  ten  days,  and  upon  his  return  assured  the  mayor 
that  in  the  future  his  orders  would  be  promptly  obeyed.  Mr.  Starkey 
started  proceedings  for  Sio.ooo  damages  against  the  mayor  and  Captain 
McCarthy,  but  the  suit  was  ridiculed  by  the  general  public  and  was 
finally  dismissed. 

Some  of  the  most  bitter  opposition  to  Air.  Bailey,  both  during  his 
campaign  and  after  his  election,  came  from  the  Battle  Creek  Journal, 
hut  the  mayor  capably  replied  to  its  attacks  in  his  message  to  the  council 
and  forced  the  newspaper  to  print  his  replies  under  its  contract  to  print 
the  council  proceedings.  As  a  result  of  Mr.  Bailey's  attack  upon  the 
Journal,  in  his  message,  that  paper  at  one  time  had  libel  suits  against 
him  aggregating  $100,000,  all  of  which  were  gladly  dismissed  when  the 
mayor  declared  he  would  prove  the  truth  of  his  statements. 

Throughout  his  administration  the  mayor  was  forced  to  meet  and 
overcome  attacks  and  opposition  in  every  form,  but  in  every  instance 
proved  himself  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  did  not  dare  to  leave  the  city 
for  fear  a  council  meeting  would  be  held  without  him,  and  for  this 
reason  was  unable  to  accept  invitations  to  banquets  outside  of  the  city, 
including  one  held  at  Detroit  by  the  Democrats  of  Wayne  county,  in 
which  he  was  to  share  the  platform  with  ex-Governor  Folk  and  other 
notables  of  the  party.  From  the  first  to  the  last,  however,  he  carried 
out  the  promises  made  by  him,  and  his  record  in  office  is  one  worthy 
of  the  man  and  his  nature.  Among  his  achievements  may  be  men- 
tioned the  liquidation  of  $65,000  overdraft  and  overdrawn  accounts ; 
the  raising  of  the  wages  of  all  men  and  teams :  the  building  of  more 
'  sidewalks ;  the  putting  in  of  more  pavements,  the  building  of  more  sewers 


1798  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  the  laying  of  more  water  pipe  tlian  in  any  previous  two  years  in  the 
history  of  the  city.  The  tax  rate  was  not  increased,  yet  in  spite  of  this 
at  the  end  of  two  years  there  was  in  the;  city  treasury  $87,000  cash,  a 
larg-er  sum  than  the  combined  total  amount  left  by  outgoing  mayors 
during  the  previous  twenty  years.  Such  a  record  speaks  for  itself.  Mr. 
Bailey  thoroughly  impressed  upon  the  people  of  ilattle  Creek  that  he 
was  mayor,  and  his  reputation  spread  so  rajjidly  throughout  the  state 
that  he  would  have  undoubtedly  been  the  choice  of  the  Michigan  Democ- 
racy for  the  governorship  of  the  stata  in  1912  had  he  consented  to  the 
use  of  his  name.  For  business  reasons,  however,  he  has  steadfastly 
declined  to  become  a  candidate  for  that  high  office. 

In  191 1  Mayor  Bailey  was  elected  a  member  of  the  commission  to 
revise  the  charter  of  his  native  city.  The  commission,  at  its  first  meet- 
ing, elected  him  its  chairman,  and  the  charter  was  written  and  adopted 
at  the  spring  election  of  1913.  At  the  same  election  Mr.  Ilailey  was 
again  re-elected  mayor  of  the  city  and  although  liattle  Creek  was  strongly 
Republican  he  only  lacked  nine  votes  of  having  a  majority  over  all 
three  opposing  candidates,  he  having  been  opposed  by  a  straight  Repub- 
lican, a  Progressive  and  a  Socialist.  The  result  of  this  election  showed 
the  mayor's  popularity  to  be  so  great  that  at  the  charter  election,  one 
month  later,  he  had  no  opposition,  and  accordingly  for  the  fourth  time 
became  mayor  of  his  native  city.  Under  Mayor  liailey's  administratitni. 
the  commission  form  of  government  has  been  inaugurated  and  has  been 
successfully  carried  forward  during  the  past  year.  .As  was  freely  pre- 
dicted by  Battle  Creek  citizens,  the  mayor  at  once  became  the  strongest 
and  dominant  figure  in  the  commission,  and  has  continued  to  handle  all 
matters  with  the  care  and  good  judgment  which  have  always  character- 
ized his  each  and  every  service  and  which  so  w'cll  please  the  great  ma- 
joritv  of  the  people  of  the  city  in  which  he  has  spent  his  life. 

Mayor  Bailey  has  always  resided  in  the  family  home  on  College 
Street.  Should  he  so  choose,  he  could  have  a  more  pretentious  dwelling, 
but  it  has  been  his  pleasure  to  live  in  the  same  (|uiet,  unostentatious 
manner  that  characterized  the  lives  of  his  revered  jjarents.  His  ofifices. 
at  Suite  No.  309  Ward  Building,  are  the  finest  in  the  city.  Mayor 
Bailey  is  prominent  in  club  life,  having  been  third  president  of  the 
Athelstan  Club,  an  office  he  held  five  years.  During  his  incumbency 
of  that  ofifice  the  .Athelstan  and  Nepenthe  Clubs  were  consolidated  into 
a  larger  and  stronger  organization.  He  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Country  Club,  and  in  the  line  of  his  calling  is  connected  with  the  County 
and  State  Bar  Associations.  His  career  in  every  respect  has  been  one 
of  noteworthv  accomplishment,  and  as  he  is  still  in  the  vigor  and  full- 
ness of  life  he  should  fulfill  his  many  friends'  predictions  that  he  will 
go  much  further  and  higher. 

Mavor  Bailey  was  married  July  14,  1910.  to  Miss  Billian  May  Cobb, 
whii.  like  her  husband  has  spent  her  whole  life  in  Battle  Creek,  where 
she  is  widely  known,  a  daughter  of  M.  W.  and  Fva  May  Cobb.  On 
June  6,  1912,  was  born  an  eight-pound  son,  John  William.  Jr.,  a  strong 
healthy  lad,  whose  career,  if  he  follows  the  wishes  of  his  jjarents,  will 
be  spent  in  the  legal  profession.  On  March  5,  1914.  the  mayor  and 
Mrs.  Bailey  were  blessed  with  another  eight-pound  boy,  William  Van 
Antwerp,  who,  his  proud  parents  insist,  is  the  e(|ual  of  John  in  every 
particular,  and  with  whom,  they  predict,  will  form  a  pair  hard  to  beat 
when  thcv  stand  together  in  future  years. 

Hox.  C.\ssius  L.  CiL.Nsr.ow.  The  name  of  Cassius  L.  Glasgow  has 
been  associated  with  the  business  and  official  interests  of  Michigan  for 
more  than   thirtv  vears,  and   during  this   time  his  achievements   in   the 


HISTORY   OF  MICHIGAN  1799 

commercial  world  and  the  important  positions  of  trust  which  he  has 
tilled  have  been  such  as  to  place  him  among  the  front  rank  of  those  who 
have  succeeded  in  establishing  and  maintaining  a  high  standard  of  busi- 
ness ethics. 

Mr.  Glasgow  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Allen  township,  near 
Jonesville,  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  February  i6,  1859,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Eliza  (Glasgow)  Glasgow,  natives  respectively  of  Scot- 
land and  Ireland.  The  two  families,  although  bearing  the  same  name, 
were  not  related.  The  parents  came  to  America  about  the  same  time, 
and  were  here  married.  The  two  years  following  his  arrival  in  the  United 
States  were  passed  by  the  father  in  a  large  packing  house  in  New  York 
City,  and  succeeding  this  he  was  for  two  years  general  manager  of  a 
farm  operated  by  a  contractor  in  connection  with  the  state  prison,  at 
Albany.  He  came  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  Hillsdale  county  at  a  time 
when  that  part  of  the  state  was  still  undeveloped,  and,  there  being  no 
railroads  this  side  of  Toledo,  he  walked  through  from  the  Ohio  city  to 
his  new  home.  Here  for  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Glasgow  was  engaged 
in  farming,  and  through  a  life  of  industry  and  energetic  efifort  succeeded 
in  the  accumulation  of  a  valuable  farm  in  Allen  township,  upon  which 
both  he  and  his  wife  passed  the  remaining  years  of  their  lives. 

Cassius  L.  Glasgow  was  given  good  educational  advantages  in  his 
youth,  attending  the  district  schools  of  Allen  township,  the  Jonesville 
Union  school  and  Hillsdale  College,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until 
embarking  upon  a  career  of  his  own  as  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  at 
Jonesville.  Like  many  young  men  of  his  day,  he  was  seized  with  a  desire 
to  view  the  western  country,  and  after  traveling  to  various  points  located 
at  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  where  he  entered  a  wholesale  hardware  store  as 
assistant  bookkeeper  and  billing  clerk.  One  year  later  the  serious  illness 
of  his  mother  caused  him  to  return  to  his  home,  and  being  the  youngest 
and  only  unmarried  member  of  the  family  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  re- 
main in'  Michigan.  Mr.  Glasgow  came  to  Nashville  in  1881,  and  here 
purchased  the  hardware  business  of  C.  C.  Wolcott,  to  the  operation  of 
which  he  has  since  devoted  a  large  part  of  his  attention,  building  up  one 
of  the  leading  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state.  A  furni- 
ture business  was  added  to  this  venture  in  1896,  which  has  also  proven  a 
decided  success,  and  the  concern  now  handles  a  full  line  of  hardware, 
furniture  and  farming  implements.  A  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  Mr. 
Glasgow  has  established  an  enviable  reputation  for  honorable  and 
straightforward  dealing,  which  has  caused  him  to  be  held  in  high  favor 
by  his  fellow-business  men  in  all  parts  of  the  state.  Some  years  ago,  the 
implement  dealers  of  Michigan  formed  as  an  association,  but  the  affairs 
of  this  organization  were  poorly  handled,  and  two  or  three  years  later  it 
was  dissolved.  About  1904  a  new  association  was  formed  at  Lansing, 
and  at  its  inception  Mr.  Glasgow  was  honored  by  election  to  the  presi- 
dency, being  re-elected  to  that  office  for  two  successive  terms  thereafter 
and  serving  in  the  directing  capacity  for  three  years.  He  has  been  a 
director  ever  since,  and  during  all  this  time  has  served  as  chairman  of 
the  legislative  committee.  Various  other  honors  have  come  to  him  be- 
cause of  his  known  honesty  and  administrative  and  executive  jiowers. 
In  1908  he  was  elected  president  of  the  National  Federation  of  Retail 
Implement  and  Vehicle  Dealers,  and  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term, 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  this  "Supreme  Court"  of  all  the  state  or- 
ganizations, although  the  policy  has  since  been  followed.  The  National 
Federation  does  effective  work  in  the  settlement  of  disputes  between  deal- 
ers and  manufacturers,  as  to  prices,  terms,  discounts,  territory  and  war- 
ranties, and  although  it  does  not  attempt  to  regulate  prices,  demands  that 
they  be  uniform  to  all  dealers.     It  was  this  organization  which  insisted 


1H£  NiW  HORK 
till  HI  \n  T  T  iil»  I  »  V 


ISOO  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

that  carriage  manufacturers  sliould  not  discontinue  warranties  on  wagons 
and  other  vehicles,  although  the  National  Association  of  Vehicle  Manu- 
facturers had  so  decided. 

Reared  in  a  Republican  atmosphere,  Mr.  Glasgow  has  always  been  an 
enthusiastic  and  active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his  party.  His  disinterest- 
edness is  known  to  all  political  workers,  and  he  has  never  been  a  seeker 
for  personal  preferment.  He  twice  served  as  president  of  his  village, 
once  by  appointment  and  once  by  election,  without  an  opposing  candidate, 
and  at  the  senatorial  convention,  held  in  the  fall  of  1902,  he  was  unani- 
mously chosen  by  the  delegates  as  candidate  for  the  office  of  senator  of 
the  Fifteenth  Senatorial  District,  comprising  the  counties  of  Barry  and 
Eaton.  On  the  floor  and  in  the  conuuittee  rooms,  his  record  was  such 
that  he  was  unanimously  nominated  two  years  later  to  succeed  himself 
for  a  second  term.  There  his  high  abilities,  both  as  a  statesman  and  an 
orator  won  him  the  presidency  of  the  senate,  an  office  in  which  he  won 
the  approbation  of  every  member  of  that  distinguished  body.  The  fol- 
lowing is  taken  from  the  Michigan  Tradesman,  of  June  3.  IQ14:  "Prior 
to  1907  the  office  of  State  Railway  Commissioner  had  always  been  held 
bv  a  man  who  was  sim[)lv  a  creature  of  the  railroads,  which  contributed 
a  fixed  sum  to  the  campaign  expenses  of  a  candidate  for  Governor  with 
the  distinct  understanding  that  they  would  be  permitted  to  name  the 
Railway  Commissioner.  The  first  time  Governor  Warner  was  a  candi- 
date, he  submitted  to  this  dictation ;  but  in  his  second  campaign  he  broke 
awav  from  this  long-established  custom  and  kept  himself  free  from  the 
domination  of  the  railroads.  For  some  years  prior  to  this  time  the 
business  men  of  the  State  had  gradually  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
public  had  rights  which  should  be  considered  as  well  as  the  railways. 
This  agitation  found  expression  in  a  popular  campaign  in  behalf  of  the 
appointment  of  Mr.  Glasgow,  who  was  universally  conceded  to  be  the 
best  qualified  man  in  Michigan  to  deal  with  both  sides  at  issue  fairly 
and  dispassionately.  ]\Ir.  Glasgow  was  appointed  by  Governor  Warner 
January  15,  1907,  and  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  an  acknowledged 
authority  on  transportation  matters.  When  Governor  Osborn  was  elected 
he  paid  him  the  highest  possible  compliment  he  could  confer  by  sending 
for  him  and  saying:  'The  courts  have  stated  that  interim  appointments 
must  be  confirmed  and  I  want  you  to  know  that  you  are  the  only  interim 
appointment  of  my  predecessor  that  I  desire  shall  remain  and  to  that  end 
I  am  going  to  appoint  you  to  your  position  and  make  sure  of  it.'  He 
has,  therefore,  during  his  term  been  appointed  three  times  and  by  two 
Governors,  whether  necessary  or  not.  He  assisted  in  drafting  the  bill 
creating  the  Railroad  Commission  some  time  later.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Commission  during  the  six  years  following  and  during  the  entire  time 
the  work  of  the  Commission  was  getting  started  and  while  the  Legislature 
from  session  to  session  added  to  the  work  of  the  Commission,  by  giving  it 
jurisdiction  over  express,  water  power,  electric  light,  telephone  companies 
and  over  the  issuance  of  stocks  and  bonds.  The  election  of  our  present 
Governor  made  the  Commission,  by  the  appointment  of  new  members, 
Democratic,  when  he  resigned  the  chairmanship  in  favor  of  Mr.  Hemans. 
Mr.  Glasgow  was  urged  to  enter  the  Congressional  race  in  his  district 
two  vears  ago,  and  again  this  year,  but  refused  to  permit  his  name  to  be 
used  cither  time.  The  pressure  may  ultimately  become  so  strong  that  he 
will  have  to  yield.  If  he  ever  does,  his  friends  will  see  to  it  that  he  is 
safely  elected  and  all  who  know  him  are  satisfied  that  he  will  make  his 
mark  in  Congress." 

Air.  Glasgow  was  married  in  1S82,  at  Jonesville,  to  Aliss  Matie  C. 
Miller,  who  was  born  in  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  and  came  to  jMichigan 
with  her  parents,  her  father  dying  here,  while  her  mother  still  survives. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1801 

Mr.  Glasgow  is  a  popular  member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  ^Masons, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Maccabees,  and  has  friends  in  every  walk  of  life. 

Hon.  Abraham  T.  Metcalf,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  February  26,  183 1, 
in  W'hitestown,  New  York,  and  is  a  representative  of  a  family  that 
has  been  conspicuous  in  New  England  history  from  an  early  period 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  His  ancestors  were  English  dissenters 
who  sought  a  home  and  religious  liberty  in  the  New  World.  The 
early  education  of  Dr.  Alctcalf  was  acquired  in  an  academy  in  his 
native  town,  after  which  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  as  a  worker 
in  slieet  metal.  He  came  with  his  father's  family  to  Battle  Creek, 
Michigan,  in  1848,  but  remained  only  a  few  months  and  then  returned 
to  New  York  in  order  that  he  might  take  up  the  study  of  dentistry 
in  Utica.  After  his  preparation  for  the  profession  he  began  prac- 
tice, in  which  he  was  very  successful,  and  continued  in  the  east  until 
1854,  when  he  visited  his  father  in  Battle  Creek.  At  the  solici- 
tation of  Governor  Ransom,  who  desired  his  professional  counsel,  he 
went  to  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  where  he  took  up  his  abode  in  1855.  His 
patronage  almost  immediately  reached  extensive  as  well  as  profitable 
proportions,  but  close  application  to  business  and  the  climate  proved 
detrimental  to  his  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  rest  and  recupera- 
tion. In  1S57  he  went  south  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  rapidly  recov- 
ered, and  then  formed  a  partnership  with  D.  A.  P.  Dostie,  a  dentist  of 
that  city.  After  Gen.  Butler  entered  that  city,  Dr.  Dostie  was  made 
collector  of  the  port,  and  he  was  afterwards  made  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  for  his  acts  in  which  body  he  was  shot  down 
and  killed  on  the  streets  of  New  Orleans.  Dr.  Metcalf  spent  the  sum- 
mer months  in  Kalamazoo,  but  the  winter  seasons  were  spent  in  the 
south,  where  he  continued  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 

Dr.  JMetcalf  was  a  close  and  earnest  student  of  the  problems  which 
aroused  the  interest  of  the  country  prior  to  the  war,  and  his  sympathy 
was  with  the  Union  cause,  not  hesitating  to  express  his  ideas  as  to  the 
questions  at  stake.  In  the  spring  of  1861,  soon  after  Louisiana  had 
passed  the  ordinance  of  secession,  the  Doctor  was  imprisoned  for  treason 
against  the  state,  and  this  was  the  first  arrest  made  upon  this  charge  in 
New  Orleans.  The  affidavit  solemnly  stated  that  the  good  doctor  had  "ut- 
tered seditious  language  against  the  government,  saying  that,  if  he  were 
in  Lincoln's  place,  before  a  single  state  should  be  allowed  to  go  out  of 
the  Union,  he  would  burn  the  city  of  Charleston  to  the  ground  and 
drown  the  city  of  New  Orleans  with  the  water  of  the  Mississippi  river; 
and  other  incendary  language."  He  was  released  from  prison  on  the 
authority  of  the  attorney  general  of  the  state. 

In  his  professional  career  Dr.  Metcalf  attained  distinguished  honor 
and  success.  He  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  ^Michigan  State 
Dental  Association  in  1855,  and  was  the  first  secretary  of  that  body 
and  several  times  the  president  and  later  the  historian.  He  secured 
from  the  Legislature  the  first  appropriation  for  the  dental  department 
for  the  University  of  Michigan,  a  college  that  stands  second  to  no  dental 
college  in  the  world.  He  was  also  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  the 
passage  of  the  law  creating  a  State  Board  of  Examiners  in  dentistry  and 
was  the  first  president  of  the  board  and  a  member  thereof  for  several 
years.  Fie  invented  the  dental  engine  and  the  first  device  of  this  kind 
ever  made  he  placed  on  the  market.  He  also  invented  the  dentists'  an- 
nealing lamp,  which  was  invaluable  to  the  profession  previous  to  the 
introduction  of  adhesive  gold  foil.  He  was  also  the  first  to  introduce 
.the  preparation  for  filling  teeth  known  as  sponge  gold,  and  with  his 
brother  invented  the  tinman's  pattern  sheet  which   is  an   indispensable 


1802  HISTORY  (3F  MICHIGAN 

guide  to  workers  in  sheet  metal.  In  1S72  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental 
Surgery  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  \e\v  Orleans  Dental  College, 
and  thus  in  the  city  in  which  he  had  once  suffered  imprisonment  because 
of  his  loyalty  to  honest  convictions,  he  was  later  honored  by  a  leading 
collegiate  institution.  At  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Rattle  Creek,  in 
iSijo,  he  retired  from  active  jjractice  and  has  since  given  his  attention 
to  real  estate  interests  and  to  the  management  of  several  valuable  estates. 
He  has  done  considerable  building  and  contributed  largely  to  the  devel- 
opment and  improvement  of  liattle  Creek. 

On  June  25,  1857,  Dr.  Metcalf  was  married  to  -Miss  Helen  E.  Xoble, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Alonzo  Xoble,  one  of  the  prominent  pioneer  settlers 
of  this  city.  She  was  born  in  Milton  township,  \'ermont,  March  27, 
1834,  and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  I'attle  Creek,  }ilichigan,  in 
1836,  and  here  she  acquired  her  early  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented by  a  course  of  study  in  the  Ladies'  Seminary,  of  Rochester, 
Xew  York.  Following  her  father's  death,  she  and  her  husband  came 
to  Battle  Creek  to  care  for  her  mother.  They  had  but  one  child.  Alonzo 
T.  Metcalf,  who  was  a  very  bright  boy,  but  died  suddenly  of  rheumatic 
fever  when  but  fourteen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Metcalf,  because  of  her 
culture,  refinement  and  kindly  spirit,  became  a  leader  in  social  and 
church  circles  of  Battle  Creek.  She  was  very  prominent  in  the  society 
of  St.  Thomas'  Episcopal  church,  and  her  life  was  largely  tilletl  with 
generous  deeds,  it  being  noticeable  that  she  rarely,  if  ever,  spoke  ill  of 
others,  always  putting  a  most  charitable  construction  on  the  motives 
of  those  with  whom  she  associated.  She  died  in  Los  Angeles,  California, 
Februarv  2C1.  1898,  and  her  remains  were  brought  to  Battle  Creek  for 
burial.  As  a  tribute  to  her  worth  and  beautiful  womanly  character, 
the  various  municipal  offices  of  the  city  were  closed  on  the  day  of  her 
funeral  from  two  until  five  o'clock. 

Dr.  Metcalf  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Thomas'  Episcopal  church,  al- 
though for  a  numl)er  of  years  he  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  John's  church, 
of  Kalamazoo,  and  after  his  removal  to  this  city  continued  as  vestry- 
man here,  and  is  now  senior  warden  emeritus  of  St.  Thomas'  church. 

In  Masonic  circles,  Dr.  Metcalf  is  recognized  as  a  leader  throughout 
^Michigan,  and  is  the  highest  Mason  in  the  United  States  at  this  time 
and  has  been  since  the  death  of  Gen.  Samuel  C.  Lawrence,  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  who  died  during  191 1.  Dr.  Metcalf,  who  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Supreme  Council  for  the  Northern  Jurisdiction,  was  made  a 
Master  Mason,  November  26,  1856,  in  Kalamazoo  Lodge  No.  22,  F.  (Jt 
A.  M.,  and  quickly  advanced  in  the  organization  until  1861  he  was 
made  worshipful  master.  He  was  re-elected  in  1862,  in  1863  and  again 
in  1869,  and  in  1887  was  demitted  with  others  from  Kalamazoo  Lodge 
for  the  purpose  of  reviving  Anchor  Lodge  of  Strict  Observance  No.  87, 
and  in  February.  1888,  was  made  the  first  worshipful  master  under  the 
restored  charter.  Soon  after  his  removal  to  Battle  Creek,  a  new  lodge 
was  formed  and  named  in  his  honor,  A.  T.  Metcalf  Lodge,  No.  419. 
of  which  lodge  he  became  the  first  worshipful  master.  He  was  chosen 
junior  grand  warden  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Michigan,  in  January,  i8fi2, 
and  re-elected  in  1863,  and  was  elected  right  worthy  grand  warden  in 
1864-65.  He  was  elected  deputy  grand  master  in  1865,  1867  and  in 
1868,  and  became  grand  master  in  1869  and  re-elected  in  1870.  He  suc- 
ceeded to  this  office  at  a  critical  period  in  the  history  of  the  Michigan 
Grand  Lodge.  The  many  strong  and  determined  acts  whicji  he  performed 
during  his  first  year  to  correct  the  loose  habits  into  which  some  of  the 
lodges  of  the  state  had  fallen,  aroused  marked  antagonism  on  the  one 
hand  and  remarkable  appreciation  on  the  other,  and  his  position  and 
attitude  were  sustained  hv   the  Grand  Lodge  in   the   face  of  all  eft'orts 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1803 

to  tlie  contrary.  In  Capitular  Masonry,  he  held  several  offices,  having 
been  elected  high  priest  of  Kalamazoo  Chapter  in  i86i  and  again  in 
1868.  His  identification  with  Chivalric  Masonry  began  in  i860,  when 
he  was  made  a  Knight  Templar  in  Peninsular  Commandery  No.  8,  Kala- 
mazoo. He  served  as  eminent  commander  in  1S68,  1869  and  1882,  and 
in  1892  was  demitted  to  Battle  Creek  Commandery,  No.  32,  K.  T.,  and 
was  elected  commander  of  the  latter  about  the  same  year.  He  is  an 
officer  of  Zabud  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  of  Battle  Creek,  and  has  been  an 
active  representative  of  the  Scottish  Rite  for  many  years.  In  1866  he 
was  elected  commander  in  chief  of  DeWitt  Clinton  Consistory,  and  was 
re-elected  each  succeeding  year  up  to  and  including  1870.  He  is  now 
and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  an  active  member  of  Supreme  Coun- 
cil of  Sovereign  Grand  Inspectors  General  for  the  Northern  Masonic 
jurisdiction  of  the  United  States,  and  for  si.x  years  was  district  deputy 
for  Michigan.  He  has  attained  an  honor  accorded  few  representatives 
of  the  craft,  that  of  being  a  thirty-third  degree  Mason. 

In  politics  Dr.  Metcalf  has  held  prominent  positions.  As  a  member 
of  the  Democrat  party,  he  was  elected  to  the  board  of  trustees  in  Kala- 
mazoo, and  was  chosen  president  of  that  village  by  popular  suffrage  in 
1897.  He  represented  the  second  district  of  Kalamazoo  county  in  the 
State  Legislature  in  1875-76.  After  his  removal  to  Battle  Creek,  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  in  1897,  and  many  of  his  friends  in  lx)th 
parties  consider  him  one  of  the  best  mayors  the  city  ever  had,  his 
efforts  being  among  progressive  and  practical  lines,  which  would  prove 
of  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number.  A  clean  and  well  spent 
life  has  left  him  sound  in  body  and  mind  at  the  age  of  eighty- two  years, 
and  much  of  his  good  health  he  attributes  to  out-of-door  exercise,  even 
the  coldest  days  of  winter  finding  him  taking  his  long  walks.  His  is  a 
familiar  figure  on  the  streets  of  Battle  Creek,  where  he  is  accorded  the 
respect  and  esteem  due  those  whose  activities  have  served  to  advance 
their  community's  interests,  and  he  is  universally  regarded  as  one  of 
Battle  Creek's  foremost  citizens. 

\ViLLi.\M  T-  Smith.  It  would  he  difficult  to  find,  even  were  a  search 
to  be  made  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Southern  Micliigan, 
an  individual  whose  personality  has  been  more  strongly  impressed  upon 
the  financial  and  political  interests  of  this  section  than  has  that  of  Wil- 
liam J.  Smith,  vice  president  of  the  Old  National  Bank,  of  Battle  Creek. 
A  man  of  firmness,  force  of  character,  indomitable  energy  and  executive 
ability — potent  agencies  for  advancement  of  men  to  important  stations 
in  life — his  management  of  men  and  afifairs  has  won  for  him  a  reputa- 
tion that  extends  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state,  while^  his  connection 
with  political  affairs  has  been  such  as  to  win  him  a  position  of  almost 
national  importance  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Charleston  town- 
ship, Kalamazoo  county,  October  26,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Katherine   (Joyce)   Smith. 

The  Smith  family  is  of  German  extraction,  and  was  foinided  in  New 
England  during  the' early  colonization  of  this  country.  From  that  sec- 
tion the  family  moved  to  New  York,  ,where,  in  Genesee  county,  John 
A.  Smith  was  born.  He  came  to  Michigan  in  1857,  locating  in  Kalama- 
zoo county,  where  he  resided  until  1866,  and  in  that  year  made  removal 
to  LeRoy' township,  Calhoun  county,  the  balance  of  his  life  being  syient 
there  and  his  death  occurring  March  29,  1891.  Throughindustry,  well- 
directed  effort  and  straightforward  dealing,  he  arose  alike  to  material 
success  and  to  a  high  place  in  the  confiilence  of  his  fellow-citizens,  who 
frc(;uently  elected  him  to  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  pul)lic 


1804  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

life.  Mr.  Smith  married  Katherine  Joyce,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Genesee  county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Joyce,  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  the  family  having 
come  to  America  at  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  country.  i\Irs. 
Smith  still  survives  her  husband  and  continues  to  make  her  home  on 
the  old  Calhoun  county  farm,  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  to  which  her  husband  also  belonged. 

William  J.  Smith  was  a  child  of  one  year  when  brought  to  Calhoun 
county,  and  here  he  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  to  habits 
of  honesty,  integrity  and  thrift.  The  public  schools  of  West  LeRoy 
furnished  him  with  his  preliminary  educational  training  imtil  he  was 
fifteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  enrolled  as  a  student  in  the  ISattle 
Creek  high  school,  and  after  spending  two  years  in  that  institution  en- 
tered Albion  College,  where  he  took  a  course  of  three  years.  Following 
this  he  took  a  course  in  the  Detroit  Business  University,  and,  thus  well 
equipped  for  a  business  career,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  estab- 
lished the  Exchange  Bank,  at  Climax,  Michigan,  a  business  which  he 
conducted  successfully  for  a  period  of  two  years.  At  this  time,  however, 
his  health  failed,  and  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and  spent  several 
months  in  recuperating  in  the  South,  but  in  the  fall  of  1890  returned 
to  the  North  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Farmers'  and  Me- 
chanics' Bank,  of  Smith,  Cole  &  Company,  a  private  banking  institution 
of  Battle  Creek,  of  which  he  acted  as  cashier  until  the  spring  of  1898: 
In  the  meantime  this  enterprise  had  grown  to  be  an  important  factor 
in  the  financial  life  of  Battle  Creek,  carrying  on  a  most  extensive  busi- 
ness and  enjoying  an  unassailable  reputation  for  reliability.  The  close 
confinement  made  necessary  by  his  arduous  duties,  however,  had  once 
more  undermined  Mr.  Smith's  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to  lay  aside 
all  active  business  alTairs  for  a  time.  When  the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics' 
Bank  was  consolidated  with  the  Old  National  Bank  of  Battle  Creek, 
Mr.  Smith  was  made  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors,  and  in  1906 
he  became  vice  president  of  this  institution,  a  position  which  he  has 
held  most  efficiently  to  the  present  time.  Although  not  actively  engaged 
in  outside  operations,  he  has  various  large  manufacturing  interests  both 
here  and  elsewhere,  and  is  the  owner  of  considerable  farming  property, 
but  regardless  of  his  various  interests  he  concentrates  his  energies  on 
the  affairs  of  the  Old  National  Bank. 

For  a  few  years  Mr.  Smith  was  a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles, 
but  in  1896  he  transferred  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
since  that  time  has  risen  rapidly  to  an  influential  position  in  its  councils. 
He  has  frec|uently  been  a  delegate  to  conventions,  but  has  never  sought 
personal  preferment,  confining  his  activities  to  the  directing  end  of  po- 
litical life.  His  acquaintance  among  the  leaders  of  the  party  through- 
out the  country  is  extensive  and  confidential  and  during  the  past  eight 
years  he  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  national  affairs.  He  made  the 
first  canvass  in  ^Michigan  for  ex-President  Taft,  and  during  1912  was 
offered  the  management  of  the  President's  campaign  in  this  state,  but 
owing  to  the  multiplicity  of  his  business  interests  was  forced  to  decline 
that  iionor.  When  the  President  made  his  famous  trip  throughout  the 
country,  it  had  been  originally  planned  that  there  were  to  be  but  three 
stops  in  Michigan,  the  itinerary  inot  including  Battle  Creek,  but  through 
Mr.  Smith's  influence  the  route  was  changed  so  as  to  include  this  city 
Hud  smaller  points  in  Michigan,  the  President  speaking  in  Battle  Creek 
Septeml)er  21,  191 1.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Smith  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Modern  W'oodmen  of  America,  and 
his  social  connections  iticlude  memliership  in  the  .Xthelstan  and  Country 
Clubs  and  the  Sigma  Chi  college  fraternity.  With  his  family,  he  attends 
the  Congregational  church. 


ic^tw^        ^V,        lO  a^^WV^^wv  ..vw^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1805 

On  November  5,  i8(;o,  Air.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Lovell,  daughter  of  Hon.  L.  \V.  Lovell,  of  Climax,  Michigan,  and 
to  this  union  there  has  come  one  son,  Wendell  Lovell,  born  November 
16,  1892,  a  graduate  of  the  Battle  Creek  high  school,  class  of  1910,  and 
now  a  member  of  tlie  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1914,  where  he 
is  completing  a  literary  course.  The  home  of  the  Smith  family,  at  No. 
161  Maple  street,  which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Smith,  is  located  in  one  of 
the  exclusive  residence  districts  of  the  city,  and  is  a  center  of  culture 
and  refinement.  Mrs.  Smith  has  been  active  in  social  and  charitable 
work,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  members  of  the  Women's  League. 

Probably  there  is  no  man  in  Michigan  who  has  a  wider  acquaintance 
among  bankers  or  men  in  public  affairs  throughout  the  country,  or  who 
is  more  highly  esteemed  by  them,  than  is  Mr.  .Smith.  He  has  been 
distinguished  for  his  faithfulness  and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  the  banking  institution  with  which  he  has  been  connected,  but  this 
is  but  characteristic  of  the  man,  for  fidelity  to  trust  and  conscientious 
discharge  of  every  duty  have  been  part  and  parcel  of  his  nature.  His 
life,  on  the  whole,  has  been  a  happy  and  fortunate  one :  he  has  the  esteem 
of  his  acquaintances  and  the  affection  of  his  friends ;  as  much  honor  has 
been  bestowed  upon  him  as  he  has  been  willing  to  accept.  Without 
being  its  slave,  he  has  been  diligent  in  business,  which  has  prospered 
under  his  hand.     ]Man  can  ask  for  no  more. 

John  W.  Beaumoxt.  During  thirty  years  of  active  practice  as  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  bar  John  W.  Beaumont  has  gained  a  position  re- 
spected for  his  attainments  and  his  many  successes  in  his  profession,  and 
is  now  at  the  head  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Beaumont,  Smith  &  Harris. 

John  W.  Beaumont  was  born  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  July  20,  1858, 
a  son  of  Wallace  and  Margaret  (Belshaw)  Beaumont.  Educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  Jersey  and  Michigan,  in  1882  he  graduated  from 
the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing  with  the  degree  Bachelor 
of  Science,  and  then  prepared  for  the  law  by  study  under  private  pre- 
ceptorship.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Saginaw  in  1884,  and  his 
first  practice  was  in  that  city.  Since  1886  Mr.  Beaumont  has  lived  in 
Detroit  and  followed  a  general  practice  in  the  state  and  the  federal 
courts.  All  his  time  has  been  devoted  to  his  profession.  He  served  as 
judge  advocate  of  the  Michigan  National  Guard  in  1904-06.  As  a  result 
of  his  membership  in  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve  at  the  time  of  the 
Spanish-American  war,  he  entered  the  regular  service  and  was  detailed 
for  duty  on  the  auxiliary  cruiser  Yosemite.  and  spent  several  months  on 
board  that  vessel  at  Havana,  Santiago,  Porto  Rico,  and  elsewhere  in 
Cuban  waters.  In  January,  1902,  he  shared  in  the  bounty  of  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  granted  by  congress  to  the  crew  of  the  Yosemite  for  the 
sinking  of  the  Spanish  vessel  Antonio  Lopez  off  the  coast  of  Porto  Rico. 

Mr.  Beaumont  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association,  the 
Michigan  State  Bar  Association  and  the  American  Bar  Association,  of 
the  American  Historical  Association,  the  Detroit  Club,  University  Club, 
the  Detroit  Boat  Club,  the  Prismatic  Club,  the  Grosse  Pointe  Riding  and 
Hunting  Club,  the  Green  Bag  Club,  and  also  now  a  member  of  the  board 
of  control  of  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  associations  that  indicate 
his  varied  professional  and  social  activities  and  avocations.  His  marriage 
to  Miss  Alice  Lord  Burrows  was  celebrated  June  21,  1899.  Mrs.  Beau- 
mont is  a  daughter  of  George  L.  Burrows,  of  Saginaw. 

James  Hexrv  AIustard.  Although  he  is  numbered  amongthe  more 
recent  acquisitions  to  the  Battle  Creek  legal  fraternity,  to  which  he  at- 
tached himself  in  1907,  James  Henry  Mustard  is  numbered  among  the 

Vol.  IV— 4 


ISOG  HISTORY  OF  JMICHIGAN 

leading  representatives  of  his  profession  in  the  city,  and  as  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  James  H.  and  John  A.  Mustard  represents  a  concern 
of  recognized  legal  strength  and  is  in  control  of  a  large  and  remunerative 
practice.  In  the  political  affairs  of  his  adopted  county  he  has  also  shown 
himself  possessed  of  unusual  capacity,  an  aptitude  for  organization,  and 
the  ability  to  use  forces  and  men  thus  organized  effectively,  and  at  this 
time  is  chairman  of  the  Republican  city  committee. 

A  native  of  Seaforth,  Ontario,  Canada,  born  Febmary  25,  1880,  Mr. 
Mustard  is  of  Scotch  descent,  his  father.  Donald  Mustard,  being  born 
in  Edinburg,  Scotland,  and  his  mother,  Catherine  (]\IacDonald)  Mustard, 
although  a  native  of  Glengarry,  Ontario,  was  a  daughter  of  Scotch  par- 
ents. The  parents  of  Mr.  Mustard  were  married  at  Seaforth.  Shortly 
after  their  marriage  they  settled  at  Midland,  I\Iichigan,  where  they  have 
for  many  years  been  successfully  engaged  in  farming.  Donald  Mustard 
is  an  influential  Republican  of  his  town  and  county.  Of  the  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  both  daughters  and  one  of  the  sons  died  in  in- 
fancy :  James  Henry  is  the  eldest ;  John  A.  was  for  seven  years  school 
commissioner  of  Midland  county,  at  the  end  of  that  period  resigning  his 
office  to  come  to  liattle  Creek  and  enter  the  practice  of  law  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  and  Russell  is  a  clerk  in  the  Midland  postoffice. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Midland,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  in  the  class  of  1899,  James  Henry  Mustard 
applied  himself  to  teaching,  a  profession  in  which  he  made  rapid  ad- 
vancement. On  February  24.  igoi,  the  day  before  his  twenty-first  birth- 
day, he  received  the  nomination  for  the  office  of  school  commissioner  of 
Midland  county,  and  in  the  election  which  followed  was  successful  in 
defeating  his  two  rival  candidates.  His  first  two-year  term  in  that  office 
proved  so  satisfactory  to  the  people  of  the  county  that  upon  its  expira- 
tion he  was  again  elected,  the  office  at  that  time  having  changed  its  term 
to  four  years.  Mr.  Mustard  had  always  had  a  leaning  toward  the  law, 
and  during  his  service  as  school  commissioner  he  assiduously  devoted 
himself  to  his  legal  studies  and  every  other  week  spent  at  Ann  Arbor  in 
the  University  of  Michigan,  with  the  result  that  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1906  and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  When  his  term  of 
office  expired  he  came  to  Battle  Creek,  June  3,  1907,  and  first  occupied 
offices  with  D.  C.  Salisbury,  over  the  Old  National  Bank,  although  they 
were  not  in  partnership,  and  September  i,  1909,  removed  to  No.  212 
Ward  Building.  In  1914  was  formed  the  firm  of  James  H.  and  John  A. 
Mustard,  which  occupies  offices  at  No.  604  Post  Building.  Mr.  Mustard 
is  a  valued  and  appreciative  member  of  the  Calhoun  County  Bar  Associa- 
tion, and  stands  high  in  the  regard  of  his  professional  brethren,  is  a  man 
of  sterling  character  and  has  achieved  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  law-yer, 
a  man  and  a  citizen. 

Since  coming  to  Battle  Creek  Mr.  Mustard  has  interested  himself 
actively  in  Republican  politics,  and  is  directing  the  forces  of  his  party  at 
this  time  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  city  committee.  His  religious 
connection  is  with  St.  Philip's  Catholic  Church,  and  he  holds  membership 
in  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  His  social  connection  is  with  the  Athelstan 
Club.  Mr.  Mustard  was  married  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Michigan,  June  30, 
igo8,  to  Miss  Blanch  Garvin,  who  was  born  and  reared  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, and  is  a  daughter  of  M.  E.  Garvin  of  that  place.  She  graduated 
from  the  high  school  in  1898,  from  the  Academy  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
Mount  Pleasant,  in  1897,  and  from  the  Central  State  Normal  School  in 
1899.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mustard  are  the  parents  of  one  child :  Margaret 
Catherine,  born  August  3,  1913.  The  family  home  is  located  at  No.  211 
Fremont  street. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1807 

Joseph  Strong  Stringiiam.  For  many  years  engaged  in  railway, 
mining  and  general  engineering,  at  one  time  connected  with  the  United 
States  Engineer  Corps,  Mr.  Stringham  has  had  his  headquarters  in 
Detroit  since  1900,  and  for  several  years  has  been  manager  of  the 
Monarch  Steel  Castings  Company.  Outside  of  his  individual  accom- 
plishment, his  record  is  interesting  for  the  fact  that  he  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  some  of  the  oldest  American  families,  and  his  most  famous 
ancestor  was  John  Alden. 

Joseph  Strong  Stringham  was  born  at  Saginaw,  ^Michigan,  October 
31,  1870,  a  son  of  Joseph  Stringham  of  Detroit  and  Pauline  Janette 
Backus  of  Troy,  New  York.  His  genealogical  descent  from  John  Alden 
is  traced  by  the  following  certified  record:  Joseph  Stringham,  his  father, 
was  born  August  8,  1841,  and  died  January  19.  1910,  and  was  mar- 
ried at  Detroit  September  14,  1869.  His  parents  were  Henry  T.  and 
Sarah  Jane  (Strong)   Stringham,  who  were  married  at  Detroit,  October 

10,  1839.  Sarah  Jane  Strong  was  born  September  5,  1821,  at  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  and  died  February  16,  1901.  Her  parents,  John  Warbam 
and  Mary  Banks  (Root)  Strong  were  married  September  12,  1808  (see 
Strong  genealogy,  102-3).  Mary  Banks  Root,  just  mentioned,  was  born 
September  16,  1791,  the  daughter  of  Hon.  Jesse  and  Rebecca  (Fish) 
Root,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  who  were  married  February  8,  1789 
(see  Stile's  Ancient  Windsor  11,  747),  Rebecca  Fish  was  born  in  Au- 
gust, 1770,  and  died  January  27,  1828.  Her  parents.  Dr.  Eliakam  Fish, 
of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  Sarah  Stillman,  of  Wethersfield,  Connec- 
ticut,  were  married   November   18,    1769    (Stile's  Ancient   Wethersfield 

11,  671).  Dr.  Eliakam  Fish,  who  was  born  February  2,  1740,  at  Ston- 
ington,  Connecticut,  and  died  May  7,  1804,  at  Hartford,  was  the  son 
of  Nathaniel  Fish,  of  Stonington,  Connecticut,  and  Mary  Pabodie,  of 
Little  Compton,  Rhode  Island.  Nathaniel  and  Mary  were  married  No- 
vember 28.  1736  (Stile's  Ancient  Wethersfield  11,  671;  D.xter.'s  Yale 
Graduates).  Marv  Pabodie  was  born  April  4,  171 1,  at  Little  Compton 
and  was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Judith  Pabodie  (N.  E.  Hist.  11,  52; 
Genealogical  Register  in,  57;  and  N.  E.  Hist.  Genealogical  Register). 
William  Pabodie,  who  was  born  November  24,  1664,  at  Duxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  died  September  17,  1744,  at  Little  Compton,  Rhode  Island, 
was  the  son  of  William  Pabodie  of  Duxbury  and  Little  Compton  and 
Elizabeth  Alden  of  Duxbury,  Massachusetts,  who  were  married  Decem- 
ber 28,  1644  (N.  E.  Hist.  Genealogical  Register  in,  57).  Elizabeth 
Alden  was  born  in  1622-23  at  Plymouth  and  died  ]\Iay  31,  1717.  at  Little 
Compton.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Alden  of  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  Priscilla  Mullins  (Molines)  of  Plymouth  (N.  E.  Histy. 
Genealogical  Register  in,  64).  John  Alden  the  famous  character  of 
the  Plymouth  colonv,  was  born  in  1599  and  died  at  Duxbury  September 

12,  1687. 

The  Stringham  familv,  according  to  the  above  record,  was  early 
settled  in  Detroit.  Henrv  Ten  Broeck  Stringham  (1815-1895)  grand- 
father of  the  Detroit  engineer,  settled  there  in  1833,  and  was  identified 
with  several  earlv  Michigan  banks.  In  1839  'le  married  Sarah  Jane 
Strong,  daughter  of  John  \\^ireham  Strong,  a  well  known  Detroit  i)ioneer. 
Joseph  Stringham,  father  of  the  Detroit  engineer,  was  born  in  that  city 
August  8,  1841,  while  his  wife,  Pauline  Janette  Backus,  who  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Mann  and  Backus  families,  was  born  April  18,  1841.  at 
Troy,  New  York.  Joseph  Stringham,  received  his  education  in  private 
schools  and  at  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  for  many  years  was  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business.  During  the  Civil  war  he  saw  service  as  a  quar- 
termaster.    He  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli  and 


1808  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

in  i)olitics.  a  Republican.  All  three  generations  have  been  members  of 
the  Detroit  Boat  Club. 

Joseph  Strong  Stringham  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
Dufferin  College  in  London,  Ontario,  and  at  Ue  Veau.x  College  at  Sus- 
pension Bridge,  New  York.  His  career  began  as  a  grocery  clerk,  fol- 
lowed by  a  clerkship  with  the  old  Flint  and  Pere  Marquette  Railway, 
later  as  inspector  with  the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  and  for  a 
time  as  clerk  in  an  umbrella  factory  in  New  York  City.  ]Mr.  Stringham, 
in  1893,  was  graduated  from  the  Michigan  College  of  Alines  at  Hough- 
ton. His  work  as  an  engineer  has  taken  him  into  many  different  local- 
ities, and  has  been  of  a  varied  character  with  important  responsibilities. 
He  did  work  as  an  engineer  in  Colorado,  California  and  British  Colum- 
bia. During  1897  he  was  with  the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  as 
engineer  in  charge  of  the  rivers  and  harbors  of  Michigan,  chiefly  along 
the  shores  of  Lake  Alichigan.  During  the  Spanish-American  war,  Mr. 
Stringham  served  as  a  seaman  with  the  United  States  Navy  on  board 
the  "Yosemite,"  the  vessel  which  carried  the  Naval  Reserve,  the  record 
of  which  is  a  matter  of  pride  to  Michigan  people.  In  1899  Air.  String- 
ham surveyed  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  for  the  United  States  Government, 
as  one  of  the  possible  Canal  Routes. 

From  1900  to  191 1  his  work  w-as  as  constructing  engineer  for  the 
Solvay  Process  Company  of  Detroit,  and  since  1912  he  has  been  man- 
ager of  the  Monarch  Steel  Castings  Company  and  vice  president  of  the 
Detroit  Seamless  Steel  Tubes  Company. 

Air.  Stringham  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  at  De- 
troit, is  a  trustee  and  vice  president  of  Harper  Hospital  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Masonic  Temple  Association.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  has 
attained  high  honors,  having  received  the  thirty-third  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite. 

On  June  2,  1910,  at  Port  Huron,  Michigan,  he  married  Georgiana 
MacDonald.  Her  parents  were  Hilary  and  Hannah  (Pontine)  Alac- 
Donald.  Mrs.  Stringham  was  educated  in  the  high  school  and  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Farrand  Training  School  of  Harper  Hospital.  To 
their  marriage  has  been  born  one  daughter,  Helen  Strong  -Stringham, 
at  Detroit,  Alay  3,  1912,  and  one  son,  Josei)h  MacDonald  Stringham,  at 
Detroit.  July  15,  1914. 

Ir.v  a.  Beck.  Whether  considered  from  the  standpoint  of  his  pro- 
fessional achievements,  from  the  viewpoint  of  progressive  citizenship,  or 
from  the  position  he  has  attained  in  social  and  fraternal  life,  Ira  A.  Beck 
is  a  lawyer  of  pronounced  character.  Engaged  in  practice  at  Battle  Creek 
since  i(X>4.  he  has  risen  to  a  recognized  position  as  a  legist  of  broad  and 
practical  ability,  thorough,  determined,  resourceful,  alert  and  versatile, 
and  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the  Athelstan  Club  is  a  substantial 
tribute  to  his  standing  as  a  man  and  a  sterling  citizen.  Mr.  Beck  belongs 
to  one  of  Alichigan's  old  and  honored  families,  and  w-as  born  September 
21,  1878.  at  Charlotte,  the  county  seat  of  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  his 
parents  being  John  T.  and  Ella  (Foster)  Beck,  natives  respectively  of 
New  York  and  Michigan.  His  father  was  for  many  years  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  Eaton  county,  but  is  now  living  practically 
retired  from  active  life,  having  an  attractive  home  in  the  city  of  Char- 
lotte. A  citizen  of  integrity  and  public-spirit,  he  has  at  all  times  retained 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Re])ublican,  although  he  has  not  entered  actively  into  the  activities  of  the 
political  arena. 

Ira  A.  Beck  early  displayed  abilities  far  out  of  the  ordinary  when  he 
graduated  from  the  Charlotte  High  school  when  a  lad  of  fourteen  years. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1809 

in  June,  1893,  the  youngest  person  ever  graduated  from  that  institution. 
He  began  reading  law  under  Judge  Horace  S.  :\Ia3nard,  and  after  some 
preparation  under  the  preceptorship  of  this  able  member  of  the  Eaton 
county  bar  was  admitted  to  practice  in  his  native  state  in  1899,  being  then 
just  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  the  meantime,  in  1896,  he  had  been 
appointed  register  of  the  probate  court  of  Eaton  county,  and  this  posi- 
tion he  continued  to  fill  until  1901.  On  his  admittance  to  the  bar,  Mr. 
Beck  became  associated  with  Judge  Maynard,  in  his  native  city,  but  in 
1901  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the  offices  of  the  prominent  law 
firm  of  Flower,  Smith  &  Musgrave,  continuing  therewith  until  January 
I,  1904,  when  he  removed  to  Battle  Creek  after  an  experience  especially 
valuable  in  the  line  of  his  calling.  On  his  arrival  in  Battle  Creek  he 
formed  a  professional  partnership  with  Arthur  B.  Williams,  and  during 
the  five  years  of  its  existence  the  firm  of  Williams  &  Beck  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  strong  legal  combinations  of  the  city.  Since  this  alliance 
has  been  dissolved  Mr.  Beck  has  continued  in  practice  alone,  and  now 
maintains  offices  in  the  Ward  Building.  Mr.  Beck's  law  practice  has  not 
been  confined  to  any  special  or  narrow  field,  but  has  been  of  a  broad  and 
general  character,  and  his  advice  is  sought  by  a  number  of  the  leading 
business  interests  of  Battle  Creek.  Since  coming  to  this  city  he  has  never 
omitted  an  opportunity  to  do  what  he  could  toward  the  improvement  of 
the  municipality.  Both  on  local  and  national  issues  he  Iielieves  that  the 
most  good  comes  from  a  consistent  support  of  the  Republican  partv.  and 
much  of  that  organization's  success  in  Battle  Creek  and  Calhoun  county 
may  be  accredited  to  his  sterling  efiforts.  Fraternally  he  is  Grand  Marshal 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Michigan,  the  stepping  stone  which 
leads  by  advancement  to  the  office  of  Grand  IMaster  of  the  State,  is  past 
master  of  Battle  Creek  Lodge  No.  12,  past  eminent  commander  of  Battle 
Creek  Commandery,  No.  33,  Knights  Templar,  and  a  member  of  DeWitt 
Chnton  Consistory  of  Grand  Rapids,  and  Saladin  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Grand  Rapids.  To  his  sub- 
stantial and  brilliant  traits  as  a  lawyer  and  his  stanch  character  as  a  man 
are  added  the  possession  of  the  sociable  and  attractive  qualities  of  the  cul- 
tured gentleman,  a  union  of  characteristics  which  has  raised  him  to  his 
present  enviable  position  as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen.  He  is  president  of 
the  Athelstan  Club  and  a  member  of  the  Country  and  Community  Clubs, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Independent  Congregational 
Church.  The  attractive  family  home,  a  center  of  culture,  refinement  and 
hospitality,  is  located  at  No.  69  Garrison  avenue. 

Mr.  Beck  was  married  March  21,  1906,  to  Miss  Mildred  Phillips,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  this  city,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Albanus  'SL  Phillips 
and  Adella  C.  Phillips,  the  former  for  thirty  years  a  leading  dentist  of 
Battle  Creek,  and  the  latter,  for  several  years,  the  champion  lady  archer 
of  the  United  States.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beck :  iMargaret  and  Dorothy,  Margaret  having  recently  won  the  gold 
medal  (awarded  by  the  National  Race  Betterment  Conference  held  in 
Battle  Creek),  for  mental  and  physical  proficiency,  in  competition  with  the 
six  year  girls  of  the  schools  of  that  city. 

Alp-ert  a.  Arnold.  The  art  of  the  horticulturist  and  landscape  gar- 
dener has  always  been  given  its  share  of  admiration  by  the  world. 
Through  it  our  parks  have  been  beautified,  the  resting  jilace  of  our 
dearest  and  most  beloved  friends  has  been  created  into  a  garden  of 
loveliness,  and  our  cities  in  general  have  been  adorned  through  the 
artistic  arrangement  of  private  residence  grounds  and  those  of  public 
buildings.  In  this  connection  is  presented  a  review  of  the  life  of  Alliert 
A.  Arnold,  vice  president  of  the  Pontiac  Nursery  Company,  whose  ca- 


1810  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

reer  is  interesting,  both  because  of  the  high  place  he  holds  in  his  calling 
and  for  the  fact  that  he  has  risen  thereto  through  his  own  unaided 
efforts. 

Albert  A.  Arnold  was  born  May  12,  1883,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  a  son 
of  Andrew  and  Katherine  (Haynes)  Arnold.  The  father  in  his  early 
life  had  been  a  landscape  gardener,  but  later  turned  his  attention  to 
stove  moulding  and  thus  continued  throughout  the  active  part  of  his 
career.  He  is  now  living  retired  and  makes  his  home  at  Dayton,  where 
the  mother  passed  away.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of 
whom  two  are  deceased,  the  others  being;  Howard  and  Sylvester,  who 
are  moulders  and  make  their  home  at  Dayton;  and  Albert  A.  Albert 
A.  Arnold  was  given  but  few  educational  advantages,  as  the  family  were 
in  modest  circumstances  and  it  was  necessary  that  he  contribute  to  their 
support.  Accordingly,  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  having  shown  a  natural 
predilection  for  flowers  and  trees,  he  was  put  to  work  in  the  nursery 
of  Hoover  &  Gaines,  although  he  continued  to  prosecute  his  studies  in 
the  night  schools.  Three  years  later  this  tirm  failed,  owing  to  a  terrible 
blight  which  completely  ruined  them,  and  Mr.  Arnold  went  to  Xenia, 
Ohio,  where  he  found  employment  with  Gaines  &  McHeary,  the  re- 
ceivers for  the  firm  of  Hoover  &  Gaines.  He  continued  with  this  firm 
for  four  years,  and  then  had  one  year's  experience  in  the  state  of 
Georgia,  where  he  put  in  an  entire  year  at  budding  fruit  trees.  On  his 
return  to  Ohio  he  located  in  the  city  of  Cleveland  and  took  charge  of 
the  Stores  &  Harrison  Nursery  Company,  a  capacity  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  about  a  year  and  a  half.  By  this  time  Mr.  Arnold  had  become 
an  expert  in  his  chosen  profession  and  his  reputation  was  beginning  to 
spread  in  the  line  of  landscape  gardening.  Having  early  learned  the 
value  of  a  dollar,  he  had  been  of  a  saving  disposition,  and  when  he  came 
to  Pontiac,  in  1906,  was  able  to  purchase  a  block  of  stock  in  the  I'ontiac 
Nursery  Company,  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  a  partnership  ar- 
rangement between  W.  W.  Essig  and  a  ]Mr.  Buchanan.  This  business 
had  been  a  failure  financially,  but  was  immediately  incorporated,  and 
through  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  Mr.  Arnold,  backed  by  his  years 
of  practical  e.xperience,  soon  was  put  upon  a  paying  basis.  "  Improve- 
ments to  the  extent  of  $17,000  have  been  put  in  since  that  time,  and  an 
inventory  in  the  fall  of  1912  showed  $67,000  represented  in  stock,  etc. 
The  Pontiac  Nursery  Company,  as  incorporated  in  1910,  has  a  capital 
of  $15,000,  and  its  present  oflicers  are:  \V.  W.  Essfg,  president;  .Albert 
A.  Arnold,  vice  president ;  and  B.  J.  IMonaghan,  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  nursery  grounds  consist  of  200  acres  of  finely  situated  lands,  and 
the  company  specializes  in  landscape  gardening,  and  rearing  a  full  line 
of  fruit  trees,  shrubbery,  etc.,  the  business  of  the  firm  extending  over 
the  states  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Iowa,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Michigan,  and 
from  fifteen  to  seventy-five  men  being  employed.  Among  the  numerous 
works  of  art  in  landscape  gardening  done  by  Mr.  Arnold  may  be  men- 
tioned the  grounds  of  the  Edison  Company  of  Eastern  Michigan,  the 
new  high  school  grounds  and  the  waterworks  of  Pontiac,  and  all  the 
landscape  work  along  the  .St.  Clair  river.  The  company  maintains  offices 
in  the  Jones  Building,  Detroit. 

Mr.  Arnold  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  a  politician.  He  is  a  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  Elks,  and  holds  membership  in  Masonic  Lodge  No.  21,  the 
Chapter  and  Council.  Devoted  to  his  profession,  he  has  not  even  al- 
lowed himself  a  vacation  in  years,  but  when  he  feels  that  he  can  snatch 
a  few  hours  of  recreation,  arms  himself  with  his  rod  and  goes  to  whip 
the  streams  in  search  of  members  of  the  finny  tribe.  He  enjoys  the 
comjianionship  of  his  fellows,  and  being  of  a  genial  and  likeable  disposi- 
tion has  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1811 

Louis  E.  Stewart.  Through  his  able  qualities  as  a  lawyer  and  his 
stable,  popular  traits  as  a  man,  Louis  E.  Stewart,  of  Battle  Creek,  has 
rapidly  progressed  both  in  the  development  of  a  professional  reputation 
and  a  profitable  legal  business  since  coming  to  this  city  in  1902,  and  as 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Stewart  &  Jacobs  is  widely  known  in  the 
field  of  general  and  corporation  law.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Michigan, 
bom  near  Grand  Rapids,  Kent  county,  August  19,  1870,  his  parents  be- 
ing Henry  W.  and  Adeline  (Holden)  Stewart. 

Henry  W.  Stewart,  who  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  farming  in 
Michigan,  retired  from  active  pursuits  during  his  last  years,  and  passed 
away  February  13,  1913,  at  Braidentown,  Florida.  For  eight  years  he 
served  in  the  capacity  of  sheriff  of  Antrim  county,  Michigan,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected  in  1882,  and  in  his  public  capacity  established  an  ex- 
cellent record  for  courage  and  fidelity  to  duty.  Mrs.  Stewart  passed  away 
in  1883  in  Antrim  county,  which  had  been  the  home  of  the  family  for 
eight  years. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Mancelona,  Michigan,  Mr. 
Stewart  taught  school  for  a  time.  He  then  learned  the  printer's  trade 
at  Bellaire,  Michigan,  but  the  following  year  resumed  his  studies  and  in 
1894  was  graduated  from  the  Bellaire  High  school.  His  predilections 
drawing  him  into  the  broad  and  stirring  domain  of  law,  Mr.  Stewart  en- 
tered the  legal  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1896,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws,  and  immediately  thereafter  located  at  Albion,  Michi- 
gan. During  the  six  years  that  he  remained  at  that  point  he  was  suc- 
cessful in  accumulating  a  handsome  and  profitable  professional  business, 
but  in  November,  1902,  desiring  a  wider  field  for  his  activities,  came  to 
Battle  Creek,  where.  May  i,  1904,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Henry 
F.  Jacobs.  There  is  no  firm  in  Battle  Creek  at  this  time  that  is  a  better 
exemplar  of  the  restless  yet  substantial  ability  and  the  never  failing  re- 
sourcefulness of  the  rising  lawyer  of  today  than  that  of  which  he  is  an 
equal  partner.  The  firm  carries  on  a  general  law  business,  with  some  cor- 
poration practice,  and  has  a  representative  practice  among  some  of  the 
city's  leading  business  houses.  Mr.  Stewart  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican  in  his  political  views,  and  since  early  manhood  has  been  con- 
nected more  or  less  actively  with  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  was  but 
twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  was  elected  marshal  of  Bellaire,  while 
in  Albion  served  in  the  capacity  of  circuit  court  commissioner,  was  prose- 
cuting attorney  of  Calhoun  county  in  1907  and  1908,  and  in  191 1  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Battle  Creek  board  of  education  for  a  term  of 
three  years.  He  has  been  connected  with  various  interests  of  a  public 
nature.  Always  an  adherent  of  temperance,  in  1909  Mr.  Stewart  man- 
aged the  anti-saloon  campaign  in  Calhoun  county,  which  was  successful, 
Mr.  Stewart  carrying  the  county  for  the  "dry"  element  by  ninety-nine 
votes,  and  which,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  county,  put  every 
saloon  in  the  county  out  of  business  for  two  years.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Stewart  is  connected  with  Battle  Creek  Lodge  No.  12,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  ;  Bryant  Chapter,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  ;  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  of  Albion,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
Battle  Creek.  He  also  holds  membership  in  the  Athelstan  Club  of  this 
city,  and  with  his  family  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  married  at  Albion,  Michigan,  August  5,  1903,  to 
Miss  Clarissa  Dickie,  who  was  born  at  Hastings,  Michigan,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  Albion  College,  where  she  was  graduated  from  its  Conservatory. 
Her  father,  Dr.  Samuel  Dickie,  M.  S.,  LL.  D.,  is  president  of  that  insti- 
tution. Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart,  namely: 
Mary,  born  at  Albion,  and  Elizabeth,  a  native  of  Battle  Creek.     The 


1812  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

family  have  an  attractive  residence  at  No.   192  Fremont  street,  where 
their  numerous  friends  are  invited  on  many  pleasant  social  occasions. 

Richard  H.  Browne.  Twenty-five  years  ago  Mr.  Browne  began  his 
career  in  Muskegon  as  a  coal  shoveler.  Today  he  is  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Browne-Morse  Company,  a  corporation  capital- 
ized at  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  and  whose  manufacturing  products 
are  sent  all  over  the  world.  Mr.  Browne  is  still  a  young  man,  but  has 
accomplished  as  much  in  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  would  be  creditable  in  a 
lifetime. 

Richard  H.  Browne  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  November  23,  1872, 
a  son  of  William  H.  and  Elizabeth  Howden  Browne,  both  natives  of 
Ontario.  The  father  died  in  1894,  and  the  mother  in  191 1.  The  grand- 
father, Alexander  Browne,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  Canada,  when 
a  young  man,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  career  as  a  farmer.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  Richard  Howden,  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  and 
coming  to  Canada  in  early  years,  also  following  the  vocation  of  farming. 
William  H.  Brown  during  his  active  career  was  successfully  engaged 
in  insurance  work.  He  held  the  rank  of  major  in  the  Canadian  ]\Iilitia 
in  the  Thirty-Fourth  Battalion.  He  and  his  family  were  Church  of  Eng- 
land people,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  conservative.  In  the  Masonic  Order 
he  belonged  to  the  Lodge,  the  Chapter  and  the  Council.  There  were  five 
sons,  and  the  four  living  are :  Frederick,  a  groceryman  at  Toronto, 
Canada ;  Richard  H.  Alexander,  who  is  foreman  in  a  manufacturing 
plant  at  Oshawa,  Ontario,  and  George,  living  in  Brooklyn,  Canada,  and 
connected  with  the  Canadian  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Richard  H.  Browne  had  a  public  school  education  in  his  native 
province,  and  his  higher  learning  was  consigned  to  one  week's  attend- 
ance in  the  collegiate  institute  at  Whitby.  He  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Michigan,  and  in  September,  1888,  found  a  job  shovel- 
ing coal  for  the  gas  company  of  Muskegon.  His  service  with  the  gas 
company  continued  for  fifteen  years,  and  when  he  retired  he  was  as- 
sistant general  manager.  For  a  time  he  was  also  one  of  the  stock  hold- 
ers in  the  business.  On  leaving  the  gas  company  Mr.  Browne  became 
identified  with  the  Howden  and  Company,  steam  fitters  and  plumbers, 
and  with  that  concern  learned  the  trade  and  also  worked  as  office  boy, 
bookkeeper  and  finally  as  general  manager.  In  October,  1907,  'Sir. 
Browne  organized  the  Browne-Morse  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  which  he  is  president  and 
general  manager.  This  company  manufactures  office  filing  devices  and 
specialties.  During  1912  the  company  did  an  aggregate  business  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  its  connections  have  been  so 
developed  that  the  products  are  sent  to  all  the  chief  commercial  centers 
of  the  world.  Mr.  Browne  is  himself  owner  of  the  majority  of  stock 
in  the  company. 

In  June,  191 1,  he  married  Emma  D.  Dratz,  daughter  of  John  Dratz, 
who  for  many  years  was  a  successful  merchant  at  ]\Iuskegon.  Airs. 
Browne  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church.  Socially  Mr.  Browne's 
connections  are  with  the  Masonic  Order,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks,  and  in  the  former  he  has  taken  the  Knights  Templar 
degree,  belongs  to  the  Consistory,  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  spent 
practically  all  his  business  career  in  Muskegon,  and  enjoys  the  high 
esteem  of  all  the  citizens,  and  has  always  interested  himself  in  behalf 
of  good  government  and  civic  improvement.  For  four  years  his  serv- 
ices were  given  to  the  citv  as  a  councilman,  and  he  was  at  one  time  can- 
didate for  mayor,  being  defeated  by  seventy  votes.  In  politics  Mr. 
Browne  is  for  the  man  he  thinks  will  give  the  best  for  the  most  of  the 
people. 


RICHARD  II.  r.KOWXE 


THE  NIW  TOUK 
FBBllCiUiURY 


AST*"  '     '        •     ^    '  ■•» 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1813 

James  E.  Fkrguson,  M.  D.  For  more  ihan  twenty  years  Dr.  Fer- 
guson has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Michigan  medical  fraternity, 
has  had  a  broad  range  of  experience,  both  as  a  private  practitioner 
and  in  pubHc  service  connected  with  his  profession.  Since  1909  he  has 
practiced  at  Grand  Rapids,  with  offices  in  the  .\shton  building.  Dr. 
James  E.  Ferguson  was  born  July  31,  1868,  in  Elgin  county,  Ontario, 
and  was  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Two 
of  the  doctor's  brothers  are  physicians,  and  his  sister  married  a  physician. 
The  parents,  Dougal  and  Sarah  ( Shearer )  Ferguson,  were  very  pros- 
perous farming  people  of  Ontario.  Both  were  natives  of  Scotland, 
whence  they  immigrated  to  Canada,  and  located  in  Ontario,  w-here  they 
became  owners  of  a  splendid  farm  of  six  hundred  acres.  Dougal  Fergu- 
son was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  community,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Canadian  Parliament. 

James  E.  Ferguson  was  reared  in  Canada,  attended  the  grammar 
and  high  schools,  graduating  from  the  latter  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 
For  two  years  he  pursued  his  medical  studies  at  Montreal,  and  in  1899 
entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  where  he  was  graduated  M.  D. 
in  1890.  The  first  year  and  a  half  of  his  experience  were  in  the  Eastern 
Michigan  Insane  Asylum.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  in  active  practice 
at  Belding,  and  in  ickx)  established  himself  at  Grand  Rapids,  where  he 
now  enjoys  a  large  practice  of  representative  order-.  In  1907,  Dr.  Fer- 
guson took  a  special  course  at  the  Chicago  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  &  Throat 
College. 

On  July  17,  1895,  Dr.  Ferguson  married  Katharyn  Wilson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  C.  Wilson  of  Port  Huron,  ^lichigan.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  sons,  Dougal  E.,  now  in  high  school,  and  James  D., 
in  the  grade  schools.  Dr.  Ferguson  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  while  his  wife  has  membership  in  the  Eastern  Star.  The  doctor 
also  belongs  to  the  County  and  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.  For  ten  years  he  served  as  United  States  Pension 
E.xaminer.  He  and  his'  family  reside  at  141  Auburn  Avenue  in  Grand 
Rapids. 

John  C.  Reynolds,  M.  D.  The  Michigan  medical  profession  has 
been  honored  by  the  labors  and  achievements  of  some  of  the  leading 
practitioners  of  the  country,  men  who  have  won  success  and  position 
through  steadfast  and  devoted  loyalty  to  the  best  interests  and  highest 
ideals  of  their  chosen  calling.  The  city  of  Battle  Creek  has  been  the  scene 
of  the  activities  of  some  of  the  most  successful  of  this  group  of  honored 
professional  men,  and  foremost  among  them  is  found  Dr.  John  C.  Rey- 
nolds, who  for  thirty-two  years  has  been  engaged  in  practice  here,  winning 
constant  recognition  of  his  high  abilities,  especially  in  the  special  depart- 
ment of  diseases  of  the  head,  throat  and  lungs. 

Doctor  Reynolds  is  a  Canadian,  born  near  Port  Hope,  Province  of 
Ontario,  April  15,  1857,  and  was  five  years  old  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents,  Francis  and  Margaret  (Kells)  Reynolds,  to  Rochester,  New 
York.  His  father  early  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Canada  and 
became  the  owner  of  a  handsome  property,  but  his  extreme  kind-hearted- 
ness led  him  into  signing  notes  for  friends,  who  afterwards  proved  dis- 
honest, and  in  this  way  lost  about  everything  that  he  owned.  In  after 
years  he  frequently  impressed  upon  his  children  the  danger  of  signing 
their  names  to  notes,  and  when  on  his  death-bed,  his  last  words  to  them 
were  to  that  eiifect.  Upon  leaving  his  native  land  and  coming  to  the 
United  States,  he  started  all  over  again  in  diliferent  lines  of  endeavor, 
and  through  energy  and  persistence  became  fairly  successful.     He  re- 


1814  HISTORY  OF  iMICHIGAN 

mained  in  New  York  from  1862  until  1865  and  then  came  to  Battle  Creek, 
which  city  continued  to  be  his  home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  in  1885.  Mrs.  Reynolds  survived  until  1908,  when  she 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  four  sons  and  one  daughter  are  sur- 
viving at  this  time,  as  follows :  Margaret,  who  is  the  widow  of  Ezra 
Kipp  and  resides  at  her  residence  on  Adams  street,  Battle  Creek ;  Frank, 
the  first  born,  who  is  a  resident  of  Pensacola,  Florida;  William,  who 
maintains  his  home  in  Texas ;  John  C,  of  this  review ;  and  Joseph  W., 
who  is  a  successful  practicing  attorney  at  Duluth,  Minnesota.  One 
brother,  Thomas,  was  drowned  at  Battle  Creek  when  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

The  early  education  of  Dr.  John  C.  Reynolds  was  secured  in  the 
public  schools  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  to  which  city  he  was  brought 
Idv  his  parents  as  a  child  of  five  years.  He  early  displayed  a  marked  in- 
clination for  the  medical  profession  and  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of 
age  began  his  medical  studies  under  Dr.  Austin  S.  Johnson,  of  Battle 
Creek,  an  able  preceptor  and  helpful  friend.  Following  this,  Doctor 
Reynolds  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Pulte  Medical  College,  in 
Cincinnati.  Ohio,  and  from  that  institution  received  his  diploma  and  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  being  graduated  with  the  class  of  1882.  He 
had  already  chosen  his  field  of  practice,  and  immediately  opened  offices 
at  Battle  Creek,  which  city  has  continued  to  be  his  field  of  endeavor  and 
the  scene  of  his  successes  to  the  present  time.  He  has  continued  to  be  a 
student,  spending  a  great  deal  of  his  time  in  research  and  investigation, 
and  in  1895  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic 
Medical  College.  His  deep  and  thorough  knowledge,  his  superior  talent 
and  his  kindly,  helpful  sympathy  have  attracted  about  him  a  large  general 
practice,  but  he  has  given  special  attention  to  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
diseases  of  the  head,  throat  and  lungs,  a  field  in  which  he  has  won  merited 
distinction.  In  the  line  of  his  calling,  he  is  connected  with  the  ^Michigan 
State  Medical  Homeopathic  Society.  Fraternally,  he  holds  membership 
in  A.  T.  Metcalf  Lodge,  No.  419,  Free  and  Accepted  Alasons,  and  in  the 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  and  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  A  stalwart  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  he  has  served  as  alderman  of  the  Fifth  Ward  for  two  terms,  and 
his  public  service  has  been  of  a  distinctively  helpful  nature.  While  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  his  large  practice  have  been  very  heavy,  he 
has  never  been  too  busy  to  contribute  of  his  time  or  services  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  any  helpful  civic  measure,  and  he  is  thus  deserving  of  a 
place  among  the  builders  of  the  city.  His  career  has  been  successful  in  a 
material  way,  and  at  this  time  he  is  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  real 
estate,  both  Ijusiness  and  residential,  and  has  his  home  and  office  at  No. 
16  North  Division  street. 

The  marriage  of  Doctor  Reynolds  occurred  on  August  5,  1885,  when 
he  was  united  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  H.  Briggs,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Major  Hudson,  who  died  at  Paw  Paw,  Michigan,  December  19,  1881. 
Dr.  Reynolds  has  no  children  of  his  own,  but  is  the  stepfather  of  Mrs. 
Allene  B.  Wells,  of  Detroit,  who  is  the  wife  of  D.  Graham  Wells.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Reynolds  by  her  first  husband,  whose  full  name 
was  George  Allen  Briggs.  Ujion  his  death,  his  surviving  widow  married 
Dr.  Reynolds.  At  the  date  of  this  marriage  the  daughter,  Allene,  was 
but  three  years  old.  Therefore  Dr.  Reynolds,  from  that  date  forward, 
was  in  every  sense  a  father  to  her,  and,  in  his  own  language,  "She  was 
to  me  the  same  as  an  own  daughter."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  \\'ells  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namelv:     Martha  E.,  Helen,  Miriam.  lohn  A.  and  Ruth. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1815 

Herbert  Pritchard  Orr,  deputy  state  insurance  commissioner  of 
Michigan,  and  one  of  the  state's  well-known  legists  and  influential  citi- 
zens, is  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a  representative  of  one  of  its  pioneer 
families.  Mr.  Orr's  father,  Frederick  H.  Orr,  was  born  at  Tuscola,  Tus- 
cola county,  Michigan,  in  1859,  the  son  of  the  late  M.  David  Orr,  M.  D., 
who  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  and  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians 
of  Tuscola  county,  Michigan,  where  he  settled  during  the  early  days  of 
the  history  of  the  state.  Mr.  Orr's  mother  was,  before  her  marriage, 
Katie  R.  O'Kelly,  and  was  bom  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  in 
1856,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  O'Kelly,  who  was  a  native  of  Grand  Island, 
New  York,  and  moved  from  that  place  to  Canada  and  later  to  Michigan, 
being  a  pioneer  of  Tuscola  county.  The  father,  Frederick  H.  Orr,  has 
been  prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  Tuscola  county  and  Michigan  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  the  office 
of  county  clerk  of  Tuscola  county,  and  for  several  years  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  deputy  collector  of  customs  for  the  Port  Huron  District. 

Herbert  Pritchard  Orr  was  reared  at  Tuscola  and  his  early  educa- 
tion was  secured  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place,  he  being  graduated 
from  the  high  school  in  1901.  Following  this  he  adopted  the  law  as  his 
life  vocation,  entering  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1905  and  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  During  that  same  year  Mr.  Orr  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  immediately  entered  practice  and  opened  an  office  at 
Caro,  Michigan,  where  he  continued  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  excellent 
professional  business  until  1909.  In  that  year  his  abilities  and  acquire- 
ments were  recognized  by  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  actuary  of  the 
State  Insurance  Department,  an  important  office  which  he  has  held  until 
November,  1910,  having  been  reappointed  in  1913  by  the  incoming  com- 
missioner of  insurance,  Hon.  John  T.  Winship.  Mr.  Orr  is  a  Republican 
in  his  political  affiliation  and  has  been  stalwart  in  his  support  of  that 
party's  principles  and  candidates,  but  has  won  friends  among  men  of  all 
political  denominations  by  his  straightforward  actions  and  earnest  devo- 
tion to  the  best  interests  of  the  people  of  his  state.  He  is  well  known  in 
Masonry,  being  a  member  of  Lansing  Lodge  No.  33,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  like- 
wise is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  belonging  to  Caro  Lodge 
of  that  order. 

Mr.  Orr  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  M.  Johnson,  of 
Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  daughter  of  Leonard  S.  Johnson,  and  to  this  union 
there  has  come  one  son,  Garrett  Pritchard,  born  in  1907. 

C.\RLiSLE  P.  Hull.  By  his  business  and  also  through  a  wide  per- 
sonal and  family  relationship,  Carlisle  P.  Hull  is  prominently  known  in 
Grand  Rapids  and  Kent  county.  With  his  offices  in  the  Fourth  National 
Rank  Building,  j\Ir.  Hull  has  developed  a  large  business  as  a  realty 
broker  and  in  addition  to  his  local  dealings  is  manager  of  the  Crow 
Agency  realty  brokers,  and  agent  for  the  Chicago  Bonding  &  Surety 
Company.  Another  profitable  connection  is  as  agent  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Land  Company,  and  looks  after  the  interests  of  that  company 
over  four  Michigan  counties. 

Carlisle  P.  Hull  was  born  at  Ravenna,  Portage  county,  Ohio.  June 
19,  1866.  a  son  of  Calvin  E.  and  Jennie  L.  (Eatinger)  Hull.  Calvin  E. 
Hull,  who  was  born  at  LeRoy,  Genesee  county.  New  York,  Febraary 
7,  1837,  was  a  son  of  Philo  and  Emmeline  ( \'inton )  Hull,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  Grandfather 
Hull  moved  to  Canada,  and  later  became  a  pioneer  in  Michigan  and  died 
on  his  farm  in  Kent  county,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  Grand  Rap- 
ids.     Calvin   E.   Hull  was  a  child   when  his  parents  moved  to   Canada, 


1816  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  in  liis  fourlecnth  year  he  came  to  Kent  county.  Alichigan,  settling 
with  his  parents  on  a  wild  farm  and  growing  up  in  the  midst  of  pioneer 
surroundings.  Besides  his  work  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  he  learned 
the  trade  of  stone-cutter  and  mason.  A  short  time  before  the  beginning 
of  the  war  he  went  to  Ohio  and  enlisted  in  Company  I  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.  His  service  was  for  three  years, 
and  he  participated  in  many  of  the  well  known  campaigns  and  battles 
of  the  western  army,  including  Resaca,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  With 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Ravenna,  Ohio,  followed  his  trade 
until  1868,  and  in  that  year  settled  in  Lowell,  Kent  county,  Michigan, 
and  in  1876  became  a  farmer  in  Lowell  township.  In  1886  Calvin  E. 
Hull  retired  with  a  competency,  and  since  lived  quietly  in  Grand  Rapids, 
surrounded  with  the  comforts  of  e.xistence.  Calvin  E.  Hull  was  mar- 
ried at  Ravenna,  Ohio,  April  22,  1861,  to  Jennie  L.  Eatinger,  who 
was  born  at  Ravenna  December  16,  1844.  Her  parents  were  Samuel 
S.  and  Catherine  ( Mercer )  Eatinger.  Her  father  was  the  son  of  a 
German  immigrant  and  was  the  second  male  white  child  born  in  Portage 
county,  Ohio.  Catherine  I^Zatinger  was  born  in  Beaver  county.  Penn- 
sylvania. Calvin  Hull  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  four  children; 
Carlisle  P.;  Winslow  C,  an  Ionia  county  farmer;  Rose  -\..  wife  of 
James  A.  Young;  and  S.  Eugene. 

When  Carlisle  P.  Hull  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  in 
1868  to  Lowell,  Michigan,  and  that  town  furnished  him  his  bo\hood 
environment  and  its  schools  gave  him  his  education  until  he  was  ten 
years  of  age.  His  father  having  moved  out  to  a  farm  in  Lowell  town- 
ship in  1876,  the  country  then  became  his  home  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Hull  .in  1886  returned  with  his  parents  to  Grand 
Rapids,  and  has  been  a  citizen*6f  that  city  ever  since.  During  his  early 
career  as  a  farmer  Mr.  Hull'  learned  the  trade  of  engineer,  millwright 
and  builder,  and  those  vocations  furnished  the  basis  for  his  career  until 
191 1.  In  the  meantime,  however,  for  three  years  he  had  been  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  with  his  father  at  Grand  Rapids.  Since  191 1 
^Ir.  Hull  has  devoted  his  undivided  attention  to  the  real  estate  business 
and  his  success  in  that  line  is  indicated  by  his  substantial  connections  ' 
and  by  the  reputation  which  he  bears  in  Grand  Rapids  for  safe  and 
reliable  handling  of  all  matters  entrusted  to  his  care. 

Mr.  Hull  is  a  progressive  Republican,  and  is  affiliated  with  \'alley 
City  Lodge  No.  86,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Isabel  Williams,  and  she  left  one  child.  Calvin  E.,  born 
in  Grand  Rapids  in  1890.  Mr.  Hull's  present  wife  before  her  mar- 
riage was  Nellie  M.  IMcNally. 

Edg.\r  B.  Foss  has  been  a  resident  of  Bay  county  for  about  forty 
years,  and  during  this  entire  period  has  been  connected  with  the  lumber 
trade.  Commencing  in  the  humblest  position,  he  mastered  its  many  de- 
tails and  has  continued  in  the  business  until  he  has  attained  at  length  a 
commanding  position  among  the  enterprising  dealers  and  manufacturers 
of  Bay  City,  and  has  shown  himself  able  to  hold  it  amid  the  strong  com- 
petition which  increasing  capital  and  trade  have  brought  to  the  city.  His 
success  is  due  alone  to  his  energetic  character  and  business  capacity,  for 
he  began  life  without  pecuniary  assistance  or  the  aid  of  family  or  other 
favoring  influences. 

Mr.  Foss  comes  of  a  family  long  represented  in  New  England,  of 
English  extraction.  He  was  born  Febrtiary  28,  1853,  at  Willimantic, 
Connecticut,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  B.  (Slade)  Foss,  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  the  father  being  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
while  the  Slades  were  farming  people.     John  Foss  died  when  Edgar  B. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1817 

was  still  a  small  boy,  but  the  mother  survived  for  a  long  period,  and 
when  she  passed  away  in  1907  had  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  The  youngest  of  his  parents'  eleven  children,  Edgar  B. 
Foss  attained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Woonsocket  and 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  but  faced  the  world  when  still  a  small  lad, 
his  first  employment  being  as  office  boy  in  the  office  of  Governor  Henry 
Lippitt  of  Rhode  Island.  He  was  but  fifteen  years  old  when  he  came 
to  Kawkawlin,  Bay  county,  Michigan,  and  here  secured  employment  in 
the  office  of  Dexter  A.  Ballou,  a  lumber  manufacturer,  with  whom  he 
received  his  introduction  to  the  business  in  which  he  was  later  to  become 
such  an  important  factor.  After  several  years  with  D.  A.  Ballou  he 
accepted  a  position  with  Van  Etten,  Kaiser  &  Company,  lumbermen,  as 
a  traveling  salesman,  was  subsequently  with  their  successors.  Van  Etten, 
Campbell  &  Company,  and  George  Campbell  &  Company,  in  a  like  ca- 
pacity, and  when  the  latter  firm  retired  from  business  he  ventured  upon 
an  enterprise  of  his  own  at  Bay  City.  With  a  thorough  acquaintance  of 
the  details  of  the  business,  gained  at  a  period  when  so  many  young  men 
are  wasting  their  opportunities  in  frivolity  and  dissipation,  he  entered 
into  the  prosecution  of  his  activities  with  an  enthusiasm  and  tenacity  of 
purpose  which  guided  him  safely  over  the  first  few  years.  His  initial 
success  bred  confidence,  and  he  soon  broadened  the  scope  of  his  oppor- 
ttuiities,  gradually  reaching  further  and  further  until  today  he  controls 
a  comfortable  share  of  tlie  trade  between  Michigan  and  the  Atlantic 
coast.  He  manufactures  and  handles  white  pine  lumber,  with  saw  mills 
in  Canada,  and  planing  mills  and  wholesale  lumber  yard  in  Bay  City, 
handling  about  50,000,000  feet  annually,  and  owning  large  timber  tracts 
in  Canada  and  on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  the  Canadian  mills  he  has  about 
four  hundred  employes,  including  those  in  the  woods ;  in  Bay  City  he 
employs  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  men ;  and  is  also  at  the  head  of  a 
coal  mining  company  operating  in  Genesee  and  Bay  counties,  which  em- 
ploys the  services  of  some  four  hundred  men.  His  coal  output  aggre- 
gates about  200,000  tons  annually.  Mr.  Foss'  opinion  upon  matters  con- 
nected with  the  lumber  trade  is  influential  with  the  members  of  the  voca- 
tion, who  regard  him  as  thoroughly  informed  and  have  confidence  in  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment.  His  opinions  are  often  sought  as  a  guide 
to  their  operations  on  occasions  of  doubt  and  uncertainty.  In  political 
matters  a  stalwart  Republican,  Mr.  Foss  was  a  presidential  elector  on  the 
Roosevelt  ticket  in  1904  and  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention in  1908  which  nominated  William  H.  Taft  for  the  presidency. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chap- 
ter, Commandery,  Consistory  and  Shrine,  and  is  a  valued  and  popular 
member  of  the  Bay  City  Club.  His  religious  connection  is  with  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Air.  Foss  was  married  in  Bay  City  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Fitzgerald, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  and  to  this  union  there  have  been  born 
three  children:  Walter  I.,  Edgar  H.  and  Edith  Hope.  Essentially  a 
home  man,  Mr.  Foss  is  never  so  happy  as  when  in  the  midst  of  his  family, 
but  he  also  enjoys  motoring  and  takes  frequent  trips  to  various  points  in 
his  adopted  state.  His  sturdy  character  and  sterling  qualities  make  him 
one  of  the  representative  men  of  Bay  City,  and  his  signal  services  to  his 
community  entitle  him  to  be  numbered  among  its  most  substantial  builders. 

Charles  Stewart  Mott.  Mayor  of  Flint,  president  of  the  Weston- 
Mott  Manufacturing  Company,  president  and  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Industrial  Savings  Bank,  Charles  S.  Mott  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising manufacturers  who  have  made  Flint  conspicuous  as  a  prosperous 
industVial  center.     A  voung  man  of  remarkable  personality,  energy  and 


1818  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

capacity  for  business,  while  Mr.  ]Mott  is  largely  employed  in  the  man- 
agement and  direction  of  a  local  industry  regarded  as  a  nianisiay  of 
Flint,  he  is  at  the  same  time  identified  intimately  with  the  larger  life 
and  activities  of  the  community.  His  business  career  has  been  one  of 
consecutive  growth  since  youth,  when,  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
grew  up.  he  was  associated  with  his  father,  and  eventually  became  iden- 
tified with  the  \\'eston-]\Iott  Company,  which  since  transferred  its  enter- 
prise to  Flint. 

Charles  Stewart  Mott  was  born  at  Newark.  New  Jersey.  June  2,  1875, 
a  son  of  John  C.  and  Isabella  Turnbull  (Stewart)  ]\Iott.  His  father  was 
born  in  New  Y'ork  and  his  mother  in  New  Jersey.  The  father  was  a 
maker  of  cider  and  vinegar  in  New  York  state,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  resides  at  Glen  Ridge. 
New  Jersey.  There  were  just  two  children,  and  the  daughter,  Edith 
Stewart  Mott,  is  the  wife  of  Herbert  E.  Davis  of  Glen  Ridge,  New 
Jersey. 

After  an  education  in  the  public  schools  ]\Ir.  Charles  S.  Mott,  in  Au- 
gust, 1894,  when  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  went  abroad  and  remained 
one  year  in  the  study  of  zymotechnology  and  chemistry  at  Copenhagen, 
Denmark,  and  in  Alunich,  Germany.  Subsequently,  with  the  class  of 
1897,  he  was  graduated  as  a  mechanical  engineer  from  Stevens  Insti- 
tute of  Technology  at  Hoboken,  New  Jersey.  Following  his  technical 
education  Mr.  ]\Iott  went  into  business  with  his  father  in  the  manufacture 
of  carbonators.  The  firm  was  known  as  C.  S.  ]\Iott  &  Company.  In 
1900,  a  year  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Alott's  father,  the  plant  was  moved 
to  Utica.  New  Y'ork.  and  was  merged  and  continued  in  the  factory  of 
the  \\'eston-Mott  Company,  which  had  been  organized  in  1896  and  of 
which  Mr.  Mott  was  already  a  director.  The  \\'eston-AIott  Company 
manufactured  as  its  chief  output  automobile  axles,  hubs,  and  rims.  The 
business  grew  with  phenomenal  rapidity,  and  from  the  start  was  always 
on  a  most  substantial  footing.  With  the  extension  of  business  it  became 
advisable  to  change  locations  in  order  to  get  nearer  the  center  of  the 
automobile  world,  and  accordingly  the  firm  was  moved  from  Utica. 
New  York,  to  Flint.  Mr.  Mott  since  February,  1907.  has  been  promi- 
nent not  only  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Weston-Mott  Company,  but  also 
in  many  business  and  semi-public  activities  related  to  the  continued 
prosperity  of  this  city  as  a  commercial  community.  The  Weston-Mott 
Company  at  Flint  built  seven  large  and  commodious  factory  buildings, 
with  an  aggregate  of  four  hundred  thousand  square  feet  of  floor  space, 
and  all  the  buildings  are  of  substantial  brick  construction  and  from  one 
to  three  stories  in  height.  The  company  is  capitalized  at  a  million  and  a 
half  of  dollars,  and  more  than  two  thousand  persons  are  on  their  payroll. 
No  other  enterprise  in  Flint  is  a  more  substantial  pillar  of  prosperity 
than  this  company.  Some  years  ago  at  Utica  the  original  firm  employed 
only  about  sixty  hands.  The  products  of  the  \\'eston-Mott  Company 
are  sold  all  over  the  world,  and  ever)-  process  and  detail  of  the  manu- 
facture has  been  refined  to  the  highest  point  of  efficiency  so  that  the 
reputation  for  the  goods  is  well  deser^-ed. 

Since  coming  to  Flint  'Sir.  Alott  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Industrial  Savings  Bank,  primarily  as  an  institution  for  the  benefit  of 
the  industrial  community  of  which  he  is  the  head.  This  bank,  of  which 
Mr.  ^Mott  is  president,  is  housed  in  a  modern  two-story  brick  structure 
opposite  the  factories  at  the  corner  of  Hamilton  and  Industrial  streets, 
and  has  a  capital  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  with  seventy  thousand 
dollars  surplus.  Owing  to  the  growth  of  the  bank  business  it  became  nec- 
essan'  in  the  spring  of  1913  to  open  a  branch  bank  in  the  F.  P.  Smith 
building  on  Saginaw  street.     Mr.  Mott  is  also  a  director  of  the  Genesee 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1819 

County  Savings  Bank.  Other  interests  in  Flint  include  a  position  as 
director  of  the  Flint  Sandstone  &  Brick  Company,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  that  company,  a  director  of  the  Standard  Rule  Company,  director 
of  the  Copeman  Stove  Company  and  of  the  Sterling  Motor  Company  of 
Detroit,  a  director  of  the  General  Motor  Company,  and  director  of  the 
Brown-Lipe-Chapin  Company  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 

In  the  spring  of  1912,  as  an  independent  business  man  and  without 
any  particular  brand  of  politics,  Mr.  I^Iott  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
mayor,  and  has  shown  what  a  capable  business  man,  successful  in  private 
enterprise,  can  do  towards  making  a  larger  and  better  city.  He  has 
applied  himself  with  great  energy  to  the  upbuilding  of  Flint,  along  the 
line  of  street  improvements,  better  schools  and  better  institutions  gen- 
erally, and  has  followed  the  policy  of  distributing  the  resources  of  the 
city's  wealth  without  special  advantage  to  any  one  section,  it  being  a 
part  of  the  fundamental  policy  of  Mayor  j\Iott  that  every  quarter  of 
Flint  should  receive  equal  benefit  with  every  other  section  from  the  cur- 
rent revenues  of  the  municipality.  Mr.  Mott  has  taken  a  prominent  part 
in  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  and  was  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  association  and  a  leader  in  the  recent  campaign  for  the  raising  of 
one  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  dollars  to  construct  a  new  building. 
Mrs.  Mott  has  manifested  a  similar  activity  in  the  affairs  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association,  and  is  prominent  in  club  and  church  af- 
fairs. Among  his  earlier  experiences,  Mr.  Mott  in  1898  joined  the  Navy 
and  served  through  the  Spanish-American  war  on  board  the  United 
States  Ship  Yankee  and  also  for  six  years  was  connected  with  the 
Naval  Militia  of  New  York.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Society 
of  Mechanical  Engineers  and  the  Society  of  Automobile  Engineers.  In 
Masonry  he  has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  the  Scottish  Rite,  belongs 
to  the  Knight  Templars  and  Mystic  Shrine,  and  also  has  affiliation  with 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose 
and  the  United  Spanish  War  \'eterans.  His  social  relations  are  with 
the  Flint  Country  Club,  the  Detroit  Club,  and  outside  of  business  his 
chief  pleasures  are  in  hunting  and  fishing. 

On  Tune  14,  1900,  at  New  York  City,  Mr.  Mott  married  Miss  Ethel 
C.  Harding,  a  daughter  of  Herbert  B.  and  Aimee  (Culbert)  Harding  of 
New  York  City.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  three  children,  as 
follows:  Aimee  Mott,  born  in  Utica,  New  York,  April  15,  1902;  Elsa 
Beatrice  Mott,  born  in  Utica  November  14,  1904;  and  Charles  Stewart 
Harding  Mott,  born  in  Utica  November  4,  1906.  Mr.  Mott  owns  a 
beautiful  home  at  423  East  Kearsley  street. 

Martin  J.  Cavanaugh,  a  successful  Ann  Arbor  lawyer  whose  prac- 
tice has  embraced  a  large  scope,  began  his  career  in  Washtenaw  county 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  along  with  the  solid  accom- 
plishments of  a  skillful  lawyer  has  enjoyed  the  esteem  paid  to  the  public- 
spirited  and  useful  citizen.  Mr.  Cavanaugh  has  associated  with  him  in 
the  practice  of  law,  George  James  Burke. 

He  represents"  an  old  family  of  Michigan,  and  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Manchester  township,  Washtenaw  County,  in  1865,  a  son  of  Matthew 
and  Mary  (Daly)  Cavanaugh.  Both  his  parents  were  born  in  Ireland, 
and  they  had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Martin  J.,  the 
eldest;  Thomas  J.,  who  graduated  in  law  from  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan in  1892  and  is  now  engaged  in  practice  at  Paw  Paw,  Van  Buren 
county,  Michigan,  and  Mrs.  Ellen  Reilly  of  Washtenaw  county. 

Martin  J.  Cavanaugh  attended  a  country  district  school,  later  the  high 
school  at  the  village  of  Manchester  until  finishing  in  1883,  and  then  en- 
tered the  University  of  ^Michigan  and  was  graduated  Bachelor  of  Arts  in 


1820  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAX 

1887.  His  law  studies  had  been  pursued  at  the  same  time  with  his  literary 
course,  and  in  1887  he  passed  the  required  examination  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  The  first  year  was  spent  in  practice  at  Chelsea  in  Washtenaw 
county  with  Michael  J.  Lehman  and  since  then  in  Ann  Arbor.  Mr. 
Cavanaugh  is  experienced  in  practically  all  classes  of  litigation  and  is 
noted  among  his  associates  for  broad  and  conscientious  work. 

He  has  held  the  offices  of  County  Commissioner  of  Public  School, 
Clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  at  Detroit  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  making 
the  present  constitution  for  Michigan.  His  services  as  president  for 
many  years  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Ann  Arbor  have  contributed 
much  to  the  continued  usefulness  and  progress  of  the  local  public  school 
system.  On  November  6,  1889.  Mr.  Cavanaugh  married  ^Iiss  Mary  C. 
Seery.     Their  four  children  are  Stella,  Ralph,  Camilla  and  Ruth. 

Charles  Donald  Thompson,  who  has  practiced  law  at  Bad  Axe  sev- 
enteen years,  and  belongs  to  a  pioneer  family  in  that  section  of  the  state, 
w-as  born  in  the  eastern  part  of  ''The  Thumb"  of  ^Michigan,  on  February 
21,  1873.  He  is  the  only  son  of  Charles  Ezra  and  Elizabeth  (McDonald) 
Thompson.  He  graduated  from  the  Bad  Axe  public  schools  and  entered 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  class  of 
'97.  Before  completing  his  literary  course  he  entered  the  law  department, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1896,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Since  then 
he  has  practiced  law  at  the  city  of  Bad  Axe,  the  county  seat  of  Huron 
county.  He  is  a  Presbyterian,  a  Republican  and  a  Knight  Templar.  For 
many  years  he  has  served  as  city  attorney,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  Constitutional  Convention  of  1907-08.  ]\Ir.  Thompson  is  a 
director  of  the  State  Savings  Bank  of  Bad  Axe,  the  Consolidated  Tele- 
phone Company  and  other  local  corporations. 

Charles  E.  Thompson,  his  father,  was  born  in  Port  Huron  in  1845 
and  came  to  Huron  county  in  1854.  He  was  the  only  son  of  John  Dame 
Thompson,  who  served  in  the  Twenty-Ninth  ^Michigan  Infantry  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  whose  ancestors  came  to  America  on  the  ^Mayflower  (see 
"Descendants  of  John  Thomson")  and  Mary  A.  (Lockwood)  Thompson. 
Though  prominent  as  a  Republican  he  was  elected  to  nearly  every  county 
office,  and  in  many  cases  by  an  almost  non-partisan  vote.  He  served  some 
twenty-two  years,  having  been  County  Clerk,  Treasurer,  Register  of 
Deeds,  and  Judge  of  Probate.  Judge  Thompson  was  prominent  in  both 
the  York  and  Scottish  Rite  Masonic  bodies.  His  death  occurred  in  1907. 
Elizaljeth  Thompson,  the  mother,  was  born  at  London,  Ontario,  in  1851. 
She  descends  through  her  father  from  the  Clanranald  branch  of  the 
Clan  MacDonald,  and  through  her  mother  from  the  Earl  of  Seaforth  of 
the  Clan  MacKenzie  of  Scotland.  She  has  been  prominent  in  the  club 
and  social  development  of  her  city.  There  are  three  younger  sisters: 
Grace  McDonald  Thompson,  A.  B.  ( U.  of  M.),  C.  D.  F.  of  Denver; 
Elizabeth  Lockwood  Tliompson,  A.  B.  and  M.  S.  (U.  of  M.),  now 
an  assistant  in  the  Department  of  Zoolog}'  in  the  University  of  Michigan ; 
and  Helen  Beulah  Gaige,  .\.  B.  and  A.  M.  (U.  of  M.),  wife  of  Frederick 
IM.  Gaige,  A.  B.  (U.  of  M.).  She  is  administrative  assistant  and  Mr. 
Gaige  is  entomological  assistant  of  the  Museum  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  ]\Iiss  Thompson  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaige  have  all  been  elected 
to  membership  in  Sigma  Xi,  the  National  Scientific  Honorary  Society. 

On  January  10.  19 12,  Charles  D.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Ida  Elizabeth  Proctor,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Franklin  Proctor, 
who  served  in  Berdan's  Company  of  Sharpshooters  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  .-Vmelia  (Robinson)  Proctor.  Both  of  Mrs.  Thompson's  parents  are 
deceased.     The  Proctor  familv  came  to  America   from  England  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1821 

early  part  of  the  last  century,  settled  first  in  New  Brunswick,  then  in 
Alassachusetts,  then  in  \'ermont,  and  later  in  Western  Michigan.  Mrs. 
Thompson  was  born  in  Ionia  county.  She  graduated  from  her  home  high 
school  and  taught  several  years  in  the  grade  and  high  schools  of  her  home 
county.  She  then  entered  the  training  school  of  the  Saginaw  General 
Hospital  and  after  completing  her  course  became  the  first  superintendent 
of  the  Hubbard  Memorial  Hospital  at  Bad  Axe,  from  which  she  was 
called  to  be  Superintendent  of  the  Saginaw  General  Hospital,  which  posi- 
tion she  held  until  her  marriage. 

Ror.KRT  G.  ;\IacKexzie,  A.  B.,  M.  D.  In  1907  Dr.  ^MacKenzie  grad- 
uated in  medicine  from  the  University  of  Michigan.  His  father  was 
an  alumnus  of  the  same  school,  and  though  the  family  home  has  long 
been  in  southern  Illinois  the  city  of  Ann  Arbor  has  many  associations 
for  both  generations.  The  younger  Dr.  MacKenzie  chose  to  remain 
at  Ann  Arbor  after  graduating,  has  become  connected  with  the  faculty 
of  instruction  in  the  medical  department  of  the  university,  enjoys  a 
good  practice  as  a  .physician  and  surgeon,  but  is  probably  best  known 
to  the  rank  and  file  of  local  citizenship  through  his  official  position  as 
mayor,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1913. 

The  Scotch  ancestors  of  Dr.  MacKenzie  settled  in  Nova  Scotia  many 
years  ago.  Dr.  Robert  Gordon  MacKenzie  was  born  at  Chester,  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois,  June  3,  1882,  a  son  of  Dr.  William  R.  and  Nellie 
(Gordon)  MacKenzie.  Nova  Scotia  was  the  birthplace  of  his  father, 
who  received  his  earlv  education  there  and  in  1870  graduated  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Alichigan.  The  following  five 
years  were  spent  in  practice  in  the  historic  old  town  of  Kaskaskia,  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois,  which  was  the  first  capital  of  the  territory  of 
Illinois.  Since  then  his  home  and  general  practice  has  been  at  Chester 
in  the  same  county.  Dr.  William  R.  MacKenzie  has  attained  the  age 
of  three  score  and'  ten.  His  wife,  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky  ancestry, 
was  born  at  Chester,  representing  an  old  family  of  that  county.  The 
oldest  of  their  three  children  is  Dr.  William  A.  MacKenzie,  a  success- 
ful physician  and  surgeon  at  St.  Louis :  Dr.  Robert  G.  is  second :  and 
the  sister,  Adeline,  is  wife  of  Dr.  Edward  T.  Urban,  also  a  St.  I-ouis 
physician. 

Robert  G.  IMacKenzie  attended  the  Chester  public  schools,  in  1901 
was  graduated  from  Smith's  Academy  of  St.  Louis,  and  subsequently 
was  a  student  of  McKendree  College  at  Lebanon,  Illinois.  At  the  same 
time  his  studies  in  medicine  had  been  carried  on  under  the  direction  of 
his  father.  In  1907  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
and  in  1908  he  was  graduated  Bachelor  of  Arts  from  the  University 
of  Michigan.  Since  then  Dr.  MacKenzie  has  built  up  a  general  practice 
at  Ann  Arbor.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  surgical  stafif  of  St.  Joseph's 
Hospital.  His  professional  relations  are  with  Washtenaw  County  Med- 
ical Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.  In  his  citizenship  he  is  guided  by  modern  and 
progressive  ideals,-  and  the  community  regarded  itself  as  fortunate  in 
his  election  to  the  office  of  mayor  in  1913.  Dr.  MacKenzie  is  Republican 
in  politics,  and  fraternally  is  associated  with  the  Masonic  Lodge  and  the 
Ann  Arbor  Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

On  Christmas  Day  of  1908  Dr.  ^MacKenzie  married  ^liss  Marian 
Cole,  of  his  old  home  town  of  Chester,  Illinois.  They  have  one  son, 
Robert  Gordon,  Jr. 

George  A.  Striffler.  He  whose  name  initiates  this  paragraph  is 
not   only   one   of   the   representative   business   men   and   landholders   of 


1822  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Tuscola  county  but  is  a  native  son  of  the  county  and  a  scion  of  one  of 
its  best  known  and  most  honored  pioneer  faniihes.  Here  he  was  reared 
and  here  he  has  found  abundant  scope  for  personal  achievement  along 
normal  lines  of  enterprise.  He  is  the  leading  implement  dealer  at  Cass 
City,  one  of  the  thriving  and  attractive  towns  of  this  section  of  the 
state,  and  as  a  citizen  and  business  man  he  is  well  upholding  the  honors 
of  a  name  that  has  been  most  prominently  linked  with  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  Tuscola  county. 

George  Albert  Striffler  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  !-"lkland  tr)wn- 
ship,  Tuscola  county,  Alichigan.  on  the  lOth  of  March,  1804,  and  the 
place  of  his  nativity  is  one  mile  east  and  one  mile  north  of  Cass  City, 
his  present  place  of  residence.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (  Cenkel- 
man)  Striffler,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  near  Lancaster,  Erie 
county.  New  York,  of  German  lineage,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
in  the  kingdom  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany.  The  father  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  the  old  Empire  state  and  there  he  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
penter. In  1850  he  came  to  Michigan  and  numbered  himself  among  the 
pioneers  of  Tuscola  county,  where  he  obtained  a  tract  of  wild  land,  in 
Elkland  township,  and  where  he  instituted  the  reclamation  of  a  farm  of 
forty  acres,  in  the  meanwhile  finding  much  requisition  for  his  services  as 
a  carpenter,  at  Cass  City  and  other  points  in  this  section.  He  was  num- 
bered among  the  very  early  settlers  of  the  county  and  he  erected,  for 
William  Clark,  the  first  frame  store-building  in  Cass  City,  besides  having 
done  much  other  important  work  tending  to  advance  the  upbuild.ing 
and  progress  of  the  village  and  county.  He  was  identified  with  lum- 
bering operations  for  a  number  of  years  and  threw  himself  fully  into 
the  strenuous  work  involved  in  the  development  of  a  new  country. 
He  has  ever  commanded  inviolate  place  in  popular  esteem  and  he  is 
todav  honored  as  one  of  the  sterling  pioneer  citizens  of  the  county  in 
which  he  has  long  maintained  his  home  and  in  which  he  has  served  in 
various  township  offices.  He  was  born  March  15,  1833,  and  his  devoted 
wife,  who  was  born  May  22,  1839,  was  summoned  to  the  life  eternal 
on  the  4th  of  May,  1913;  he  is  now  living  retired  in  Cass  City.  (3f 
the  seven  children,  six  are  still  living:  Emaline  is  the  wife  of  .Archi- 
bald Mark,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  Striffler  homestead ;  George  A., 
of  this  review,  was  the  next  in  order  of  liirth  ;  Salome,  who  resides  in 
Cass  City,  is  the  widow  of  William  Bein :  Miss  Martha  has  supervi- 
sion of  the  domestic  economies  of  her  father's  home,  in  Cass  City ; 
Esther  is  the  wife  of  William  R.  Kaiser,  of  this  place :  and  David  A. 
is  now  a  resident  of  Columbus,  Georgia. 

George  A.  Striffler  was  reared  on  the  homestead  farm  and  well 
recalls  the  conditions  and  incidents  of  the  pioneer  days  in  Tuscola  county. 
After  attending  the  district  school  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cass  City,  and  he  was  about  thirty-two  years  of  age  when  he 
went  to  the  city  of  Detroit,  to  learn  the  trade  of  steam-fitting,  in  the 
Michigan  Central  car  shops.  He  completed  his  apprenticeship  and  then 
returned  to  Cass  City,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in 
the  implement  business,  as  the  successor  of  his  cousin,  Jacob  H.  Striffler, 
who  founded  the  enterprise  many  years  ago,  so  that  it  is  the  oldest  busi- 
ness of  its  kind  in  Tuscola  county,  even  as  it  is  the  largest  in  Cass  City, 
with  equipment  and  facilities  of  the  best  type.  The  original  firm  was 
J.  H.  Striffler  &  Company,  and  the  present  firm  was  first  Striffler  & 
McDermott  and  is  now  composed  of  George  A.  Striffler  and  Charles  E. 
Patterson.  The  firm  deals  in  all  kinds  of  farm  implements  and  machinery 
as  well  as  in  buggies,  carriages  and  wagons,  the  trade  of  the  concern 
being  widely  disseminated  and  its  reputation  being  of  the  highest.  Mr. 
Striffler  has  recently  completed  in  Cass  City  a  handsome  and  thoroughly 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1823 

modern  house  of  twelve  rooms,  the  same  being  the  family  home  and  one 
of  the  most  attractive  in  the  village,  even  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  hospit- 
able,— a  center  of  much  of  the  social  activity  of  the  community.  An 
appreciable  part  of  the  timber  utilized  in  the  erection  of  this  building 
was  taken  from  land  owned  by  Mr.  Striffler  and  is  of  growth  that  has 
been  made  since  the  disastrous  forest  fires  which  swept  this  section  in 
1871.  Mr.  Striffler  himself  found  satisfaction  in  assisting  in  the  sawing 
of  the  logs  into  the  lumber  and  shingles  for  his  fine  new  residence. 

Like  other  representatives  of  the  family  Mr.  Striffler  stands  exponent 
of  progressiveness  and  public  spirit,  and  he  is  one  of  the  loyal  and  liberal 
citizens  of  his  native  county.  He  was  a  Republican  until  the  formation 
of  the  Progressive  party,  in  1912,  when  he  transferred  his  allegiance  to 
the  new  organization.  He  has  not  been  ambitious  for  public  office  but 
has  served  as  township  treasurer.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  local  organi- 
zation of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  his  wife,  who  is  a  leader  in 
the  social  life  of  the  community,  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Literary 
and  Study  Club,  besides  being  a  devoted  communicant  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church. 

In  the  year  1900  Mr.  .Striffler  wedded  Miss  Cora  Belle  Home,  of 
Manitowoc,  Wisconsin,  where  she  was  born  and  reared,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Ervine  Albert,  who  was  born  in  Cass  City,  on  the  27th  of 
March,  1906. 

Nathan  Goodwill  Davis.  The  late  Nathan  Goodwill  Davis,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  Michigan,  who  died  on  March  20,  i88g,  was  a  New 
Yorker  by  birth,  his  natal  day  having  been  January  22,  1830,  so  that  he 
was  just  past  fifty-nine  years  of  age  when  death  claimed  him.  He  was 
a  son  of  Ezra  and  Theodosia  (Goodwill)  Davis,  and  he  came  to  Jackson, 
Michigan,  with  his  parents  when  yet  a  babe  in  arms,  this  city  represent- 
ing his  home  from  then  until  the  day  of  his  passing,  though  in  his  latter 
years  he  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in  the  south  and  west.  At  one  time 
he  spent  three  years  away  from  Jackson,  that  time  being  passed  in  Kan- 
sas, Colorado  and  California,  though  he  continued  to  retain  his  Jackson 
home  and  other  interests  throughout  that  period.  He  was  in  search  of 
health  when  on  these  peregrinations,  and  always,  when  his  condition 
permitted  it,  he  would  return  to  Jackson,  his  home  city,  and  the  place 
where  he  best  loved  to  be. 

When  the  Davis  family  first  came  to  Jackson,  they  settled  on  a  farm, 
which  in  later  years  came  to  be  known  as  the  Thomas  Kent  farm,  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  city,  much  of  Jackson  as  it  stands  today  being  built 
upon  what  was  in  bygone  years  the  Davis  farm  and  home. 

As  a  mere  lad,  Nathan  Goodwill  Davis  went  to  work  in  a  grocery 
store  for  Charles  L.  Mitchell,  in  a  clerking  capacity,  and  he  continued 
with  Mr.  Mitchell  until  he  was  old  enough  and  sufficiently  experienced 
to  go  into  business  for  himself,  when  he  opened  a  grocery  store  on  his 
own  responsibility.  Thereafter  for  a  long  period  of  years  Mr.  Davis 
was  counted  among  the  leading  grocers  in  the  city,  carrv'ing  on  both 
wholesale  and  retail  activities.  He  built  the  block  on  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Mechanic  and  Cortland  streets,  and  for  many  years  his  grocery 
business  was  carried  on  in  that  building. 

Mr.  Davis  was  a  shrewd  and  capable  business  man,  and  he  ac(|nired, 
in  the  passing  years,  the  ownership  of  much  other  valuable  property  on 
Cortland  street,  between  Mechanic  and  Francis  streets,  on  both  the  north 
and  south'  sides,  all  of  which,  including  the  block  where  his  business  was 
located,  is  now  the  property  of  his  widow  and  children. 

In  the  year  1874  Mr.  Davis  retired  from  the  grocers-  business  and 
purchased   the   old    Exchange   Hotel,   changing   its   name    to   the   Davis 


1824  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Hotel.  The  place  then  stood  where  now  is  located  the  building  of  the 
International  Harvester  Company.  In  moving  into  the  hotel  Mr.  Davis 
was  so  unfortmiate  as  to  contract  a  severe  cold  that  developed  into  an 
acute  attack  of  pleurisy,  and  though  he  lived  for  many  years  thereafter, 
he  never  regained  his  former  strength  and  vigor,  a  fact  that  will  account 
for  his  many  journeys  to  the  south  and  west  in  later  years. 

On  October  4,  1864,  Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  i\Iiss  Elizabeth  Jack- 
son, of  Blackman,  Jackson  county,  Michigan.  She  was  born  in  Erie 
county,  New  York,  on  October  2~,  1847,  coming  to  Michigan  with  her 
parents  when  she  was  seven  years  of  age.  Her  father  was  Rodolph  D. 
Jackson,  and  her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Meade.  The  mother 
died  in  New  York  state,  prior  to  the  removal  of  the  family  to  this  state. 
Rodolph  Jackson  married  in  later  years  ]\Iiss  Alma  Ferguson,  who 
proved  herself  a  kind  and  devoted  step-mother  to  the  four  motherless 
children  of  his  first  wife. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Airs.  Davis.  Nathan  G.  Davis, 
Jr.,  was  born  July  2,  1869:  Paul  J.,  born  February  4,  1886;  and  Bessie. 
The  daughter  died  in  infancy,  and  the  two  sons  are  residents  of  Jackson. 
The  eldest  son,  Nathan  G.,  was  married  on  August  30,  1904,  to  Miss 
Lena  G.  Hoag,  and  they  have  two  sons, — Paul  J.,  born  November  21, 
1907,  and  Jack  H.,  born  July  31,  1910. 

In  1890  the  widow  of  Mr.  Davis  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Prof. 
Washington  M.  Skinner,  formerly  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  who  was 
a  talented  musician  and  vocalist,  and  for  many  years  was  a  prominent 
instructor  and  conductor  of  music.  He  died  on  January  31,  1912,  without 
issue  from  this  marriage. 

On  February  11,  1909.  the  younger  son  of  Nathan  G.  Davis  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ina  Wise.    They  have  no  children. 

Nathan  G.  Davis  was  a  remarkably  successful  business  man,  as  will 
be  conceded  by  all  who  have  any  familiarity  with  his  active  career,  and  in 
the  years  of  his  business  activity  he  accumulated  a  large  fortune. 

He  was  fond  of  thoroughbred  horses  and  on  his  fine  farm  near 
Jackson  paid  special  attention  to  the  breeding  of  trotting  horses,  becom- 
ing widely  known  for  his  success  in  that  work.  Some  of  the  products 
of  his  stables  became  famous  winners  on  American  race  tracks,  among 
them  being  Frank  Moscow,  and  Louis  Napoleon  Jr.  Though  he  gave 
the  most  businesslike  attention  to  that  enterprise,  it  was  really  his  recrea- 
tion, and  about  the  only  form  of  sport  he  indulged  in. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Davis  was  recorded  as  one  of  the  heaviest  tax 
payers  in  Jackson. 

His  widow,  now  the  widow  of  Prof.  Skinner,  as  has  been  noted 
previously,  has  her  residence  at  No.  136  Lansing  avenue,  where  she  has 
one  of  the  pleasing  and  desirable  homes  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
city. 

George  H.  Clippert.  Detroit  has  for  a  long  period  of  years  been 
a  center  for  the  manufacture  of  clay  products  and  one  of  the  oldest 
brickmakers  in  the  city  is  George  H.  Clippert,  whose  career  has  been 
associated  with  brick  manufacture  for  more  than  thirty  years.  His 
father  before  him  was  one  of  the  earlier  brickmakers,  a  prominent 
banker  and  active  in  official  affairs.  Mr.  Clippert  is  now  president  of 
the  George   H.   Clippert  &   Bro.   Brick   Company. 

George  H.  Clippert  was  born  in  Springwells.  now  a  part  of  the  city 
of  Detroit,  on  March  24,  i860.  His  parents  were  Conrad  and  Giristiana 
F.  (Pfeifle)  Clippert.  They  were  both  natives  of  Hesse-Cassell.  Ger- 
many, where  Conrad  was  born  February  14,  1834.  Brought  to  the  United 
States  in  1849,  his  family  located  at  Springwells,  and  as  a  boy  of  fifteen. 


^^^.^f? 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1825 

first  in  the  old  country,  he  began  working  out  a  career  which  eventually 
made  him  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  Detroit.  R.  H.  Hall  was  at  that 
time  and  had  for  a  number  of  years  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  brick  at  Springwells,  and  it  was  under  him  that  Conrad  Clippert 
learned  the  business  and  re:nained  a  faithful  employe  for  more  than 
twenty  3'ears,  part  of  the  time  serving  as  foreman  and  as  superintendent 
of  the  plant.  In  1876  his  long  experience  was  converted  into  independent 
enterprise  as  a  brick  manufacturer,  and  in  1884  he  was  joined  bv  his 
two  sons,  George  H.  and  Charles  F.,  at  which  time  the  firm  name  became 
Conrad  Clippert  &  Sons.  For  a  number  of  years  Conrad  Clippert  served 
as  supervisor  and  in  1880  was  elected  to  the  office  of  sheriflf' of  Wayne 
county,  and  re-elected  in  1882.  His  election  came  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  although  at  that  time  the  county  was  normally  Democratic,  a  fact 
which  indicates  his  high  personal  popularity.  In  1898  Conrad  Clippert 
assumed  the  duties  of  vice-president  of  the  Central  Savings  Bank  of 
Detroit,  and  was  an  officer  of  that  institution  until  his  death  in  Jan- 
uary, igoi. 

George  H.  Clippert  thus  grew  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  business  ac- 
tivity, and  was  liberally  educated  in  the  St.  John's  German  school,  the 
Patterson's  private  school  for  boys,  and  in  Goldsmith's  Business  College. 
A  retail  grocery  store  in  1875  took  him  in  as  clerk,  and  a  year  later  he 
began  railroading  as  a  fireman  with  the  ^Michigan  Central,  and  three 
years  later  was  promoted  to  engineer.  Leaving  railroad  service  in  1883 
Mr.  Clippert  entered  his  father's  office,  and  soon  had  an  important  share 
of  the  responsibilities  and  management  in  an  industry  which  had  been 
developed  to  large  and  prosperous  proportions.  As  already  mentioned, 
in  1884  he  was  taken  in  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Conrad  Clippert  & 
Sons,  and  for  the  next  ten  years  closely  devoted  his  time  and  ability 
to  brick  manufacture.  In  1894  the  old  firm  was  succeeded  by  that  of 
George  H.  Clippert  &  Bro.,  and  in  1899  was  incorporated  as  the  George 
H.  Clippert  &  Bro.  Brick  Company,  of  which  he  is  president  and  treas- 
urer; his  brother,  Charles  F.,  is  vice-president  and  general  manager, 
and  Harrison,  a  son  of  George  H.,  is  secretary. 

In  allied  activities  and  in  public  affairs  Mr.  Clippert  has  always 
manifested  a  public-spirited  part.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  Detroit  Builders'  &  Traders'  Exchange,  of  which  he  has  served 
as  vice-president  and  as  president  in  1913 ;  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Board 
of  Commerce,  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  \^'ayne 
County  and  Home  Savings  Bank.  From  1907  to  1909  he  was  chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Control  of  the  State  Industrial  Home  for  Girls.  His 
fraternal  affiliations  are  with  Union  Lodge  of  the  Masonic  Order,  with 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Harmonic  Society 
and  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club. 

C)n  September  28,  1886,  Mr.  Clippert  married  Miss  Flora  A.  Lyon, 
who  was  born  in  Detroit,  a  daughter  of  Adolph  A.  Lyon,  a  merchant 
tailor.     The  children  are :     Edna,  Harrison,  Phyllis.  Helen  and  George. 

Thomas  Hood.  Fifty-three  of  the  seventy-six  years  of  the  life  of 
Thomas  Hood  have  been  connected  with  the  city  of  Jackson,  and  except 
a  few  years  of  absence  in  foreign  countries,  have  been  spent  in  the  midst 
of  the  stirring  events  of  this  city's  activities  and  as  a  participant  in  its 
municipal,  business  and  social  growth.  Although  now  living  retired 
from  active  pursuits,  he  still  takes  a  keen  interest  in  aiTairs  connected 
with  the  lumber  trade,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  many  years,  and  in 
the  breeding  of  trotting  horses,  some  of  his  animals  having  made  his 
name  known  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 

Thomas  Hood,  or  "Rodney  Hood"  as  he  was  affectionately  known 


1826  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

by  his  numerous  friends,  was  born  at  Pebles-on-the-T\veed,  Scotland, 
his  ancestors  being  Scotch  Presbyterians.  His  natal  date  was  July  20, 
1837,  and  he  is  a  son  of  James  and  Belle  (Rutherford)  Hood.  Air.  Hood 
was  given  limited  educational  advantages,  leaving  school  in  his  native 
land  when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  following  which  he  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  miller,  his  father's  occupation.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age  his  parents  decided  to  come  to  America,  and  accordingly,  in  1852, 
the  family  arrived  in  County  Wellington,  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada. 
There  the  youth  learned  the  trade  of  butcher,  with  an  elder  brother,  and 
continued  to  be  thus  engaged  in  Canada  until  i860.  In  that  year  IMr. 
Hood  migrated  to  the  United  States,  and  at  once  took  up  his  home  in 
Jackson,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  to  the  present  date.  He  arrived 
in  this  city  under  rather  unfavorable  conditions,  his  cash  capital  con- 
sisting of  fifty  cents,  but  he  was  industrious  and  ambitious  and  soon 
secured  employment  with  the  firm  of  Ford  &  Lyon,  who  conducted  a 
meat  market.  He  first  received  wages  of  thirteen  dollars  a  month,  but 
after  he  had  worked  for  three  years  his  services  had  become  so  valuable 
to  his  employers  that  he  was  receiving  one  hundred  dollars  a  month.  His 
position  was  a  congenial  one  and  he  was  making  good  wages,  but  it  had 
always  been  his  desire  to  be  at  the  head  of  a  business  of  his  own,  and 
this  ambition  was  realized  in  1863,  when,  in  partnership  with  John  Watts, 
a  friend,  who  also  worked  for  Ford  &  Lyon,  he  established  the  firm  of 
Hood  &  Watts,  and  commenced  business  in  a  meat  market  of  his  own, 
located  on  the  present  site  of  the  Carter  building.  This  venture  was  a 
success  almost  from  the  start  and  the  partners  did  a  prosperous  business 
in  handling  meats  and  in  eventually  shipping  cattle.  In  the  next  several 
vears,  however,  Mr.  Hood  became  interested  in  sawmilling  and  lumber- 
ing, and  finally  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  market  and  stock  business  in 
order  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  the  new  line.  During  the  next 
twenty  years  he  had  large  interests  in  the  pine  region  of  Northern  Alichi- 
gan,  but  through  it  all  maintained  his  home  in  Jackson.  He  still  has  an 
interest  in  a  veneer  factory  at  Big  Rapids,  Michigan.  Mr.  Hood's  prudent 
and  skillful  management  of  his  business  afifairs  yielded  large  profits,  so 
that  at  the  time  of  his  retirement  he  had  a  comfortable  competency.  For 
years  he  was  one  of  the  best  known  breeders  of  harness  horses  in  Michi- 
gan, and  was  also  known  as  a  campaigner.  His  breeding  establishment 
was  located  one  mile  and  a  half  from  Jackson,  and  was  known  as  Hamlet's 
Home  Stock  Farm,  a  tract  of  160  acres,  on  which  Mr.  Hood  built  up 
one  of  the  finest  trotting  horse  breeding  establishments  in  the  state.  At 
its  head  was  the  noted  sire,  "W.  H.  Cassidy,"  which  was  by  "Young 
Jim,"  in  tuni  by  "George  Wilkes."  Mr.  Hood  produced  on  this  farm  a 
number  of  trotters  that  afterward  won  laurels  on  the  tracks  of  both 
America  and  Europe,  and  many  of  the  trotters  of  the  present  day  now 
campaigning  in  the  United  States,  Europe  and  Africa,  were  bred  on 
Hamlet's  Home  Stock  Farm.  On  this  farm  was  produced  the  famous 
colt  "Thomas  Hood,"  named  after  himself,  which  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Michigan  Trotting  Horse  Association,  held  at  Kalamazoo,  in  September, 
1912.  won  a  cup  which  had  been  offered  by  the  association  to  the  Michi- 
gan breeder  who  could  produce  the  winner  of  the  three-year-old  class, 
a  cup  of  silver,  beautifully  engraved,  and  worth  more  than  $200,  although 
Mr.  Hood  values  it  far  beyond  that  price.  Mr.  Hood  is  a  popular  mem- 
ber of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  public  matters  have  not  appealed  to  him  and 
he  has  not  sought  public  office. 

On  December  27,  1864,  Mr.  Hood  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Pond, 
daughter  of  the  late  C.  C.  Pond,  during  his  day  one  of  the  wealthy  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Jackson.     Mrs.  Hood  died  May   15,  1886,  having 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1827 

been  the  mother  of  two  daughters  now  surviving,  namely :  Nettie  Groom, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Wiley  Reynolds,  of  Jackson;  and  Jessie  M.,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Harry  Bassett,  of  Flint,  Michigan.  Four  children  of  Mr. 
Hood  are  dead,  as  follows :  Etta  Belle,  George,  William  and  James. 

Richard  H.  Fyfe.  Of  an  old  Scottish  family,  represented  in  Amer- 
ica since  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  identified  with 
Michigan  practically  throughout  the  period  of  statehood,  Mr.  Richard 
H.  Fyfe  has  himself  for  more  than  seventy  years  been  a  resident  of 
Michigan,  and  as  a  citizen  and  business  man  of  Detroit  has  for  a  long 
term  of  years  enjoyed  the  fruit  of  larger  success,  and  at  the  same  time 
has  devoted  his  exceptional  ability  to  the  welfare  of  his  city  and  state. 
A  few  years  before  the  war,  Mr.  Fyfe  began  his  career  in  Detroit  as  a 
clerk  in  a  shoe  house.  His  advancement  was  in  proportion  to  his  remark- 
able ambition  and  industry,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  the  firm  of  R.  H. 
Fyfe  &  Company  had  a  standing  in  the  shoe  business  second  to  none. 
All  his  successes  have  been  worthily  won  and  the  prosperity  which  his 
city  has  conferred  upon  him  he  has  in  many  ways  returned  in  disinter- 
ested and  efficient  citizenship. 

Richard  Henry  Fyfe  was  born  at  Oak  Orchard,  Orleans  county. 
New  York,  January  5,  1839,  a  son  of  Claudius  Liucius  and  Abigail  (Gil- 
bert) Fyfe.  The  paternal  ancestry  goes  back  to  sturdy  and  earnest 
Scotch  and  the  great-grandfather  was  John  Fiffe,  of  Fififeshire,  Scotland. 
Grandfather  John  Fyfe  w-as  the  first  to  adopt  the  present  spelling  of 
the  name.  Grandfather  Fyfe  was  born  and  reared  in  Fiffeshire.  where 
he  received  excellent  educational  advantages  as  measured  by  the  stand- 
ards of  that  time.  In  1775.  the  year  in  which  the  American  Revolution 
began,  he  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  near  Boston.  Not  long  after- 
wards he  volunteered  for  service  in  a  Alassachusetts  regiment,  took  part 
in  the  activities  about  Boston  during  the  siege,  and  was  a  patriotic  sol- 
dier, especially  during  the  early  years  of  the  war.  John  Fyfe  was  a  young 
man  when  he  came  to  America,  and  on  February  i,  1786,  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Strong.  Her  ancestor,  John  Strong,  was  the  founder  of  Dor- 
chester, Massachusetts,  having  emigrated  from  England  in  1730.  The 
Strong  family  has  been  one  of  special  distinction  in  connection  with 
American  history,  and  it  has  been  said  "few  families  have  had  more 
educated  or  professional  men  among  them."  Soon  after  his  marriage 
John  Fyfe  moved  to  Salisbury,  Addison  county,  \^ermont,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  and  lived  there  until  his  death  on  January  I,  1813. 
His  noble  wife  survived  him  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  until  Novem- 
ber, 1835.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  the  youngest  was  Claudius  Liucius. 

Claudius  Liucius  Fyfe,  born  in  Addison  county,  Vermont,  January 
3,  1798,  was  reared  in  a  pioneer  time  and  community,  and  his  education 
was  limited.  He  possessed  the  fine  mentality  which  has  been  characteris- 
tic of  the  familv,  and  throughout  his  career  was  always  considered  a 
man  of  exceptional  attainments  in  both  mind  and  character.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  April  6,  1825,  at  Brandon,  Vermont,  to  Miss  .\higail  Gilbert, 
whose  parents  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Genesee  county.  New 
York.  Mr.  Fyfe  continued  a  Vermont  farmer  until  1830,  then  brought 
his  family  to  Knowlesville,  Orleans  county.  New  York,  afterwards  re- 
siding in  Chautauqua  county  in  the  same  state.  In  1837.  the  year  of 
Michigan's  admission  into  the  Union,  he  brought  his  family,  but  remained 
only  a  short  time.  His  experience  in'  Michigan  was  sufficient  to  create 
a  well  defined  longing  for  the  west,  and  only  a  short  time  passed  before 
he  finally  severed  his  ties  with  New  York  State,  and  became  permanently 
identified  with  Michigan.     He  settled  at  Hillsdale,  where  he  lived  a  long 


1828  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  useful  career  until  his  death  in  1881,  when  more  than  eighty  years 
of  age.  He  contributed  much  to  the  development  and  progress  of  his 
county,  and  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  conducted  a  tannery,  and  owned  large  quantities  of  agricultural 
land  in  Hillsdale  county.  His  wife  died  in  ^lichigan  in  1848.  Both 
-  were  consistent  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Their  children 
comprised  five  daughters  and  one  son^  the  only  survivor  being  Richard 
H.     His  sister  Jennie,  died  October  20,  1913. 

Richard  Henry-  Fyfe  was  an  infant  when  brought  to  Michigan,  and 
all  his  early  years  were  spent  in  Hillsdale  county  at  the  village  of  Litch- 
field. When  he  was  eleven  years  old  his  father  met  financial  reverses, 
which  placed  the  family  in  somewhat  straitened  circumstances,  and 
the  only  son  at  that  age  had  to  take  up  the  serious  responsibilities  of  self- 
support.  His  first  employment  was  in  a  drug  store  conducted  by  Mott 
Brothers  at  Hillsdale,  and  he  had  a  previous  experience  with  a  drug 
house  at  Kalamazoo.  Thus  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Fyfe's  residence  in 
Detroit  was  in  the  year  1857.  j\Ir.  T.  K.  Adams  was  at  that  time  pro- 
prietor of  a  boot  and  shoe  store,  and  hired  young  Fyfe  as  a  clerk.  Though 
his  hours  were  long,  there  was  much  time  when  he  was  not  engaged  in 
waiting  on  trade  and  performing  other  duties,  and  he  utilized  this  leisure 
by  close  reading  and  study,  and  in  this  way  educated  himself,  and  among 
his  associates  has  never  been  considered  in  any  wise  deficient  in  educa- 
tional equipment.  After  six  years  with  I\Ir.  Adams,  the  young  clerk 
took  a  similar  place  with  the  firm  of  Rucker  &  Morgan,  in  the  same  line 
of  merchandise.  He  was  an  industrious  worker  and  frugal  in  his  living 
and  habits,  and  by  his  economical  diligence,  'by  1865,  was  able  to  pur- 
chase the  stock  and  business  of  C.  C.  Tyler  &  Company,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded his  original  employer,  Mr.  Adams.  The  establishment  was  at 
loi  W'oodward  avenue,  and  at  this  location  a  factory  building  was  located 
in  1875  to  afford  adequate  facilities  for  the- large  trade  which  Mr.  Fyfe 
had  built  up  through  his  fair  and  honorable  dealing  and  careful  service. 
His  record  from  1865,  was  one  of  solid  and  consecutive  growth,  and  for 
many  years  he  has  stood  at  the  head  of  the  custom  and  retail  shoe  trade 
in  the  Michigan  metropolis.  In  1881  he  purchased  the  boot  and  shoe 
establishment  of  A.  R.  Morgan  at  106  Woodward  avenue,  and  for  some 
time  conducted  that  as  a  branch  of  his  other  store.  In  1885  he  established 
the  present  store  at  185  Woodward  avenue.  Since  1875  the  business  has 
been  conducted  under  the  title  of  R.  H.  Fyfe  &  Company,  and  while  Mr. 
Fyfe  has  had  able  assistance,  the  growth  and  solid  success  of  the  enter- 
prise has  been  due  almost  entirely  to  his  own  efforts  and  able  manage- 
ment. In  its  equipment  and  facilities,  the  Fyfe  establishment  has  no 
superior  in  Detroit,  and  thousands  of  customers  in  Detroit  have  for  years 
regularly  patronized  this  store,  their  continuous  custom  being  the  high- 
est possible  compliment  that  could  be  paid  to  the  fidelity  and  service 
rendered  by  Mr.  Fyfe  as  a  merchant. 

Successful  as  a  business  man  Air.  Fyfe  has  never  been  content  with 
the  more  selfish  enjoyment  of  his  success,  and  has  always  been  a  liberal 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  further  the 
civic  and  industrial  progress  of  his  home  city.  He  was  one  of  those 
primarily  concerned  in  the  organization  of  the  Citizens  Savings  Bank 
in  1890,  and  served  as  its  vice  president  until  1898,  at  which  time  he  was 
elected  president,  and  continued  until  the  bank  was  consolidated  with  the 
Dime  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  is  now  a  director.  For  several  years 
Mr.  Fyfe  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  ^Michigan 
Medical  College  and  assisted  in  consolidating  the  institution  with  the 
Detroit  Medical  College  under  the  title  of  the  Michigan  College  of  Medi- 
cine.    He  has  since  served  as  trustee  of  the  latter  institution,  which  is 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1829 

now  one  of  the  splendid  educational  centers  of  Michigan.  Among  other 
interests  Mr.  Fyfe  is  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  valuable  real  estate 
in  Detroit,  and  by  improving  his  property  has  done  much  to  advance  the 
material  upbuilding  of  the  city. 

In  politics  a  Republican,  Mr.  Fyfe  has  never  been  in  any  sense  a 
politician,  though  his  equipment  for  civic  duties  have  been  broad,  and 
he  has  possessed  both  the  knowledge  of  civic  and  economics  and  the 
capacity  for  judicious  action  which  constitutes  the  ideal  citizen  of  a 
democracy.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Fyfe  attend  St.  Paul's  church,  Protestant 
Episcopal,  of  which  Mrs.  Fyfe  is  a  member.  For  a  number  of  years 
Mr.  Fyfe  was  a  member  and  also  president  of  the  Detroit  City  Lighting 
Commission,  and  was  president  of  the  commission  when  the  present 
lighting  plant  was  constructed.  At  one  time  he  served  as  president  of 
the  Detroit  Municipal  League,  which  rendered  most  valuable  service  in 
the  cause  of  good  municipal  government.  Mr.  Fyfe  has  membership 
in  the  local  organization  of  the  New  England  Society,  and  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  having  been  president  of  the  former,  and  was 
president  of  the  latter  in  1908.  He  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Board  of 
Commerce,  and  has  membership  in  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Lake  St.  Clair 
Shooting  and  Fishing  Club,  commonly  known  as  the  Old  Club,  and  his 
name  is  associated  with  other  civic  and  social  organizations  in  the  city. 

On  October  27,  1868,  he  married  Miss  Abby  Lucretia  Albee  Rice, 
who  was  born  at  Marlborough,  Middlesex  county,  ^lassachusetts,  where 
her  father,  Abraham  W.  Rice,  was  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen. 
Mrs.  Fyfe  for  manv  years  has  been  a  leader  in  church,  charitable,  benevo- 
lent and  social  activities  in  Detroit,  and  her  beautiful  home  is  recognized 
as  a  center  for  the  cultured  and  refined  activities  of  Detroit  society.  She 
has  been  vice-regent  of  the  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  and  was  at  one  time  regent  of  the  Detroit  chapter  of  that 
order.  For  some  time  she  was  vice-president  of  the  Thompson  Old 
Ladies  Home,  one  of  the  noble  institutions  of  Detroit,  and  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  an  honorary  member  of  the  governing  board 
of  the  Protestant  Orphans  Home,  of  which  for  several  years  she  was 
secretary.  A  number  of  her  ancestors  were  soldiers  in  the  Continental 
lines  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  this  fact  and  her  own  actual 
interest  in  such  matters  has  caused  her  to  be  a  thorough  student  of  early 
American  annals.  She  was  at  one  time  president  of  the  Michigan  organi- 
zation of  Mount  Vernon  Society,  a  society  which  is  credited  with  having 
preserved  the  old  homestead  of  General  Washington.  She  was  for  a  time 
president  of  the  Michigan  branch  of  the  society,  and  has  also  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Detroit  Society  of  Colonial  Dames.  [Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fyfe  have 
no  children. 

William  R.  Brown.  Though  the  late  William  R.  Brown  reached 
the  unusual  age  of  ninety-two  years,  it  is  a  fact  worthy  of  mention  that 
up  to  a  very  few  months  prior  to  his  passing,  he  was  to  be  found  daily 
at  his  desk,  directing  the  affairs  of  his  insurance  business  at  his  office 
in  Jackson.  In  May,  1911,  the  state  of  his  health  grew  to  be  so  unsatis- 
factory that  he  settled  up  his  affairs,  sold  his  business,  and  retired. 
He  passed  away  at  his  home  on  October  13,  iQii,  and  there  were  and  yet 
are,  many  who  mourn  his  loss  from  their  midst. 

William  R.  Brown  was  born  in  Stratford,  New  Hampshire,  on 
December  14,  1819.  and  had  his  education  in  Lancaster  Academy.  In 
the  year  1856  he  first  embarked  in  the  insurance  business,  devoting  him- 
self to  fire  and  marine  lines,  and  locating  in  Boston,  ]\Iassachusetts._  He 
advanced  rapidly  in  insurance  circles,  and  later  on  he  was  appointed 
president  of  the' National  Insurance  Company  of  Jersey  City,  New  Jer- 


1830  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

sey.  He  continued  at  the  head  of  that  company  mitil  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  post  of  agent  to  care  for 
the  wounded  soldiers  sent  from  the  front  to  their  homes.  He  had  his 
headquarters  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  it  is  of  record  that  because  of 
his  humane  and  kindly  disposition  he  was  regarded  by  the  authorities  as 
a  most  valuable  man  in  that  capacity.  He  continued  to  so  serve  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  came  to  Jackson,  ^Michigan,  and  this  city 
was  the  scene  of  his  activities  from  then  until  death  claimed  him. 

Mr.  Brown  witnessed  the  growth  of  this  now  thriving  city  from  a 
small  village,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  performed  the  full 
share  of  one  man  towards  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  the  city,  and 
that  a  generous  measure  of  credit  is  due  him  today  as  one  who  lived 
with  the  best  interests  of  the  city  ever  at  his  heart. 

Practically  all  his  later  life  .Mr.  Brown  was  a  consistent  and  earnest 
Democrat,  and  when  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  sheriff  in  1872, 
he  was  elected  by  a  pleasing  majority,  though  1872  was  a  banner  year 
for  the  Republican  party  in  Jackson,  and  throughout  the  whole  country. 
In  1872  he  was  re-nominated  and  again  he  had  a  victor>'  that  was  a  per- 
sonal tribute  to  his  popularity  as  a  man  and  citizen.  In  later  years  his 
party  on  many  occasions  urged  him  to  stand  for  elections  to  various  offices 
but  Mr.  Brown  never  would  permit  his  name  to  stand  again.  He 
never  regarded  his  political  victories  as  in  any  way  reflecting  especial 
credit  upon  himself,  and  always  felt  that  any  other  Democrat  would 
have  the  same  chance  at  the  polls, — a  supposition  that  actual  happenings 
failed  to  substantiate  on  many  occasions. 

In  1879  Mr.  Brown  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  business  in  Jack- 
son, and  he  continued  in  that  field  with  all  success  for  more  than  thirty- 
two  vears,  or  until  the  infirmities  attendant  upon  his  age  compelled  him 
to  withdraw  from  business,  as  already  stated. 

Few  men  in  Jackson  were  more  popular  than  was  Mr.  Brown.  He 
was  a  whole-souled  and  genial  man,  generous  and  kind,  and  he  was  one 
to  whom  an  appeal  for  aid  never  went  unnoticed. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  April  20,  1845, 
to  Mary  M.  Hadley,  who  survived  him  for  a  brief  time,  passing  away 
on  Christmas  day,  1912.  when  she  was  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  They 
had  lived  together  in  wedded  happiness  for  more  than  sixty  years,  and 
celebrated  their  sixtieth  wedding  anniversary  in  1905.  Their  only  living 
child  is  Mrs.  W.  D.  Ford,  of  this  city.  ^Mrs.  Georgina  Brown  Ford  was 
born  in  the  old  Marlborough  Hotel  in  Boston,  on  March  30,  1846,  and  she 
was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Jack- 
son. This  city  has  represented  her  home  from  then  to  the  present  time. 
Her  marriage  to  Whitman  D.  Ford  occurred  in  1863,  and  concerning 
that  worthy  gentleman,  who  died  on  October  12,  1907,  brief  mention  is 
here  made  as  follows:  Whitman  D.  Ford  was  born  at  Colerain,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  April  30,  1838.  but  in  early  life  moved  to  Saratoga  county. 
New  York,  where  he  spent  several  years.  In  1863  he  married  Miss 
Georgina  Brown,  then  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  one  year  later  they 
came  to  Jackson,  which  city  continued  to  be  their  home. 

Mr.  Ford  was  an  expert  bookkeeper  in  his  youth,  and  not  long  after 
he  came  to  Jackson  he  associated  himself  with  the  music  house  of  R.  D. 
Bullock,  where  he  continued  as  auditor  and  general  accountant  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  He  spent  thirteen  years  in  South  Dakota,  looking 
after  some  mining  properties  in  which  he  had  an  interest,  and  finally 
returning  to  Jackson,  where  he  took  up  his  residence  again,  and  con- 
tinuing here  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Airs.  Ford, — William  R..  who 
died  in   1868:  Samuel  W.,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Frank  C,  who  sue- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1831 

ceeded  to  his  grandfather's  business  in  this  city,  and  Mrs.  \V.  W.  Todd, 
also  a  resident  of  Jackson. 

Mr.  Ford  was  sixt_v-nine  years  of  age  when  he  passed  away,  and  a 
residence  of  more  than  forty  years  within  the  city  had  been  sufficient  to 
estabhsh  him  firmly  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  best  people  of 
the  community.  His  widow  has  a  host  of  genuine  friends  in  and  about 
Jackson,  and  other  members  of  the  family  here  resident  have  prominent 
places  in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  city. 

John  H.  Johnson.  President  of  the  Peninsular  State  Bank  of  De- 
troit, John  H.  Johnson  has  been  identified  with  that  one  institution  for 
twenty-five  years,  covering  almost  the  entire  period  of  its  existence,  and 
his  progress  has  taken  him  from  teller  to  executive  head.  He  is  one  of 
Detroit's  best  known  bankers  and  business  men. 

Born  in  Detroit  March  i8,  i860,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Ann  (Dolan) 
Johnson,  early  residents  of  Detroit,  his  youth  was  spent  in  his  native  city, 
and  both  public  and  private  schools  supplied  his  early  education.  In 
1879  he  found  his  first  place  in  the  business  world  as  an  employee  of  a 
wholesale  dry  goods  house,  and  was  with  that  firm  for  ten  years.  In 
1889  the  Peninsular  State  Bank,  which  had  been  only  recently  organized, 
made  Air.  Johnson  its  teller,  and  since  then  his  promotion  has  been 
steadily  upward.  In  1891  he  was  made  assistant  cashier,  became  cashier 
in  1806,  and  since  1907  has  had  the  executive  management  of  the  bank 
as  its  president. 

Mr.  lohnson  is  also  a  director  of  the  Security  Trust  Company  of 
Detroit,  and  a  director  in  the  River  Rouge  Savings  and  Dearborn  State 
Banks.  In  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  he  has  served  both  as  a 
director  and  as  treasurer,  and  has  a  large  acquaintance  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  American  Bankers  Association,  in  which  organization  he  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Savings  Bank  Section,  and  also  on  the  execu- 
tive committee.  His  social  relations  are  with  the  Detroit  Club,  the  De- 
troit Golf  Club,  the  Detroit  Fishing  and  Hunting  Club,  and  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  his  church  being  the  Catholic.  On  May  26,  1886,  Mr. 
Johnson  married  Miss  Frances  M.  AIcGrath  of  Detroit,  who  died  in 
October,  191 2.     One  daughter  was  born  of  that  union,  Grace  E. 

J.\MEs  Carey.  The  life  record  of  the  late  James  Carey  is  that  of  a 
man  who  worked  his  way  upward  through  the  medium  of  his  own  exer- 
tions, and  whose  rise  was  aided  by  no  fortuitious  chance  or  circumstance. 
His  life  was  one  of  industry  and  perseverance,  and  for  many  years  he 
was  one  of  the  most  trusted  employes  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad, 
and  was  equally  prominent  as  an  influential  representative  of  that  power- 
ful organization,  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers.  In  Jackson, 
where  Air.  Carey  made  his  home  for  nearly  thirty-seven  years,  he  is 
remembered  as  a  loval  and  public-spirited  citizen,  who  took  an  interest  in 
the  growth  and  development  of  his  city,  and  who  at  all  times  proved  him- 
self an  excellent  neighbor  and  a  loyal  friend. 

Mr.  Carey  was  born  July  27,  1847.  and  the  greater  part  of  his  boy- 
hood was  spent  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  His  educational  advantages 
were  not  numerous  nor  extensive,  for  when  still  a  lad  he  laid  aside  his 
books  to  enter  upon  his  career  as  a  railroad  man,  liis  first  occupation 
being  that  of  newsboy,  on  trains  plying  between  Alihvaukee  and  Chicago. 
Later,  when  he  had  grown  to  sturdy  young  manhood,  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  locomotive  fireman,  from  which  capacity  he  rose  to  engineer  on 
a  switch  engine  in  the  Chicago  yards,  and  in  1871  came  to  Jackson,  Michi- 
gan, having  secured  a  position  as  engineer  on  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road.    For  thirtv  years  Mr.   Carey  handled  the  throttle  for  this  road, 


1832  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

first  on  freight  engines  and  later  on  a  passenger  locomotive,  his  run 
being  principally  between  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  and  Jackson,  Michi- 
gan. In  Sejnember,  1903,  after  a  long,  faithfnl  and  honorable  ser\-ice, 
he  was  retired  by  his  company  with  a  pension  of  fifty  dollars  per  month. 
From  that  time  forward  he  continued  to  live  a  quiet,  luieventful  life 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  30,  1908.  Air.  Carey  was  a  promi- 
nent Alason,  having  risen  to  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  and  also  be- 
longed to  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  He  early  became  prominent  in  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  and  his  abilities  were  soon  recog- 
nized by  his  election  to  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  For  a  long 
period  he  was  chairman  of  the  general  adjustment  board  of  all  the  New 
York  Central  lines,  was  chairman  of  the  grievance  committee  of  the  local 
division  of  the  Brotherhood  for  many  years,  and  on  numerous  occasions 
was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  national  conventions  of  that  body.  A  stanch 
Democrat  in  his  political  vie\vs,  he  was  always  a  hard  worker  in  behalf 
of  his  party,  and  served  two  terms  as  alderman  from  the  Sixth  Ward. 

On  January  i,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Annie  Jones,  then  of 
Jackson.  Alichigan,  but  formerly  of  Homer,  Michigan.  She  was  born 
Annie  Mills,  near  Hillsdale,  Michigan,  January  31,  1847,  the  daughter  of 
Orrin  and  Sarah  (Westfall)  Mills.  Her  father,  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
New  York  state,  but  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Homer  and  near 
Hillsdale  and  Albion,  ^Michigan.  He  died  at  the  home  of  ]\Irs.  Carey, 
in  Jackson,  December  9,  1878,  and  the  mother  also  passed  away  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter,  October  29,  1909.  By  her  first  husband,  William 
Jones,  ]\Irs.  Carey  had  one  daughter,  Alary  R.,  now  the  wife  of  Malcolm 
L.  Alinkler,  of  Jackson,  and  the  mother  of  one  son,  James  Edgar  Alinkler, 
aged  twenty-two  years.  There  were  no  children  bom  to  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Carey.  Airs.  Carey,  who  surv^ives  her  husband,  is  well  known  in  Jackson, 
residing  at  No.  1015  East  Alain  street,  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  East- 
ern Star  and  of  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers. 

Louis  B.  King.  Of  names  that  have  been  closely  associated  with  the 
business  enterprise  of  Detroit  during  the  past  seventy  years  few  are 
better  known  and  have  a  higher  standing  in  business  and  trade  circles 
than  that  of  King.  The  L.  B.  King  &  Company  is  the  largest  glass  and 
china  house  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  the  father  of  the  president  of 
the  company  laid  the  foundation  of  the  business  many  years  ago  in 
this  city.  Louis  B.  King  was  born  in  Detroit  on  December  4,  1851,  a 
son  of  the  late  Robert  W.  King.  The  King  family  has  been  in  America 
for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half,  and  originated  in  the  north  of 
Ireland.  From  that  country  in  1756  came  over  the  first  American  an- 
cestor, Robert  King,  who  settled  in  Northumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. Later  he  took  part  on  the  American  side  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  first  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  and  later  as  captain.  Robert 
King  had  a  forte  as  a  skillful  dealer  and  negotiator  with  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  exercised  much  influence  over  them.  For  his  services  in 
forming  treaties  with  the  various  Indian  tribes  he  was  granted  a  large 
tract  of  land  by  the  government  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
finally  settled  on  that  land,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  section  of  the  state.  His  body  now  rests  in  the  cemetery 
at  \^'aterford,  in  Erie  county.  A  son  of  this  American  patriot  was 
John  King,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  He  married  Charlotte  Lytle, 
and  among  their  children  was  Robert  W.  King,  father  of  Louis  B. 
Robert  W.  King  was  born  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  in  October.  1821, 
was  educated  at  \\'ashington  and  Jefferson  College,  and  began  his  busi- 
ness career  at  Pittsburgh.     In  1842  he  moved  west  and  established  his 


ROBERT  W  .   KING 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1833 

home  at  Detroit,  where  in  1849  he  entered  business  on  his  own  account, 
establishing  the  house  which  has  since  become  the  large  china  and  glass- 
ware firm  of  L.  B.  King  &  Company.  As  a  business  man  the  late  Robert 
King  was  for  many  years  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  successful  leaders 
in  the  local  trade.  His  life  was  equally  useful  as  a  citizen,  and  he  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  to  public  affairs,  lending  his  support  to  everv 
undertaking  designed  to  promote  the  welfare  and  larger  prosperity  of 
the  growing  city.  For  many  years  he  was  foreman  in  the  old  Fifth 
Ward  Volunteer  Engine  Company,  was  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Society,  was  president  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education,  president  of 
the  Detroit  Board  of  Estimates,  and  one  of  the  original  trustees  of  the 
Harper  Hospital,  being  a  member  of  the  latter  board  at  the  time  of  his 
death.     His  church  was  the  Congregational. 

The  late  Robert  W.  King  married  •Elizabeth  Buhl.  She  was  born 
in  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  adjoining  the  county  in  which  her  hus- 
band was  l)orn,  although  they  first  became  acquainted  in  Detroit.  Her 
residence  in  Detroit  dated  from  1836,  she  having  come  to  the  western 
city  to  attend  school,  where  she  made  her  home  with  her  brother,  the 
late  Frederick  Buhl.  Mr.  King  died  in  December,  1897,  and  his  wife 
in  December,  191 1,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

I.ouis  B.  King  received  his  education  in  the  Detroit  public  schools, 
and  the  University  of  Michigan,  being  a  graduate  from  the  latter  with 
the  class  of  1874,  Bachelor  of  Science.  His  business  career  began  as 
soon  as  he  had  left  the  halls  of  the  State  University,  and  he  entered 
his  father's  crockery  store,  where  in  1878  he  was  taken  into  partner- 
ship. In  1894  the  business  was  incorporated  as  the  L.  B.  King  &  Com- 
pany. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  secretary  of  this  corporation,  and 
since  June,  1907,  has  been  its  president. 

In  Detroit  civic  and  social  circles  Mr.  King  is  especiall>-  well  known 
through  his  membership  in  various  organizations.  He  belongs  to  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  is  a  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  has  membership  in  the  Detroit  Athletic  Clul) 
(new),  in  the  Fellowcraft  and  Detroit  Golf  Clubs. 

On  March  14,  1883,  at  Greenwich,  New  York,  Mr.  King  married 
Miss  Jennie  Reed  Carpenter,  daughter  of  Benoni  G.  Carpenter.  For  a 
period'  of  thirty  years  her  father  was  general  agent  of  the  Home  Eife 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York  City.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have 
been  born  the  following  children :  Dorothea  King,  Ralph  Benjamin 
King,  now  vice  president  of  the  L.  B.  King  &  Company :  Robert  Kent 
King,  also  connected  with  the  L.  B.  King  &  Company  ;  Janet  Elizabeth 
King;  and  Francis  Carpenter  King. 

Gideon  Vivier.  The  late  Gideon  Vivier  was  one  of  Detroit's  well- 
known  and  highly  honored  citizens  who  for  over  forty  years  was  identi- 
fied with  the  various  commercial  and  industrial  interests  of  the  city, 
but  who,  in  spite  of  the  numerous  business  activities  that  claimed  his 
attention,  found  time  to  be  a  leading  churchman,  and  a  strong  advocate 
of  temperance,  and  to  contribute  greatly  to  the  welfare  of  his  community 
in  his  work  in  moral  and  religious  causes.  Born  of  French  Roman  Catho- 
lic parents,  Mr.  Vivier  early  in  life  turned  to  the  Protestant  faith  and 
while  still  a  lad  in  his  'teens  was  converted  and  baptized  in  the  Detroit 
river,  at  the  foot  of  Hastings  street,  by  the  Rev.  R.  B.  DesRoches.  then 
home  missionary  to  the  French  people  of  this  section,  and  joined  the 
French  Baptist  church.  He  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist church,  but  later  in  life  became  a  member  of  Grand  River  Baptist 
church,  where,  as  deacon  and  trustee,  he  spent  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
in  earnest  and  zealous  church  work.    Always  an  ardent  temperance  man. 


1834  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

he  became  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  prohibition  party  and  to  the 
cause  of  that  organization  gave  freely  of  his  time  and  means.  For  a 
number  of  years  his  name  always  appeared  on  that  party's  ticket  for  one 
office  or  another,  local  and  state,  not  that  he  sought  preferment  or  be- 
lieved that  he  would  be  elected,  but  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  his  principles 
and  as  an  example  an  influence  to  others.  His  was  a  strong  character  and 
during  his  long  and  useful  life  he  was  able  to  render  signal  service  to  his 
communitv  and  its  people. 

Gideon  Vivier  was  a  native  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  hav- 
ing been  born  at  St.  Phillipe,  near  the  city  of  Quebec,  January  3.  1836. 
When  he  was  still  a  boy  his  parents  removed  from  Canada  to  Perry's 
Mills,  on  Lake  Champla'in,  Clinton  county,  Xew  York.  His  father  and 
grandfather  before  him  had  been  brick-mason  contractors,  and  so  he 
naturally  drifted  to  that  occupation,  as  have  his  sons  and  grandsons.  In 
1852  he  went  to  Windsor,  Canada,  and  there  learned  the  brick-mason 
trade  and  worked  at  that  occupation  there  for  several  years.  Later  he 
returned  to  Pern-'s  Mills,  Xew  York,  and  there  was  married,  March  3, 
1862,  to  Miss  Clara  Hicks,  who  was  born  in  Lower  Quebec,  Canada,  in 
August,  1830.  With  their  first  two  sons,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  \'ivier  came  to  De- 
troit in  1869  and  soon  afterwards  Mr.  \'ivier  became  a  mason  contractor. 
For  nearlv  fortv  years  he  was  one  of  Detroit's  leading  contractors,  dur- 
ing which  period  he  erected  many  of  the  leading  buildings  of  the  city. 
He  retired  from  active  business  operations  in  1907,  and  died  at  his  home 
in  Detroit,  Februarv  28,  1912.  Mrs.  \"ivier  survived  him  until  March 
5th.  of  the  same  year,  when  she  followed  him,  their  deaths  occurring 
within  a  week's  time.  Gideon  \'ivier  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of 
three  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows:  Walter  S..  George  A.,  and 
lohn,  who  are  all  engaged  in  contracting  in  Detroit;  Ida,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Harvey  B.  Auger,  of  this  city;  and  Ruth,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
B.  Wadham.  Jr.,  of  Detroit. 

Walter  Samuel  \'ivier,  son  of  Gideon  and  Clara  (Hicks)  \  ivier, 
and  one  of  the  leading  contractors  of  Detroit,  was  born  at  Perry's  Mills, 
on  Lake  Champlain,  Clinton  county,  New  Y^ork,  September  6,  1863,  and 
was  a  lad  of  six  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Detroit.  Here 
he  secured  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools,  which  he  attended 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  then  went  to  work,  al- 
though he  still  continued  his  education  as  a  student  in  the  night  school. 
His  first  work  was  as  a  printer's  ^'devil''  in  the  offices  of  the  Michigan 
Christian  Herald,  where  he  devoted  about  two  years  to  learning  the  print- 
ing trade,  but  gave  up  his  position  there  to  become  a  parcel  boy  for 
Xewcomb,  Endicott  &  Company,  a  position  he  held  for  six  months,  at 
a  time  when  the  store  of  that  concern  w-as  located  in  the  old  opera  house 
building.  Following  this,  Mr.  \'ivier  became  a  clerk  in  the  ticket  ac- 
counting department  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway,  where  he  re- 
mained four  or  five  years,  and  then  accepted  a  position  at  St.  Paiil, 
Minnesota,  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  spending  a  few  months  in 
that  city.  On  his  return  to  Detroit,  in  1883.  Mr.  \'ivier  began  work 
for  his  father  as  a  brick-mason,  and  two  years  later,  so  faithful  and 
industrious  had  he  been,  he  was  admitted  to  partnership,  under  the  firm 
style  of  Gideon  X'ivier  &  Son,  mason  contractors.  In  1889,  however.  Mr. 
\'ivier  entered  the  office  of  the  firm  of  Donaldson  &  IVIaier.  architects 
of  Detroit,  as  their  superintendent  of  construction,  continuing  there  five 
vears,  during  which  time  he  advanced  himself  in  the  line  of  experience 
as  a  master  builder  and  also  learned  a  good  deal  about  the  subject  of 
architecture.  ^Ir.  \'ivier  entered  upon  mason  contracting  on  his  own 
account  in  1894,  and  during  the  twenty  years  that  have  followed  he  has 
continued  to  be  so  engaged,  his  work  being  along  the  lines  of  residences, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1835 

stores,  churches,  hotels  and  factories.  It  would  not  be  possible  in  a 
limited  sketch  of  this  character  to  enumerate  fully  the  structures  erected 
by  Air.  \"ivier,  but  among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  following:  Wel- 
lington, Manhattan,  \'alencia.  Hazard,  Sargossa,  Cromwell,  Charles, 
Prentis,  LaSalle,  LaAIotte,  Belleview,  Franklin  and  Linfield  apartment 
buildings;  Hotel  TuUer,  Hees-Macfarlane  Company,  Detroit  Lubricator 
Company,  Hayes  Manufacturing  Company,  Detroit  Foundry  Company, 
Central  Storage  Company,  National  Cutlery  Company,  E.  M.  F.  Automo- 
bile Company  and  Timken-Detroit  Axle  Company  factories.  During 
the  entire  thirty  years  that  Mr.  Vivier  has  been  engaged  in  mason  con- 
tracting he  has  advocated  the  "open  shop"  and  has  never  had  a  strike. 
He  is  a  man  of  keen  discernment,  who  readily  solves  intricate  business 
problems  and  recognizes  and  utilizes  opportunities  in  a  manner  that  has 
won  him  the  utmost  confidence  of  his  associates.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange,  of  which  he  is  ex-treasurer  and 
ex-director,  and  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce.  He  was 
formerly  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Grand  River  Baptist  church,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Ilaptist  Church,  in  the  work 
of  which  he  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest. 

Mr.  Vivier  married  Miss  Jennie  Clarke,  who  was  born  at  Aylmer, 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  they  have  two  sons :  Norman  Clarke  and  Harold 
Walter. 

John  G.  R.-ksev.  Bv  his  election  in  igi2  to  the  office  of  sheriff  of 
Newavgo  county,  John  G.  Rasey  was  confirmed  in  the  high  esteem  which 
has  long  been  accorded  him  as  a  farmer  and  business  man  of  this  part  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Rasey  has  lived  here  nearly  all  his  life,  and  the  same 
qualities  of  efficiency  and  fairness  which  characterize  him  as  a  business 
man,  has  been  introduced  into  his  administration  in  his  present  important 
position. 

John  G.  Rasey  was  born  in  DeKalb  county,  Illinois,  October  27,  1866, 
a  son  of  John  G.  and  Eveline  (Bunce)  Rasey.  The  paternal  grandparents 
were  Joseph  and  Phoebe  (Green)  Rasey,  natives  of  New  York,  who 
aftervvard  moved  out  to  Illinois,  where  Grandfather  Rasey  died  at  the 
extreme  age  of  ninety-nine  years,  while  his  wife  attained  the  venerable 
age  of  ninety  vears.  He  was  a  substantial  farmer  during  his  active  life. 
Grandfather'  Bunce  was  born  in  New  York,  was  a  farmer  in  that  state, 
and  married  Lovina  (Oatman)  who  survived  him  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninetv.  John  G.  Rasey,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  June  9,  1823, 
is  still  living,  past  ninety,  and  makes  his  home  alternately  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  and  at  White  Cloud,  with  his  son.  The  mother  was  born  Aug- 
ust 9,  1838,  and  died  July  12,  1894,  having  been  killed  in  an  accident 
caused  by  a  runaway  horse.  After  their  marriage  in  New  York,  the 
parents  moved  out  to  Illinois  in  1864,  settling  on  a  rented  farm,  and  the 
father  managed  the  place,  and  at  the  same  time  taught  school.  In  1872 
he  moved  to  Michigan,  buying  a  farm  near  Fremont,  and  continued  his 
work  as  a  teacher  and  farm'er  for  many  years.  He  was  active  in  the  Bap- 
tist church,  and  superintendent  of  Sunday  School  work,  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  for  manv  years  held  the  offfce  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was 
township  commissioner  of  schools  for  a  long  time.  He  and  his  wife  had 
twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  and  John  G.  Rasey,  Jr.,  is  the 
sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

Sheriff  Rasey  grew  up  in  the  states  of  Illinois  and  Michigan,  getting 
most  of  his  education  while  a  boy  on  the  home  farm  near  Fremont.  The 
first  seventeen  years  of  his  life  was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  he  then,  as  a 
result  of  natural  aptitude  and  inclination  went  into  the  stock  business, 
and  soon  developed  a  large  custom  in  the  buying  and  shipping  of  live 


1836  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

stock.  That  was  his  steady  vocation  for  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Rasey  owns 
property  in  Fremont,  and  his  career  has  been  one  of  successful  achieve- 
ment. Since  his  election  to  the  office  of  sheriff  in  1912  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  he  has  given  all  his  time  to  his  official  duties.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  has  been  a  worker  for  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally  is 
affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  IMethodist  church  at  White  Cloud.  In  1895  'Sir.  Rasey 
married  Miss  Alice  Tibbitts.  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Lucinda  Tib- 
bitts.  Her  father  was  born  in  Canada,  and  her  mother  in  Pennsylvania, 
but  lived  in  Michigan  as  substantial  farming  people  for  half  a  century. 

John  J.  SiiOLENSKi.  It  is  a  rare  occurrence  for  a  young  attorney 
entering  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  to  achieve  instantaneous  and 
striking  success.  The  path  that  leads  to  a  large  and  representative  prac- 
tice is  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  a  long,  w^eary  and  tortuous  one.  But 
each  rule  has  its  exceptions.  The  young  attorney  whose  career  is  briefly 
sketched  in  this  review,  John  J.  Smolenski,  although  one  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  bar  of  Grand  Rapids,  has,  nevertheless,  in  the  few  brief 
years  that  he  has  practiced  his  calling,  attained  an  eminence  that  places 
him  well  in  the  van  as  a  prominent  and  successful  legist. 

Mr.  Smolenski  was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  May  18,  1888, 
and  is  a  son  of  Stanley  and  Rose  (Cukerski)  Smolenski,  natives  respec- 
tively of  Russian  Poland  and  German  Poland,  both  born  in  1859.  They 
were  married  in  German  Poland  in  1887,  and  in  the  following  year  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Grand  Rapids,  where  Stanley 
Smolenski  has  since  been  engaged  in  cabinet-making.  Airs.  Smolenski 
died  in  1S95,  having  been  the  mother  of  three  children:  John  J.;  Cas- 
meria,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  J.  Jarka,  of  Alanistee,  Michigan ;  and 
Michael  S.,  who  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Grand 
Rapids.  The  father  is  a  faithful  member  of  St.  Adalbert's  Polish  Catho- 
lic church,  in  the  faith  of  which  the  children  w-ere  reared. 

Like  his  brother  and  sister,  John  J.  Smolenski  was  granted  good  edu- 
cational advantages  by  a  father  who  realized  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  thorough  schooling.  After  completing  the  prescribed  course  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  Grand  Rapids,  he  entered  the  high  school  here,  and 
when  he  graduated,  in  1906.  expressed  a  predilection  for  the  law  as  the 
field  in  which  to  work  out  his  life's  success.  Accordingly,  he  was  sent  to 
the  University  of  Michigan,  from  the  law  department  of  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1910,  and  at  once  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
began  his  practice  in  the  city  prosecutor's  office.  Since  that  time  he  has 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  prosecuting  attorney,  a  capacity  in 
which  he  has  been  connected  with  a  number  of  important  cases  of  juris- 
prudence. Mr.  .Smolensk!  has  one  of  the  largest  Polish  practices  in  the 
western  part  of  Michigan.  Even  before  he  had  completed  his  law  course 
in  the  universitv  he  began  accepting  cases  from  Polish  clients,  giving  ad- 
vice and  counsel,  and  settling  their  minor  difficulties  in  a  manner  that  won 
him  the  universal  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  of  this  race.  The 
Polish  practice  of  the  cities  of  Ludington.  Alanistee.  Grand  Rapids  and 
numerous  other  cities  of  Western  Michigan  is  given  to  him,. but,  while  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  is  given  to  this,  he  also  has  an  excellent  profes- 
sional business  with  people  of  other  races.  He  has  w'on  the  wholesome 
respect  of  his  fellow-memljers  at  the  bar  in  a  number  of  hard-fought  cases, 
not  alone  by  reason  of  his  Ijroad  knowledge  and  inherent  ability,  but  be- 
cause of  his  strict  adherence  to  the  unw-ritten  ethics  of  his  calling. 

Mr.  Smolenski  is  a  Republican,  but  his  only  public  office  has  been 
that  which  he  now  holds.  He  takes  a  keen  and  active  interest  in  all  that 
affects  the  w-elfare  of  his  native  citv  and  has  been  able  to  contribute 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1837 

helpfully  to  its  prosperity.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  and  he  also  holds  membership  in  the  Grand  Rapids  Boat 
and  Canoe  Club  of  this  city,  while  his  religious  affiliation  is  with  the 
Catholic  church.     Mr.  Smolenski  is  unmarried. 

Louis  Larsen.  The  hardest  kind  of  manual  labor  introduced  the 
career  of  Mr.  Larsen  in  Newaygo  county,  and  having  demonstrated  his 
ability  to_  earn  an  honest  living  he  subsequently  became  a  source  in  busi- 
ness affairs  and  also  in  community  life,  and  in  addition  to  the  acquisition 
of  much  property  is  the  honored  incumbent  of  the  office  of  postmaster 
at  Newaygo  and  has  held  other  positions  of  trust  from  his  fellow  citizens. 

Louis  Larsen  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  at  Aalbok,  July  7,  1864. 
His  father  was  Lars  Christensen,  and  after  the  fashion  of  "that  country 
the^  son  took  his  father's  first  name  with  the  addition  of  the  suffix  indi- 
cating that  he  is  a  son  of  Lars.  The  mother's  name  was  Lena  Christen- 
sen. Both  parents  were  born  and  spent  all  their  lives  in  Denmark  where 
the  father  was  a  farmer,  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  for  many  years 
he  held  the  postoffice  at  Aalbok.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  the  father  was  a  man  of  considerable  means.  They  had 
four  children,  Louis  being  the  youngest.  Anna  is  married  and  lives  in 
Denmark ;  Christian  is  also  in  Denmark ;  and  Hans  remains  in  his  native 
land. 

Louis  Larsen  had  such  educational  opportunities  as  are  presented  to 
the  average  Danish  youth,  finishing  his  studies  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
and  then  beginning  work  under  his  father  in  the  postoffice.  After  four 
years  in  that  service,  he  attempted  to  join  the  army,  but  his  services  were 
not  accepted  and  hoping  to  find  better  opportunities  in  the  new  world, 
he  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and  settled  at  Newaygo.  He 
found  employment  in  the  lumber  yards,  and  also  for  a  time  cut  logs  in 
the  woods.  A  number  of  years  were  spent  in  various  operations  of  lum- 
bering, and  gradually  he  worked  himself  to  places  of  larger  responsibili- 
ties. He  became  assistant  superintendent  of  a  cement  plant,  and  for 
some  time  had  charge  of  the  Converse  Manufacturing  Company.  Some 
seven  or  eight  years  were  spent  in  the  cement  business,  and  he  then  en- 
gaged in  the  produce,  coal,  flour,  feed  trade,  which  he  developed  to 
prosperous  proportions.  While  Mr.  Larsen  came  to  Newaygo  with  only 
three  dollars  in  cash  capital,  he  has  been  steadily  forging  to  the  front, 
and  now  has  varied  interests  in  local  properties  and  atlairs.  He  has 
served  as  city  clerk  and  township  clerk,  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  since 
1909  has  held  the  office  of  postmaster.  He  has  been  one  of  the  leaders 
in  Republican  politics  in  Xewaygo  county. 

In  1S84  Mr.  Larsen  married  Lena  Larsen,  who  was  born  in  Denmark. 
They  were  married  at  Newaygo  and  have  become  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Charles,  who  is  an  electrician,  living  at  Grand  Rapids ;  Arthur, 
who  is  bookkeeper  and  has  charge  of  a  collecting  agency  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, California ;  Laura,  clerk  in  the  postoffice  under  her  father.  The 
father  attended  the  Lutheran  church  and  Mr.  Larsen  is  affiliated  with 
Newaygo  Lodge,  No.  131,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  with  the  Modern  \\'oodmen 
of  America. 

John  W.  Fifield.  A  popular  and  able  representative  of  the  news- 
paper fraternity  in  Kent  county,  Mr.  Fifield  is  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  Sparta  Scnt'mcl-Lcadcr,  which  proves  an  eft'ective  exponent  of  local 
interests  and  is  one  of  the  model  weekly  papers  of  the  state  of  Michigan. 
Mr.  Fifield  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  loyal  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  the  village  of  Sparta,  and  there  he  has  exerted  most  benignant  in- 
fluence in  the  furtherance  of  enterprises  and  measures  that  have  con- 


1838  •  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

served  the  best  interests  of  the  commuity.  He  is  a  practical  newspaper 
man  of  varied  experience  and  through  his  own  efforts,  in  connection  with 
the  "art  preservative  of  all  arts,"  he  has  achieved  definite  and  worthy 
success. 

Mr.  Fifield  is  a  native  of  the  fine  old  Wolverine  State  and  is  a  scion 
of  one  of  its  honored  pioneer  families,  the  while  these  conditions  have 
intensified  his  loyalty  to  and  appreciation  of  this  favored  commonwealth. 
He  was  born  in  Macomb  county,  Michigan,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1867, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Abigail  (Knappj  Fifield,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  New  Hampshire,  where  they  were  born  and  reared  and  where 
their  marriage  was  solemnized,  the  respective  families,  of  English  origin, 
having  been  founded  in  New  England  in  the  colonial  era  of  our  national 
history.  Soon  after  his  marriage  John  Fifield  came  to  Michigan  and 
established  his  home  at  Memphis,  Macomb  county,  near  which  village  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  land  which  he  developed  into  one  of  the 
valuable  farms  of  that  section  of  the  state.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
Macomb  county  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873,  the  year  of  his 
nativity  having  been  1827,  as  was  it  also  that  of  his  wife.  Mrs.  Fifield 
long  survived  her  honored  husband  and  was  eighty-one  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  her  death,  in  1908.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  pro- 
clivities and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  zealous  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  Of  their  eight  children  four  are  living.  Alma  E.  is 
the  wife  of  Bela  W.  Jenks,  who  is  a  representative  citizen  of  Harbor 
Springs,  Michigan,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  banking  and  the  mercan- 
tile business;  Franc  C.  is  the  widow  of  D.  L.  Van  Marter,  and  resides  in 
the  city  of  Detroit;  and  Addie  is  the  wife  of  Frederick  H.  Krause,  of 
Bellefontaine,  Ohio,  her  husband  being  superintendent  of  an  electrical 
company  in  that  and  two  other  states.  . 

John  W.  Fifield  was  aft'orded  the  advantages  of  the  public  schools  of 
Mempliis,  in  his  native  county,  and  of  the  high  school  at  Harbor  Beach, 
Huron  county.  As  a  youth  he  served  as  clerk  in  a  general  store  and  later 
he  served  a  thorough  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade.  He  was  em- 
ployed for  some  time  in  the  office  of  Tribune-Times  in  the  city  of  Port 
Huron  and  later  was  similarly  associated  with  the  Free  Press  and  News 
in  the  city  of  Detroit,  besides  working  for  a  time  also  on  the  Detroit  Tri- 
biiiic.  In  the  metropolis  of  his  native  state  he  finally  engaged  in  the  job- 
printing  business  and  later  he  was  there  employed  as  an  editor  in  the  office 
of  the  Western  Newspaper  Union,  his  incidental  duties  including  work  as 
proofreader.  For  four  years  he  was  editor  and  publisher  of  a  paper  at 
Deerfield,  Lenawee  county,  and  thereafter  he  was  a  resident  of  Detroit 
until  the  death  of  his  wife. 

In  1909  Mr.  Fifield  established  his  residence  in  Sparta,  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and_  thriving  towns  of  Kent  county,  and  here  he  purchased  the 
plant  and  business  of  the  Sparta  Sentincl-Lcadcr ,  of  vi'hich  he  has  since 
been  editor  and  publisher  and  which  he  has  brought  up  to  a  high  standard, 
the  paper  now  having  a  circulation  of  more  than  2,000  and  the  equipment 
of  both  the  newspaper  and  job  departments  of  the  plant  being  of  marked 
superiority.  Mr.  Fifield  has  built  up  a  satisfactory  advertising  and  job- 
printing  business,  and  in  the  latter  field  he  does  an  appreciable  amount  of 
fine  work  for  Grand  Rapids  business  men. 

Mr.  Fifield  is  known  as  a  stalwart  and  efifective  exponent  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  policies  of  the  Republican  party  and  he  has  served  in  various 
township  and  village  offices.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  \Voodmen  of  the 
World,  and  with  the  Grand  Rapids  Lodge,  No.  48,  of  the  Benevolent  & 
Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

In  1889  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Fifield  to  Miss  Minnie 
E.  Hammill,  who  was  born  November  i,  1869,  a  daughter  of  William  H. 


/^^^:^^^^^^^^,  Q,  O/C^r;^^^-^-^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1839 

Hainmill,  at  that  time  a  successful  contractor  and  builder  in  the  city  of 
Port  Huron,  Alichigan.  Mrs.  Fifield  was  summoned  to  the  life  ete'rnal 
on  the  4th  of  October,  1908,  and  she  is  sun^ived  by  three  children, — Roy 
D.,  who  was  bom  September  23,  1890,  and  who  now  resides  at  Sacra- 
mento, California,  where  he  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Pacific  Fruit  & 
Express  Company ;  Howard  S.,  who  was  born  August  16,  1899,  remains 
at  the  paternal  home  and  is  attending  the  public  schools  of  Sparta,  as  is 
also  the  youngest  son,  George  A.,  wdio  was  born  June  28,  1903. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1909,  Mr.  Fifield  wedded  Miss  Helen  F. 
Bloomer,  daughter  of  Edgar  R.  and  Lily  D.  (Armstrong)  Bloomer,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  latter  at  Farmington,  Mich- 
igan. Mr.  Bloomer  was  a  printer  by  trade  and  vocation  and  passed  the 
closing  years  of  his  life  at  Sparta,  Michigan,  his  widow  still  surviving 
him. 

J.\MES  Alexander  Moynes.  In  recent  years  probably  no  firm  of 
carpenter  contractors  has  contributed  in  more  important  measure  to  the 
architectural  improvement  of  Detroit  than  the  firm  of  James  A.  Moynes 
&  Company.  In  the  following  abridged  record  of  the  companys'  activi- 
ties since  its  organization  in  1908  are  contained  a  number  of  the  business, 
public  and  residence  structures  which  are  regarded  as  the  best  examples 
of  Detroit's  modern  building  growth.  Taking  cases  at  random  to  illus- 
trate their  work  may  be  mentioned  the  following :  A  warehouse  for 
the  People's  Outfitting  Company  at  State  and  First  streets ;  the  Frank- 
lin Press  building  on  Third  and  Larned  streets  ;  Pierson  &  Hough  whole- 
sale saddlery  building  near  Third  and  Lamed  streets ;  the  Rainer-Taylor 
Printing  Company  building,  on  Larned  street :  factories  for  Ross  & 
Young  on  the  comer  of  McDougal  and  Jeflferson  avenues ;  Holly  Bros, 
factory  on  Rowena  and  Beaubien  streets  ;  factory  for  the  General  Alumi- 
num Casting  Company  at  the  corner  of  Boulevard  and  St.  Aubin  street ; 
factories  for  the  Detroit  Pressed  Steel  Products  Company  on  Mt,  Elliott 
avenue ;  apartment  houses  on  Davenport  street,  near  \\'oodward  avenue ; 
one  on  Forest  avenue,  near  Second  avenue :  one  on  Putnam  avenue,  near 
Third  avenue ;  one  on  Willis  avenue  and  John  R.  street :  the  residences 
of  Mr.  Ashdown,  on  Boston  boulevard ;  of  Charles  T.  Brennan  on 
Edson  Place,  near  Second  avenue ;  of  Rev.  Father  Dzink  on  Lovett 
avenue,  near  Warren  avenue ;  of  Lloyd  Axford,  of  Dr.  Brady  and  many 
others :  also  the  warehouse  for  the  Golden  Storage  Company  on  Willis 
avenue,  near  Beaubien  street.  The  firm  remodeled  the  Ebenzer  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  built  the  church  for  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Society 
on  the  boulevard,  near  Hamilton  avenue,  and  at  the  present  writing 
are  building  a  church  and  a  schoolhouse  for  the  Affinity  of  Our  Lord 
Parish  on  McClellan  and  Lamb  streets ;  they  built  the  .Samaritan  Hos- 
pital on  the  Boulevard  and  Milwaukee  avenue,  and  a  number  of  the 
stores  in  Highland  Park. 

At  the  head  of  this  important  firm,  James  Alexander  Moynes  has 
thus  accomplished  a  great  deal,  though  starting  in  life  with  a  minimum 
of  capital,  resources  and  influence.  He  was  born  on  the  home  farm  of 
his  family,  near  Lindsey,  in  County  \'ictoria,  Ontario,  May  27.  1871.  a 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Humphrey)  Moynes.  His  father,  who  was 
born  in  England  in  1833,  came  to  Canada  with  his  parents  in  1841,  his 
father,  William  !\Ioynes,  settling  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Lindsey, 
Ontario,  where  he  followed  the  work  of  agriculture  until  he  retired  and 
died  in  Detroit  in  1888.  The  mother  of  the  Detroit  contractor  was  born 
in  Fenlon  Falls.  Ontario,  and  died  in  Detroit  in  1908.  Both  parents 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Tames  A.  Moynes  when  eleven  years  old,  in    1882,  was  brought  to 


1840  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Michigan,  and  continued  his  education,  first  in  Marine  City,  and  later 
in  St.  Clair,  spending  about  three  years  in  those  two  towns.  In  1885, 
when  fourteen,  he  came  to  Detroit  and  began  learning  the  upholstering 
trade,  but  a  short  experience  with  that  convinced  him  that  it  was  not 
his  ])roper  calling,  and  he  soon  began  work  for  the  contracting  lirm  of 
McGrath  &  Walleck.  They  took  him  on  their  pay  roll  as  a  teamster, 
and  later  made  him  an  apprentice  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  After  two 
years  with  that  firm  he  continued  his  apprenticeship  under  Teakle  & 
Golden,  another  firm  of  contractors,  with  whom  he  remained  for  four- 
teen years,  during  which  time  his  apprenticeship  was  completed  and  his 
services  thereafter  for  about  two  years  were  in  the  capacity  of  foreman. 
Mr.  Moynes  then  went  into  partnership  with  his  brother,  and  did  a 
general  cari)enter  contracting  business  for  seven  years.  Having  sold 
his  interest,  in  1908  he  and  IClmer  E.  WooU  formed  a  partnership  under 
the  present  name  of  James  A.  Moynes  &  Company.  Unlike  many  firms 
of  contractors,  the  James  A.  Moynes  &  Company  do  not  rely  entirely 
on  outside  sources  for  their  building  supplies,  hut  maintain  a  large  fac- 
tory for  manufacturing  all  classes  of  material  except  sash  and  doors. 
Practically  all  their  timbers  are  sawed,  fitted  and  finished  in  their  own 
mills,  and  they  thus  possess  unexcelled  facilities  for  prompt  and  thor- 
ough work.  In  six  years  they  have  built  hundreds  of  structures,  includ- 
ing residences,  factories,  stores,  churches  and  schooJhouses  ancl  all  other 
classes  of  buildings. 

Mr.  Moynes  is  one  of  the  intluential  members  of  the  Contractors' 
Association  of  Detroit,  of  the  Michigan  State  Contractors'  .Association, 
and  also  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  afifiliated  with  the  Ameri- 
can Eagle  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  with  Zion  Lodge  No.  1,  .\.  1-'.  (S:  .V.  M., 
with  the  National  L'nion  Fraternal  Order,  and  carries  insurance  in  the 
Mutual  Benefit  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Moynes  before  her 
marriage  was  Bertha  Gayer,  of  Morriston,  Ontario,  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  Gayer.  They  are  the  ])arents  of  four  chlitlren :  Caxer  Wil- 
liam. Lillian,  .Stanley  James  and  Margaret  Bertha. 

GiiORCE  LuTox.  One  of  the  most  successful  lawyers  of  Newaygo 
county  is  George  Luton,  who  has  held  a  place  of  usefulness  in  his  com- 
munity for  more  than  forty  years,  and  is  a  man  of  most  substantial 
attainments  and  accomplishments  in  professional  and  civic  affairs.  His 
standing  in  the  community  is  well  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  for 
twenty-six  years  continuously  the  incumbent  of  the  office  of  prosecuting 
attorney. 

(leorge  Luton  was  burn  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  December  18, 
1844,  a  son  of  W'illiaiu  and  Elizabeth  (Crane)  Luton.  Grandfather  Wil- 
liam Luton  saw  service  in  the  English  army,  during  the  American  War 
of  1812,  was  a  native  of  England,  and  afterwards  settled  in  Ontario.  The 
maternal  grandfather.  Frank  Crane,  born  in  \'ermont,  moved  across  the 
line  into  Ontario,  and  later  w^ent  to  the  state  of  Illinois  where  he  died. 
\\'illiam  Luton,  the  father,  was  born  in  1820  and  died  February  13, 
1895,  and  the  mother,  who  was  born  March  8,  1822,  and  was  married  in 
1842,  is  still  living,  though  past  ninety  years  of  age.  Roth  parents  have 
spent  all  their  lives  in  Ontario,  where  the  father  was  a  successful  farmer. 
They  were  members  of  the  Christian  church,  and  the  father  was  in  poli- 
tics a  Conservative.  Of  their  seven  children,  five  are  still  living  and 
the  Newaygo  county  attorney  was  the  oldest,  the  others  being  W'illiam 
F.,  who  is  governor  of  the  jail  at  St.  Thomas,  Ontario ;  Liza  A.,  the 
widow  of  Peter  Ostander.  of  St.  Thomas;  Edith,  who  married  Dr.  M. 
C.  Sinclair,  a  physician  of  Grand  Rapids;  Frank  L.,  who  married  a  Mr. 
Church,  and  lives  in  Los  Angeles,  California. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1841 

George  Luton  grew  up  and  received  a  preliminary  education  in  the 
schools  of  St.  Thomas,  attended  the  Upper  Canada  College  at  Toronto, 
and  was  graduated  in  law  in  1871.  He  had  to  earn  the  means  for  his 
higher  education  and  when  he  began  practice  at  Newaygo  in  1873,  it  was 
as  a  poor  young  man  without  influential  friends,  and  he  has  won  his  suc- 
cess entirely  on  demonstrated  merit.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  prosecuting  attorney  of  Newaygo  county,  and  by  repeated  re-election 
held  the  office  for  twenty-six  years,  a  record  in  that  one  office  which  has 
probably  been  seldom  surpassed  in  Michigan.  He  has  long  been  one  of 
the  leaders  in  local  Republican  politics.  Mr.  Luton  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  was  Master  for  eight  years  of  Newaygo  Lodge,  No.  131,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  was  high  priest  for  four  years  of  Newaygo  Chapter,  No. 
38,  R.  A.  M.  Since  1879  Mr.  Luton  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education,  and  was  president  of  the  village  for  four  years.  He  is  a 
director  in  the  First  State  Bank  of  Newaygo  and  has  prospered  finan- 
cially as  well  as  in  his  profession. 

Ch.\rles  G.  Pr.\tt,  M.  D.  Engaged  in  the  successful  practice  of  his 
profession  in  the  attractive  village  of  Sparta,  Dr.  Pratt  is  numbered 
among  the  representative  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Kent  county  and 
his  substantial  and  constantly  increasing  practice  affords  the  best  voucher 
for  his  professional  ability  and  personal  popularity. 

Dr.  Pratt  has  the  distinction  of  claiming  the  great  city  of  Chicago  as 
the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  was  born  on  the  7th  of  June,  1873.  He  is  a 
son  of  A.  B.  and  Adelaide  (Lowe)  Pratt,  both  of  whom  were  born  and 
reared  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  New  York,  where  their  marriage  was 
solemnized  and  whence  they  removed  to  Chicago  in  1872,  Mr.  Pratt  be- 
coming a  successful  merchant  in  the  great  western  metropolis,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  191 1,  the  year  of  his  birth  having  been  1852.  His 
widow,  who  was  born  in  1855,  now  resides  in  Chicago.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Edward  Lowe,  who  was  of  English  descent  and  a  native  of  the  state 
of  New  York,  where  he  passed  his  entire  liife.  He  was  a  successful  salt 
manufacturer  and  had  other  capitalistic  interests.  As  a  member  of  a  New 
York  regiment  he  was  a  gallant  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  Civil  war.  Zelotes  Pratt,  grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  was 
a  resident  of  the  old  Empire  state  during  the  entire  period  of  his  life  and 
the  family  lineage  is  traced  back  to  staunch  English  origin,  he  having 
been  a  successful  school  teacher  in  his  earlier  years  and  having  long  been 
numbered  among  the  able  and  prosperous  representatives  of  the  agricul- 
tural industry  in  the  state  of  New  York.  A.  B.  Pratt  was  a  stalwart 
Republican  in  his  political  allegiance,  and  was  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  &  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  was  a 
zealous  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  is  also  his  widow.  Of 
the  three  children  the  eldest  is  R.  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  meat  and  ice 
business  at  Woodstock,  Illinois;  Dr.  Charles  G.,  of  this  review,  was  the 
next  in  order  of  birth ;  and  James  T.  is  engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  busi- 
ness at  Freeport,  Illinois. 

The  excellent  public  schools  of  Chicago  aft'orded  Dr.  Pratt  his  earlier 
educational  advantages,  which  were  supplemented  by  his  study  in  the 
academic  or  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  In  the  med- 
ical department  of  this  institution  he  was  graduated  as  a  member  of  the 
class  of  1896  and  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  his  gradu- 
ation he  gained  valuable  clinical  experience  through  serving  eighteen 
months  as  interne  in  the  Cook  County  hospital,  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
and  he  thereafter  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Chicago  until  1901,  when 
he  established  his  residence  in  the  village  of  Sparta.  Michigan,  where  he 
has  since  followed  the  work  of  his  profession  with  all  of  zeal  and  ability 


1842  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  where  lie  controls  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Kent  County  Medical  Society,  the  .Michigan  State  Medical  Society 
and  the  American  Medical  Association.  He  is  unfaltering  in  his  devo- 
tion to  his  humane  profession  and  his  chief  diversion  is  gained  through 
the  medium  of  occasional  hunting  and  fishing  trips.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Benevolent  &  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  i8()~  Dr.  Pratt  wedded  Miss  Martha  Vincent,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  they  are  leaders  in  the  best  social  activities  of  their  home  community. 
They  have  no  children. 

Rudolph  Van  Dyke.  A  representative  business  man  of  Lowell, 
Kent  county,  Mr.  Van  Dyke  is  a  scion  of  a  family  whose  name  has  been 
identitied  with  Michigan  history  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and  he 
finds  a  definite  satisfaction  in  reverting  to  this  favored  commonwealth  as 
the  place  of  his  nativity.  Mr.  \'an  Dyke  is  president  of  the  City  State 
Bank  of  Lowell,  one  of  the  staunch  financial  institutions  of  Kent  county, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  intluenlial  citizens  of  the  county  that 
has  ever  rej^rescnted  his  home  and  in  which  his  success  has  been 
achieved  through  well  directed  effort  along  normal  and  productive  lines  of 
enterprise. 

Mr.  \'an  Dyke  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Browne  township,  Kent  county, 
Michigan,  on  the  2d  of  Januarj',  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Margaret 
(Ronan)  Van  Dyke,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Holland,  in  the 
year  1820,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  she  was 
born  in  1829  and  whence  she  came  with  her  parents  to  America  when  she 
was  a  child.  Peter  \'an  Dyke  immigrated  from  Holland  in  1858  and 
established  his  home  in  Michigan,  having  become  one  of  the  pioneer  farm- 
ers and  honored  citizens  of  Kent  county  and  having  here  continued  his 
residence  until  his  death,  in  1866.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  communicants  of  the  Catholic  church.  Two  of 
his  brothers  gave  loyal  service  as  Union  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war,  and  he 
himself  was  ever  imbued  with  deep  appreciation  of  the  advantages  of  the 
land  of  his  adoption.  His  wife  long  survived  him  and  was  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise,  in  i()o8,  their  only  child,  Rudolph, 
of  this  review,  having  been  an  infant  at  the  time  of  the  father's  death. 

Rudolph  \'an  Dyke  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county 
imtil  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  began  to  de- 
pend largely  upon  his  own  resources,  a  fact  that  indicates  fully  that  he 
has  been  the  artificer  of  his  own  fortunes  and  has  proved  one  of  the  pro- 
ductive workers  of  the  world.  As  a  boy  he  was  employed  in  the  lumber 
woods  and  saw  mills,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  became  a  clerk 
in  a  general  store.  Later  he  worked  in  a  clothing  store,  and  for  a  time 
lie  did  effective  service  as  traveling  salesman  for  machinery. 

Mr.  Van  Dyke  has  maintained  his  home  at  Lowell  since  1886  and  has 
had  much  to  do  with  the  civic  and  business  activities  of  this  thriving  little 
city,  where  he  has  served  in  minor  municipal  offices  and  also  as  president 
of  the  village  board  of  trustees,  his  administration  as  chief  executive  hav- 
ing been  notably  of  benefit  to  the  town.  He  is  president  of  the  City  State 
Bank  of  Lowell,  which  is  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $2^,000  and 
which  maintains  a  surplus  fund  of  $10,000,  the  average  deposits  of  the 
institution  having  an  aggregate  of  $275,000.  The  bank  was  organized  in 
1907  and  has  proved  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the  financial  and  gen- 
eral business  facilities  of  the  town  in  which  it  is  established.  In  1894 
Mr.  Van  Dyke  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Lowell,  and  from  a 
modest  inception  the  enterprise  was  built  up  to  one  of  substantial  order, 
the  business  having  been  originally  conducted  under  the  title  of  R.  \'an 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1843 

Dyke  &  Company,  with  Mr.  \'an  Dyke  as  one  of  the  interested  principals. 
He  is  now  the  executive  head  of  this  business,  which  is  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  Lowell,  and  he  finds  ample  demands  upon  his  time  and  attention 
in  supervising  his  grocery  establishment  and  the  bank  of  which  he  is 
president,  the  while  he  has  impregnable  place  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  community. 

In  politics  Mr.  Van  Dyke  is  found  aligned  as  a  loyal  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  and  his  family  are  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  church.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  Benevol- 
ent &  Protective  Order  of  Elks  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids  and  is  one 
of  the  well  known  citizens  of  Kent  county. 

In  the  year  1888  Mr.  \'an  Dyke  wedded  Miss  Nellie  Garrick,  of  Ionia, 
this  state,  and  the  two  children  of  the  union  are  Rudolph  D.  and  Beatrice 
A.  The  son  was  graduated  in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  ^Michigan  and  now  holds  a  responsible  position  in  the  city  of 
Grand  Rapids.  The  daughter  has  recently  completed  a  course  in  a  kinder- 
garten training  school  at  Grand  Rapids  and  is  also  a  talented  musician. 
The  loved  wife  and  mother  passed  to  the  life  eternal  in  1894,  and  in  1896 
was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  \'an  Dyke  to  Aliss  ^Minnie  Howe,  of 
Lowell,  no  children  having  been  born  of  this  union.  Mrs.  Van  Dyke  is 
active  in  church  work  and  in  the  representative  social  life  of  her  home 
city,  where  her  circle  of  friends  is  limited  only  by  that  of  her 
acquaintances. 

Henry  D.  Woodw.\rd.  Some  men  seem  destined  by  nature  to  suc- 
ceed ;  no  matter  what  obstacles  appear  in  their  path,  they  are  able  to  over- 
come them  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of  a  persistent  determination. 
Michigan's  best  citizenship  is  made  up  of  men  who  were  handicapped 
in  their  earlier  years,  and  whose  latent  ability  have  been  brought  forth 
through  the  necessitv  to  labor  hard  and  faithfully,  and  have  thus  reached 
a  measure  of  success  which  under  different  conditions  might  never  have 
attended  their  eflforts.  An  example  of  such  a  successful  business  man 
is  Henry  D.  Woodward,  banker,  and  land  owner  and  former  lumberman 
of  Newaygo.  .Among  other  achievements  to  his  credit,  Ivlr.  Woodward 
wore  the' blue  uniform  and  fought  in  the  ranks  of  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war. 

Henry  D.  Woodward  was  born  in  .\llegany  county,  New  York,  .\pril 
2,  1845,  a  son  of  Samuel  M.  and  Lucina  I  Caswell)  Woodward.  Massa- 
chusetts was  the  native  state  of  both  parents,  where  the  father  was  born 
in  1813,  and  the  mother  in  1816.  After  their  marriage  they  came  west 
and  in  1852  settled  in  Michigan,  where  the  father  was  for  many  years  a 
prosperous  farmer.  Both  parents  died  in  the  same  year,  1883.  They 
were  members  of  the  Alethodist  church  and  the  father  was  a  Republican 
in  politics.  Of  their  six  children,  the  only  ones  now  living  is  Henry  D. 
Woodward. 

He  was  seven  years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  Alichigan.  grew 
up  on  a  farm,  attended  country  schools,  and  at  an  early  age  decided  that 
the  onlv  way  for  him  to  win  success  was  to  depend  upon  his  own  energies 
and  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  srjuarely,  and  without  seeking  advantages 
of  any  kind,  except  such  as  came  by  industry  and  by  vigilance. 

He  early  became  identified  with  the  lumbering  in'dustr}-,  when  it  was 
at  its  high  tide  of  prosperity,  and  eventually  became  an  independent 
operator  and  did  business  on  a  large  scale.  That  was  the  foundation  of 
his  fortune,  and  he  continued  as  a  lumberman  until  in  1884  he  was  hon- 
ored with  election  to  the  office  of  probate  judge  of  Newaygo  county. 
Twelve  years  of  capable  service  in  this  office  was  followed  by  his  in- 
fluential part  in  assisting  in  the  organization  of  the  First  State  Bank  of 


184-i  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Newaygo,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  directors.  This  bank  is  an  institu- 
tion which  has  long  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  service,  and  has  a  capital 
of  twenty-thousand  dollars  and  a  surplus  of  twelve  thousand. 

In  i866  Mr.  Woodward  married  Miss  .\deline  E.  Slater,  a  daughter 
of  Amos  Slater,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  farmers  of 
Newaygo  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodward  have  one  child,  Jennie  A., 
who  married  Daniel  Minogue.  They  in  turn  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  grandchildren  of  Mr.  Woodward,  as  follows:  Raymond  D., 
who  is  proprietor  of  a  men's  furnishing  store  in  Newaygo;  Ruth,  who 
married  Harold  Day  and  lives  in  Brigham  City,  Utah ;  and  Rolland  E., 
who  is  attending  college  in  his  senior  year  at  I-^nsing. 

Mr.  Woodward  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  has  been  a  Re- 
publican all  his  voting  life,  and  has  served  as  senior  warden  in  the  Masonic 
Lodge.  In  August,  1S63.  when  a  young  man  of  eighteen,  he  entered  the 
Union  army  in  Company  A  of  the  Tenth  .Michigan  Cavalry.  His  serv- 
ice continued  for  more  than  two  years  until  his  final  discharge  November 
II,  1865,  several  months  after  the  close  of  the  war.  At  Knoxville,  Ten- 
nessee, he  was  captured,  btit  was  paroled  after  forty-eight  hours.  Mr. 
Woodward  is  one  of  the  large  land  owners  in  this  part  of  Michigan,  and 
during  the  past  year  sold  three  valuable  farms. 

D.wiD  G.  M.WGE.  Of  the  representative  business  men  of  the  thriv- 
ing little  city  of  Lowell,  Kent  county,  none  is  more  progressive  or  en- 
joys a  fuller  measure  of  personal  popularity  than  does  Mr.  Mange, 
who  holds  the  responsible  position  of  cashier  of  the  Lowell  State  Bank 
and  whose  advancement  in  the  world  represents  the  concrete  results  of 
his  own  efforts. 

Mr.  Mange  was  born  at  Stryker,  Williams  county,  Ohio,  on  the  19th 
of  December,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Rosa  (Krause)  Mange, 
both  natives  of  the  fair  little  republic  of  Switzerland,  where  the  former 
was  born  in  18.49  'i"fl  I'le  latter  in  1844.  They  were  children  at  the  time 
of  the  immigration  of  the  respective  families  to  the  L'nited  States  and 
their  parents  settled  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  G.  Mange  was  solemnized  in  the 
city  of  .St.  Louis,  and  their  lives  were  marked  by  signal  consecration  to 
high  ideals.  Mr.  Mange  gained  a  liberal  education,  in  Missouri  and  at 
Upper  Alton,  Illinois,  and  for  many  years  he  labored  zealously  as  an 
evangelist,  in  which  ca])acity  his  labors  extended  into  the  most  diverse 
parts  of  the  Union.  He  passed  the  closing  days  of  his  long  and  useful 
life  at  Lowell,  where  he  died  in  the  year  1906,  and  his  widow'  now  re- 
sides at  Lowell.  Of  the  four  children  David  G.,  of  this  review  is  the 
elder  of  the  two  surviving,  and  Edith  ^I.  is  now  a  clerical  assistant  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  McDannell.  of  Lowell,  her  desire  of  following  the  voca- 
tion of  teaching  having  been  nullified  by  a  disorder  of  her  eyes. 

To  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  Michigan  is  David  G.  Mange  in- 
debted for  his  early  educational  discijiline.  and  he  has  been  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources  from  early  youth.  In  1890  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Lowell,  and  here  he  attended  the  high  school  for  three  years. 
In  1893  he  assumed  a  minor  position  in  the  Lowell  State  Bank,  and  in 
this  institution  his  ability  and  faithful  service  have  won  him  advance- 
ment, together  with  implicit  official  confidence  and  public  esteem.  He 
is  now  cashier  of  the  bank,  which  is  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $30,000,  with  undivided  profits  of  $17,000  and  with  deposits  of  fullv 
$350,000.  Mr.  Mange  is  also  a  member  of  the  directorate  of  this  sub- 
stantial and  popular  institution,  and  in  connection  with  his  official  duties 
he  has  built  up  an  excellent  business  as  an  insurance  underwriter.  He  is 
a  notary  public,  and  as  such  does  a  large  amount  of  work  in  convevanc- 


^•^/ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1845 

ing  and  the  handling  of  abstracts  of  title.  He  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  of  Lowell,  and  his  political  alle- 
giance is  given  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  essentially  liberal  and 
progressive  and  has  been  an  active  and  valued  promoter  of  the  work  of 
the  Lowell  Board  of  Trade.  He  gives  support  to  religious  and  benevolent 
activities  and  Mrs.  Mange  is  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  in  Lov^^ell,  as  well  as  a  popular  factor  in  the  representative  social 
activities  of  the  village. 

The  year  1900  recorded  the  marriage  of  Mr.  ]Mange  to  Miss  Lavancha 
E.  Cogswell,  of  Lowell,  and  the  two  children  of  this  union  are  Richard 
D.  and  Lester  R. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Wooll.  Success  in  no  department  of  human 
activities  is  possible  without  preparation  and  native  or  acquired  ability, 
and  the  business  record  of  E.  E.  Wooll,  a  well-known  Detroit  con- 
tractor, exemplifies  this  assertion.  While  a  youth  in  Saginaw  county,  he 
gained  a  knowledge  of  an  important  branch  of  lumber  manufacture, 
later  took  up  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  finally  with  long  and  thorough 
experience  behind  him  joined  the  firm  of  J.  A.  ]\Ioynes  &  Company, 
known  today  as  one  of  the  leading  carpenter  contractors  and  manu- 
facturers of  building  material  in  Detroit. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Wooll  is  a  native  of  ^Michigan,  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Fairfield  township  of  Shiawassee  county,  October  24,  1861,  a 
son  of  Moses  and  Louisa  J.  (Bates)  Wooll.  Moses  \\'ooll  was  born 
in  England  in  1823,  and  the  grandfather,  Kingston  Wooll,  brought  his 
family  to  the  United  States  in  1833,  settling  in  ^ledina  county  of  the 
Western  Resen-e  of  Ohio.  About  1850  the  grandfather  made  another 
move,  this  time  to  Michigan,  and  bought  government  land  in  Clinton 
county.  Moses  ^^^ooll  grew  to  manhood  in  Ohio,  learned  the  trade  of 
wagonmaker,  and  for  many  years  was  in  business  at  Oakley,  in  Saginaw 
county,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1887.  His  widow  died  in  Oakley 
in  1891  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

Ehner  E.  Wooll  was  about  six  years  old  when  the  family  moved  in 
1867  to  Oakley  in  Saginaw  county,  and  that  was  the  locality  in  which 
his  boyhood  was  passed,  where  he  gained  his  education,  and  where  he 
made  his  first  ventures  in  practical  life.  \\'ith  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, he  early  found  himself  in  the  practical  routine  of  self-support, 
and  up  to  1890  was  engaged  in  a  stave  factory.  That  year  saw  his 
removal  to  Detroit,  and  for  about  four  years  he  was  employed  as  a 
journeyman  carpenter.  He  next  became  shop  foreman  for  the  con- 
tracting firm  of  Moynes  Bros.,  and  about  igo8  he  and  James  A.  Moynes 
founded  the  present  firm  of  James  A.  Moynes  &  Company,  carpenter 
contractors  and  manufacturers  of  their  own  building  materials.  The 
two  partners  are  recognized  as  among  the  ablest  men  in  their  profession 
in  Detroit,  and  how  successful  the  firm  has  been  is  told  somewhat  in 
detail  in  the  sketch  of  the  senior  member  on  other  pages  of  this  publi- 
cation. 

Mr.  Wooll  has  membership  in  Olive  Branch  Lodge  No.  38.  I.  O.  O.  F.. 
and  in  Old  Glory  Encampment  No.  171  of  the  same  order;  also  belongs 
to  the  IMaccabees  and  the  National  Union  fraternal  organization.  In 
the  line  of  his  business  he  belongs  to  the  Master  Carpenters'  Association. 
Mr.  Wooll  was  married  May  21,  1901,  to  Miss  Louise  J.  Lossing,  who 
was  born  in  Sanilac  county,  Michigan,  a  daughter  of  Lanson  Lossing, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada. 

ToHN  H.\RWOOD.  During  a  career  of  more  than  thirty  years  at  the 
Michigan  bar.  Mr.  Harwood  has  exemplified  all  the  success  and  the  gen- 


1846  HISTORY  OF  xMlCHIGAX 

eroiis  public  service  of  a  representative  lawyer.  Jrle  has  been  honored 
on  many  occasions  with  [jositions  of  responsibility  and  trust,  and  is  the 
type  of  man  whose  life  began  without  special  advantages,  except  such 
as  he  secured  by  his  own  eftorts,  and  he  rose  from  a  place  of  conijjarative 
jjoverty  to  a  high  rank  in  his  community  and  state. 

John  Marwood  was  born  in  England,  March  24,  1^43.  a  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Hannah  (Rugg)  Harwood.  His  grandfather  was  named  Rob- 
ert Harwood,  and  also  his  great-grandfather.  Grandfather  Harwood 
lived  in  England  all  his  days,  and  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  Robert 
Harwood,  the  father,  was  born  in  1809,  and  died  in  1862,  while  his  wife 
was  born  in  1807  and  died  in  i8()5.  Married  in  England,  they  moved  to 
America  in  "1852,  settling  in  New  Vork  Slate,  where  the  father  followed 
his  trade  of  blacksmith  until  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  church,  and  after  taking  out  citizenship  papers  in  this 
country,  he  devoted  his  support  to  the  Whig  and  Republican  party.  Of 
the  seven  children  three  are  now  living,  ^lary  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  \\  elsh 
and  lives  at  Castleton,  New  York;  Annie  is  the  widow  of  Mort  Heidctte, 
and  lives  with  her  sister  in  Xew  York. 

Mr.  John  Harwood  was  nine  years  old  when  the  family  came  to 
America,  supplemented  such  advantages  as  he  had  received  in  England 
by  further  attendance  at  the  New  York  public  schools,  and  linished  his 
education  in  the  Normal  school  at  Albany.  At  the  conclusion  ol  his 
studies  he  went  before  the  state  board  and  was  given  after  an  examination 
a  life  certificate  as  a  teacher.  Twenty  years  of  his  career  were  devoted 
to  educational  work,  and  Mr.  Harwood  has  hundreds  of  former  ])upils 
li\ing  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  many  of  them  are  prominent  in 
affairs,  all  of  whom  recall  his  capable  services  with  gratitude.  In  i8f)y 
on  coming  to  Michigan,  he  settled  at  Ci>ncord  in  Jackson  county,  was  a 
teacher  there,  and  while  continuing  his  work  in  the  .school  room  was  also 
studying  law.  In  1880  came  his  admission  to  the  bar,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  in  practice  at  White  Cloud,  though  much  of  his  time  has  been 
taken  up  with  official  duties. 

In  1866  he  married  Harriett  A.  Fuller,  of  Cobleskill,  New  York.  The 
one  child  of  that  marriage  was  Nettie  who  married  Arthur  W.  Robcrt- 
son.  of  Detroit,  a  boot  and  shoe  maker  in  that  city.  Mr.  Harwood  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife,  Mary  A.  Storman,  of  Saginaw,  Michigan,  who 
came  to  White  Cloud  when  a  child  with  her  parents.  She  died  in  White 
('loud,  June  15,  1913.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  Robert,  who 
is  in  school,  and  John.  .Mr.  Harwood  affiliates  with  the  lndci)endent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  long  been  prominent  in  the  Republican 
party.  He  served  eight  years  as  circuit  court  commissioner,  was  school 
commissioner  for  two  years,  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  school 
examiners  for  twenty-seven  years,  and  suiiervisnr  of  Wilcox  township 
lifteen  consecutive  years,  one  of  the  highest  honors  ever  paid  to  a  town- 
ship official  in  tiie  county.  For  eleven  years  he  held  the  position  of  post- 
master at  White  Cloud,  and  since  retiring  from  the  office  in  1912,  has 
once  more  resumed  the  active  practice  of  law.  Mr.  1  larwood  owns  a  good 
farm  and  considerable  farm  property.  ;ind  handles  real  estate  in  addi- 
tion to  his  practice  in  the  courts. 

Roy  J.  TuRXKK,  M.  D.  Although  Dr.  Roy  J.  Turner  is  numbered 
among  the  more  recent  acquisitions  to  the  medical  profession  of  Macomb 
county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  medicine  at  Xew 
lialtimorc,  he  has  already  won  a  large  and  growing  patronage,  for  he  is 
thoroughly  conxersant  with  the  most  modern  methods  known  to  the  mem- 
bers of  his  profession,  and  the  results  which  have  followed  his  labors 
have  gained  for  him  the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  jniblic  at  large.     Doc- 


HISTORY  OF  xMICHIGAN  1847 

tor  Turner's  success  is  all  the  more  creditable,  in  that  it  has  been  entirely 
self-gained  ;  he  has  won  his  own  way,  unaided  by  any  influence  or  ad- 
ventitious circumstance. 

Roy  J.  Turner  was  born  at  Eureka,  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1880,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  J.  (Cliff)  Turner.  His 
father,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  early  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet- 
maker and  was  so  engaged  in  his  native  community  for  some  years.  As 
a  young  man  he  came  to  St.  Johns,  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  and  while 
there  enlisted  in  a  Michigan  Regiment  of  X'olunteer  Infantry  for  serv- 
ice during  the  Ci\'il  War,  but  the  close  of  that  struggle  came  before  his 
command  was  called  to  the  front.  He  became  well  known  as  a  cabinet- 
maker and  for  years  carried  on  that  business  at  St.  Johns  and  other  points 
in  Clinton  county,  but  tinally  entered  the  contracting  business  as  a  car- 
penter and  is  so  engaged  at  this  time  in  Detroit.  Although  seventy-two 
years  of  age  he  continues  to  be  active  in  his  business,  in  which  he  has 
gained  a  satisfactory  measure  of  success.  Mr.  Turner  was  married  at 
St.  Johns  to  ]Miss  Sarah  J.  Cliff,  who  was  born  in  England  and  came 
to  America  alone  in  childhood.  She  first  settled  at  Detroit,  where  she 
was  educated,  and  became  a  school  teacher,  being  engaged  in  educational 
work  at  the  time  she  met  Mr.  Turner  at  St.  Johns.  She  is  now  a  resident 
of  Detroit  and  is  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  To  Daniel  and  Sarah  J. 
Turner  there  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Turner  is  the 
youngest. 

Roy  f.  Turner  grew  up  at  Eureka,  where  he  received  his  preliminary 
educational  training  in  the  graded  and  high  schools.  Later  he  was  a 
student  in  the  high  school  at  St.  Johns,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1901,  and  after  some  preparation  entered  the  Michigan  College  of  Sur- 
gery at  Detroit,  being  graduated  from  both  the  medical  departments  in 
1906.  He  at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  calling  at  .Anchorville, 
St.  Clair  county,  and  remained  there  for  six  and  one-half  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time,  seeking  a  wider  field,  he  came  to  Xew  Baltimore,  in 
19 1 3.  He  inaintains  well  equipped  offices  and  has  every  modern  appliance 
for  the  successful  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  His  practice  is 
daily  increasing  as  his  ability  is  becoming  recognized,  and  he  already 
numbers  among  his  patients  some  of  the  most  representative  people  of 
this  locality.  An  earnest  student,  a  careful  practitioner,  a  steady-handed 
surgeon  and  a  man  possessed  of  deep  sympathy.  Doctor  Turner  may  well 
be  said  to  be  one  who  has  chosen  wisely  in  his  vocation.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  St.  Clair  Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society 
and  the  American  Medical  Association.  His  religious  connection  is  with 
the  Congregational  church,  in  which  he  serves  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees. 

Doctor  Turner  was  married  at  Bancroft,  Michigan,  September  12, 
1905,  to  Miss  Blanche  A.  Harrick,  a  graduate  of  the  Nurse's  Institute 
and'  Woods'  Hospital,  at  Angola,  Indiana,  who  has  been  able  to  assist 
her  husband  greatly  in  his  work.  Airs.  Turner  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hiram  Harrick,  well-known  pioneers  of  Bancroft.  Two  children 
have  come  to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Turner;  Roy,  Junior,  born  at  Anchor- 
ville,  October  27,  1907,  and  who  died  at  Anchorville,  February  20,  1909; 
Lucy  Evelyn,  who  was  born  at  Anchorville,  Michigan,  in  1909.  Both  the 
Doctor  and  his  estimable  wife  are  prominent  in  Xew  Baltimore,  where 
thev  have  already  gained  a  host  of  warm  friends. 

Cart.  .\.  W.agxer.  Prominent  among  the  leading  citizens  and  law- 
yers of  Port  Huron,  Carl  A.  Wagner  has  long  been  a  conspicuous  figure 
'in  military  circles,  having,  while  inspector  of  small-arms  practice  and 
inspector  general   for  the  state,  very  materially  contributed  to  making 


1848  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Michigan  a  leader  among  the  other  states  of  tlie  Union  in  regard  to  rifle 
practice,  an  important  branch  of  mihtary  instruction,  in  which  he  is  an 
expert.  A  native  of  Huron  County.  Michigan,  he  was  born  Xovember 
iS,  1858,  in  Bingham  township,  being  the  second  white  child  born  in 
that  locality,  the  birth  of  the  first  white  child  of  that  township  having 
occurred  the  previous  day,  on  Xovember  17,  1858. 

His  father,  Andrew  Wagner,  was  born  in  Bavaria.  Germany,  June 
14,  1823,  and  as  a  young  man  served  for  three  years  in  the  German  army. 
Immigrating  to  .\nierica,  he  lived  for  a  short  time  in  Xew  York  City, 
and  subse(iuently  followed  his  trade  as  a  stone  cutter  in  Cle\'eland.  Ohio, 
for  a  short  time.  In  1855,  he  bought  one  hundred  and  si.xfy  acres  of 
land  of  the  government  in  Huron  County,  and  began  clearing  the  land 
and  established  a  home  there.  About  i860  he  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Detroit,  where,  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Twenty-fourth  Michigan  \'olunteer  Infantry  (Iron  Brigade),  and 
was  with  his  command  in  several  engagements  of  importance,  includ- 
ing the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville  and  at  Gettysburg. 
In  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  on  July  i,  1863,  while  carrying  the  colors, 
he  was  shot  through  the  breast  and  left  for  dead  on  the  battle- 
field. Recovering,  however,  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Huron  County, 
Michigan,  and  there  resided  until  his  death,  in  April,  1867.  He  married 
first  in  Germany  and  by  that  union  had  one  child,  Margaret  Gertrude, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Goetz,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Andrew  Wag- 
ner married,  for  his  second  wife,  in  1851,  in  Xew  York  City,  Mrs.  Lucy 
Dorothy  ( Mufl^ )  Seitz.  who  was  born  in  \\  iirtemberg,  Germany,  Decem- 
ber lo,  1821,  and  died  in  Reynoldsville,  I'ennsylvania,  -September  22, 
1905.  She  was  twice  married,  by  her  first  union  having  one  daughter. 
Mrs.  Louise  M.  Xefif,  of  Reynoldsville,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Andrew  Wagner  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Dora  Danenburg,  a  widow,  living  in  Xew  York ;  Carl  A.,  the  s]iecial 
subject  of  this  brief  personal  record:  Minnie,  born  in  1862.  married 
Wesley  Smith,  and  died  at  Port  Huron,  Michigan,  April  9,  1901  :  and 
-Albert  A.,  of  Port  Huron,  who  was  born  June  16,  1864,  and  died  at 
Port  Huron,  June  7,  1914. 

-After  the  death  of  his  father.  Carl  .A.  A\'agner  remained  witli  his 
mother  and  the  family  on  the  home  farm  in  Huron  County,  and  lived 
there  until  the  fall  of  1871,  when  all  of  the  farming  propertv  was  de- 
stroyed ijy  the  forest  fires.  The  widowed  mother  then  removed  with 
her  children  to  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  lived  with  her  daughter 
by  her  first  marriage.  Continuing  his  studies  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  Carl  A.  Wagner  was  graduated  from  the  Central  high  school  and 
subsequently  traveled  a  short  time  as  salesman  for  a  firm  dealing  in 
household  specialties.  In  the  spring  of  1880,  barkening  to  the  "call  of 
the  soil,"  Mr.  Wagner's  mother,  brother  and  sister  came  back  to  the  old 
farm  in  Huron  county.  Michigan,  and  had  just  made  a  good  start  in 
improving  the  i)lace.  when,  in  1881.  fire  again  destroyed  everything  on 
the  place,  with  the  exce])tion  of  the  house. 

Mr.  Wagner  had  charge  of  a  branch  store  of  the  Lovell  Manufactur- 
ing Company  in  Worcester.  Massachusetts,  from  1880  to  September. 
1883,  at  wdiich  time  he  returned  to  his  native  state  and  entered  the  law- 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1887.  During  the  ensuing  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Bad  -Axe.  the  county-seat  of  Huron 
County.  In  1889  Mr.  \\'agner  located  at  Port  Huron,  and  has  since  been 
a  valued  and  highly  esteemed  resident  of  this  city,  and  member  of  the 
bar  of  St.  Clair  County.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  local  affairs,  in 
1894  having  been  elected  police  justice  for  a  term  of  four  vears,  and  re- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1849 

elected  to  the  same  office  in  1898.  He  has  bulk  up  a  successful  law  prac- 
tice and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer. 

In  1898  Mr.  Wagner  was  second  lieutenant  of  the  Port  Huron  mili- 
tary company,  and  when  war  was  declared  against  Spain  he  went  into 
camp  with  his  company  at  Island  Lake,  on  April  26,  1898.  Soon  after 
the  Michigan  Division  of  the  Sons  of  V'eterans  organized  two  companies 
from  its  membership,  and  offered  them  to  the  State  of  Michigan  for 
service.  Mr.  Wagner  was  selected  as  captain  of  the  first  company,  which 
was  assigned  to  the  Thirty-third  Michigan  \'olunteer  Infantry,  l)ecom- 
ing  Company  L  of  that  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Boynton  of 
Port  Huron.  The  regiment  went  to  Cuba  during  the  Spanish-American 
war,  and  on  July  i,  1898,  at  Aguadores,  two  of  the  soldiers  in  Captain 
Wagner's  company  were  killed  and  three  wounded.  In  December,  1898, 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  Captain  Wagner  was  mustered  out  of  the  serv- 
ice with  his  company. 

In  November,  1900,  when  Colonel  Boynton  was  appointed  brigadier 
general  of  the  ]\Iichigan  National  Guard,  Captain  Wagner  was  commis- 
sioned major  and  made  assistant  inspector  general  on  the  general's  staff'. 
In  June,  1903,  General  William  T.  McGurrin  appointed  Captain  \\'agner 
major  and  inspector  of  small-arms  on  his  staff'.  Two  years  later,  in  June, 
1905,  Governor  Warner  of  Michigan,  appointed  him  inspector  general 
of  Michigan,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier  General,  a  position  he  held  con- 
tinuously until  the  office  was  abolished  by  law  in  191 1,  when  he  was  re- 
tired from  active  service.  He  was  a  verj'  efficient  officer  and  while  in- 
spector of  small-arms  practice  built  the  first  modernly  equipped  rifle 
range  ever  constructed  in  the  State.  When  General  Wagner  was  first 
appointed  inspector  of  small-arms  practice,  very  little  interest  in  rifle 
practice  was  taken  by  any  one  in  Michigan,  but  through  his  persistent 
energy  and  effort  the  subject  was  brought  before  the  military  department 
of  the  state  and  an  active  interest  was  created,  and  he  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  this  branch  of  military  instruction  grow,  under  his  fostering 
care,  to  splendid  proportions,  Alichigan  becoming  one  of  the  foremost 
states  in  the  Union  in  regard  to  rifle  practice. 

Gen.  Wagner  is  a  life  member  of  the  National  Rifle  Association  of 
America,  and  was  for  eight  years  a  member  of  the  National  Board  for 
the  Promotion  of  Rifle  Practice,  a  board  that  meets  in  the  office  of  the 
assistant  secretary  of  war,  in  January  of  each  year,  and  formulates  rules 
for  the  National  matches.  He  was  deputy  inspector  of  customs  from 
July,  1889,  until  July,  1893,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  chairman 
of  the  Republican  city  committee.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Free 
and  Accepted  Alasons ;  to  the  Independent  fjrder  of  Odd  Fellows;  to 
the  Knights  of  Pythias ;  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America :  and  to 
both  branches  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Since  a  boy  of  fifteen 
years  he  has  been  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Wagner  was  married  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  June  13,  1883, 
to  Minnie  E.  Rice,  and  they  with  their  four  children  have  a  pleasant 
home  at  No.  1009  Lincoln  Avenue.  The  children  are:  Chester  S., 
Louise  M..  Edith  D.  and  Roy  Smith  Wagner. 

Waiter  Edward  Otto.  Among  Michigan's  state  officials  whose  work 
constitutes  an  important  public  service  and  who  have  measured  up  to  all  the 
responsibilities  and  opportunities  of  their  office  is  Walter  Edward  Otto, 
actuary  of  the  State  Insurance  Department  at  Lansing. 

Mr.  Otto  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit, 
February  24,  1888,  and  though  less  than  thirty  years  of  age  has  already 
made  a  name  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  experts  in  his  line  of  work 
in  the  country.     He  is  descended  from  two  old  and  well  known  German 


1850  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

families  of  Detroit,  the  Ottos  and  the  Ewalds.  His  father  was  the  late 
Rudolph  Otto,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1863,  son  of  Edward  Otto, 
who  emigrated  with  his  faaiiily  to  America  in  1807,  and  located  in  De- 
troit the  same  year.  Edward  Otto  was  a  German  shoe  cobbler,  and  had 
one  of  tht  old-lime  shoe  shops  of  Detroit  for  many  years.  Rudolph 
Otto,  who  was  tour  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Detroit,  grew  up  in 
that  city,  learned  the  trade  of  machinist,  and  as  an  engineer  held  se\eral 
positions  of  responsibility  with  large  manufacturing  concerns.  His  death 
occurred  in  1893  at  the  age  of  thirty  years.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Miss  Anna  Ewald,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Ewald.  Jacob  Ewald  was  likewise  a  native  of  Germany,  settletl  in  De- 
troit many  years  ago,  and  there  became  one  of  the  leading  mason  con- 
tractors, having  budt  many  of  the  oldtime  structures  of  the  older  city, 
including  contract  work  on  the  old  Russel  House  and  also  the  old  City 
Hall. 

Walter  E.  Otto  grew  ui)  in  Detroit,  aUcnded  the  graniniar  and  high 
schools  of  that  city,  and  his  education  was  hnished  with  a  full  course  m 
the  Detroit  University,  which  graduated  him  in  1905.  His  talent  for  ac- 
counts and  other  inclinations  had  already  decided  him  upon  work  in  the 
Held  of  insurance,  and  with  that  ambition  he  entered  the  offices  of  the 
Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Detroit,  and  spent  a  year 
in  the  Actuarial  Department.  In  November,  1907,  his  service  with  the 
state  began  by  appointment  to  a  riiinor  position  in  the  Actuarial  Depart- 
ment of  the  State  Insurance  Office  at  Lansing.  After  a  short  time  Mr. 
Otto  was  promoted  chief  clerk  of  the  department,  then  was  made  assist- 
ant actuary,  and  since  June,  1910,  has  held  the  responsible  position  of 
actuary,  iiis  pronounced  ability  and  his  thorough  and  efficient  service 
in  the  State  Insurance  Departmejjt.  have  constituted  him  an  authority  in 
his  special  line  of  work.  Mr.  Otto  is  affiliated  with  Lansing  Lodge, 
No.  33,  A.  I'.  &  A.  M. 

LiKUT.  Einvi.N  RuTii\-K.\  II.WE.N'S,  of  Lansing,  dc|)Uty  state  land  com- 
missioner, has  been  identified  as  an  official  of  the  land  office  for  a  longer 
tenure  than  any  man  of  the  present  day.  Uorn  in  the  town  of  Stafford, 
Genesee  county,  New  York,  May  25,  1842,  he  is  a  son  of  William  C.  and 
Lisett  (Snow)  Havens,  natives  of  the  Empire  state,  the  father  being 
born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  in  1805,  and  the  mother  east  of  Albany, 
in  181 1.  ']"he  parents  were  married  in  New  York,  and  in  1851  brought 
iheir  family  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Niles  township,  IJerrien  county, 
where  a  farm  was  purchased  by  the  father.  Later  the  parents  removed 
to  Cass  county,  Michigan,  where  the  father  died  in  1884  while  the  mother 
survived  some  years  and  passed  away  at  Lansing,  in  1899.  The  grand- 
father of  Lieutenant  Havens  was  .-\bner  Havens,  a  native  of  New  N'ork-. 

Edwin  Kuthven  1  laveiis  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Berrien  town- 
ship, and  there  his  education  was  secured  intlic  district  schools.  On  June 
30,  1S62,  he  left  home  for  the  first  time,  going  Ui  tlic  neighboring  town  of 
Buchanan,  where  he  had  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  general  store. 
On  SejHember  12  of  the  same  year,  he  commenced  his  military  career, 
when  he  was  accepted  as  a  member  of  ("onipanv  .\.  Seventh  Regiment, 
Michigan  Cavalry  (General  Custer's  old  brigade),  and  was  mustered  into 
the  service  as  sergeant.  He  was  later  promoted  to  first  sergeant  and  in 
June,  1865,  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant,  being  mustered  out  with 
that  rank  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  securing  his  linal  discharge 
at  Detroit.  December  28,  1865.  The  history  of  the  Seventh  Michigan 
Cavalry  is  the  history  of  Lieutenant  Havens,  for  he  was  with  it  con- 
stantly throughout  the  war,  although  after  the  campaign  which  embraced 
Gettysburg  he  was  out  of  the  line  to  some  extent,  being  on  daily  duty 


THI  HV  imK 

roBucmRAftir 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1851 

with  the  Quartermaster's  Department  for  about  fifteen  months.  After 
the  war,  reaUzing  the  need  of  further  education,  Lieutenant  Havens  took 
a  course  in  a  commercial  college  at  Ann  Arbor,  in  1866,  and  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  clerk  at  the  village  of  Watervliet,  in  Berrien  county. 
In  1872  lie  was  nominated,  without  his  knowledge,  by  the  Republican 
party,  for  township  clerk  of  Watervliet  township,  and  the  next  day  was 
also  nominated  for  that  position  by  the  Democrats.  His  election  was 
naturally  unanimous,  and  in  that  office  he  continued  to  serve  until  1877. 
Three  years  later  Lieutenant  Havens  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket 
to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds  of  Berrien  coiuity,  serving  four  years, 
and  after  his  official  term  expired  went  to  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  and 
for  three  years  clerked  in  a  hardware  store.  In  1888  he  was  appointed 
to  a  position  in  the  Michigan  state  land  office,  and  continued  there  until 
a  change  in  the  administration  occurred  in  i8gi,  when  he  was  released, 
and  at  that  time  became  a  traveling  salesman.  In  January,  1893,  how- 
ever, he  was  again  appointed  to  the  Michigan  state  land  office,  and  has 
continued  to  be  associated  with  the  department  to  the  present  time,  a 
period  covering  twenty-two  continuous  years.  Lieutenant  Havens  was 
appointed  deputy  commissioner  in  December,  1898,  and  ser\ed  in  that 
capacity  until  January,  KjOI,  when  on  a  change  in  administration,  he 
became  chief  clerk,  an  appointment  which  he  held  until  August,  19 1 3, 
when  he  was  again  promoted  deputy  commissioner.  His  long  service 
has  been  characterized  by  the  strictest  devotion  to  duty,  and  few  men 
have  rendered  their  state  more  faithful  or  efficient  labors. 

In  December,  1 87 1,  Lieutenant  Havens  was  married  to  Eliza  Ann 
Stewart,  who  was  born  at  Coloma,  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  daughter 
of  Archiliald  and  Eliza  Ann  Stewart,  and  to  this  union  there  have  been 
born  seven  children:  Lucia,  who  is  now  Mrs.  W.  C.  Mealoy  ;  Lida  A  ; 
Coral  R.,  a  teacher  of  domestic  science  in  the  Detroit  city  schools ;  Charles 
Edwin,  a  resident  of  Detroit ;  Maribelle ;  Edna,  and  Roscoe  R. 

Lieutenant  Havens  is  a  member  of  Charles  C.  Foster  Post,  No.  42, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  still  continues  to  maintain  his  alle- 
giance to  the  Republican  party,  an,d  is  widely  and  prominently  known  in 
political  circles  in  the  state.     His  home  is  at  No.  924  ^Vest  Ionia  street. 

Lloyd  Lester  Bellville.  Although  he  is  numbered  among  the 
more  recent  acquisitions  to  the  architectural  profession  in  Detroit,  Lloyd 
Lester  Bellville  may  be  accounted  one  of  the  most  promising  men  of 
his  calling  in  the  city.  He  was  born  at  Wyandotte,  Wayne  county, 
Michigan,  November  5,  1891,  and  comes  from  a  line  of  builders,  he 
being  in  the  third  generation  of  the  family  to  be  identified  with  Inulding 
and  architecture  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Bellville's  grandfather,  William  R. 
Belhille.  was  a  master  builder  in  Ohio  and  Michigan,  and  erected 
numerous  buildings  in  Wyandotte,  among  them  a  numljer  of  public 
schools  of  that  place.  His  son,  William  Bellville,  who  was  associated 
with  him  for  some  years,  is  now  a  master  builder  of  Wyandotte.  Wil- 
liam R.  Bellville  was  born  in  New  York  state,  from  whence  he  removed 
to  Wood  county,  Ohio.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  an  Ohio 
regiment  of  volunteer  infantry,  for  service  in  the  L^nion  Army,  and  con- 
tinued to  wear  the  uniform  of  his  country  six  years.  He  was  married 
in  Ohio  to  Rebecca  Williams,  who  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
'and  in  the  spring  of  1875  he  removed  to  Manistee,  Michigan,  although 
ten  years  later  he  returned  to  Ohio.  In  i88g  he  again  came  to  Michigan, 
this  time  locating  permanently  at  Wyandotte,  where  both  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  passed  away. 

Nelson  S.  Bellville,  the  father  of  Lloyd  Lester  Bellville,  was  born 
at  Perrysburg,  Wood  county.  Ohio,  October  18,  1861.     He  received  his 


1852  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  Michigan,  and  proved  him- 
self an  attentive  and  retentive  scholar,  and  when  he  laid  aside  his  books 
set  about  industriously  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  At  this  he  worked 
for  some  years,  gradually  drifting  into  the  contracting  and  building  busi- 
ness, and  continued  to  follow  that  vocation  until  coming  to  Detroit,  in 
1909,  when  he  retired  from  active  building  and  has  since  confined  him- 
self to  draughting.  The  mother,  Oda  N.  Denno,  was  born  on  her  father's 
farm  in  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  November  21,  1875,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Denno,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  county,  and  sister  of  Oliver  B.  Denno, 
who  was  a  noted  Detroit  architect,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  that  profession  in  Chicago,   Illinois. 

Lloyd  Lester  Bellville  was  reared  at  Wyandotte,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  On  both  sides  of  the  family  he  had  inherited  a 
predilection  for  building  and  architecture,  and  even  as  a  schoolboy 
decided  to  become  an  architect  and  began  preparing  for  the  profession. 
As  a  lad  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  spare  time  around  his  grand- 
father's and  uncle's  offices,  and  even  as  a  youth  in  his  early  'teens  could 
prepare  a  very  creditable  plan.  In  1910  he  entered  the  offices  of  his 
uncle,  Oliver  B.  Denno,  and  studied  under  him  for  one  year,  when  his 
uncle  took  him  into  partnership.  In  1912,  when  Mr.  Denno  decided  to 
remove  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Bellville  purchased  the  business,  and  has  since 
continued  by  himself  with  unusual  success  for  one  of  his  years.  He 
does  general  architectural  work,  and  probably  no  other  one  architect 
has  put  up  or  furnished  plans  for  as  many  buildings  as  has  he  in  the  same 
length  of  time. 

At  Toledo,  Ohio.  May  7,  1912.  Mr.  Bellville  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Agnes  Lemeraud,  the  daughter  of  A.  Lemeraud,  of  that  city, 
and  to  this  union  there  has  come  one  daughter:  Arittie  Catherine.  Mr. 
Bellville  maintains  well  appointed  offices  at  No.  542  Mount  Elliott 
avenue. 

S.-\M.UEL  DeWitt  Pepper.  Prominent  among  the  state  officials  of 
Michigan  is  found  Samuel  DeWitt  Pepper,  of  Lansing,  assistant  attorney 
general  of  Michigan,  judge  advocate  of  the  ]\Iichigan  National  Guard,  a 
lawyer  of  established  reputation,  and  a  citizen  of  genuine  worth  and 
staisility.  j\Ir.  Pepper  was  born  near  the  city  of  London,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, of  American  parents,  his  father,  Alexander  Pepper,  being  a  native 
of  Rockford.  Illinois,  and  his  mother,  Catherine  (Mc.\rthur)  Pepper,  of 
County  Middlesex.  Ontario.  His  paternal  forbears  were  Virginians, 
while  his  maternal  ancestors  were  of  a  Highland  Scotch  clan  of 
Argyleshire. 

.Samuel  D.  Pepper  received  his  early  education  at  Forest,  Ontario, 
and  was  an  honor  graduate  of  the  London  Normal  school,  and  an  imder- 
graduate  of  Toronto  University,  after  which  he  taught  schol  for  a  few 
years.  In  1903  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Moore  &  Wilson  and  Cady  & 
Crandall,  of  Port  Huron,  and  later  studied  with  Phillips  &  Jenks,  also  of 
that  city.  In  1905  Mr.  Pepper  took  a  special  course  in  law  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  in  April,  1906,  passed  the  Michigan  State  Bar 
examination  at  Lansing  and  was  admitted  to  ]>ractice.  For  a  time  after 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Pepper  continued  with  Phillips  &  Jenks,  of 
Port  Huron,  making  rapid  progress  in  his  profession  in  the  meantime, 
but  in  1908  formed  a  partnership  with  Hugh  H.  Hart,  of  St.  Clair,  at  that 
time  opening  offices  at  Port  Huron  and  entering  general  practice  in  De- 
cember of  that  year.  Mr.  Pepper's  advancement  was  so  rapid  and  his 
ability  so  fully  recognized,  that  February  12,  1912,  the  then  attorney  gen- 
eral of  the  state,  now  Judge  Kuhn  of  the  Sttpreme  bench,  appointed  him 
assistant  attornev  general,  in  which  office  he  has  since  made  an  enviable 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1853 

record  and  has  represented  the  state  in  some  of  its  most  important  htiga- 
tion,  speciahzing  in  the  school,  municipal  health,  highway,  military, 
insurance,  banking,  and  probate  laws  of  the  state.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  advisor  to  the  highway  department  of  insurance,  department  of  bank- 
ing, and  military  department,  and  at  various  other  times  has  acted  in  a 
like  capacity  for  other  departments. 

Mr.  Pepper  became  connected  with  the  Michigan  National  Guard  in 
April,  1905,  and  in  September,  1908,  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant 
of  Company  C,  Third  Regiment,  Port  Huron.  He  was  subsequently 
promoted  and  commissioned  judge  advocate  general  of  Michigan  by 
Governor  Osborn,  in  September,  1912,  with  rank  of  major,  a  position  he 
has  continued  to  hold.  During  the  recent  strike  in  the  Calumet  copper 
country,  Mr.  Pepper  represented  the  state  and  defended  it  in  the  investi- 
gation of  the  strike  during  1913-14,  succeeding  in  exonerating  the  militia 
of  tlie  charges  brought  against  it. 

On  September  10,  1907,  ]\Iajor  Pepper  was  married  to  Miss  Kqtherine 
MacDonald,  of  Charlevoix,  Michigan,  daughter  of  Godfrey  MacDonald, 
and  they  have  a  daughter,  Elizabeth  Marion,  born  October  4,  1910. 
While  a  resident  of  Port  Huron,  Mr.  Pepper  was  prominent  and  active  in 
public  and  military  affairs,  and  has  so  continued  at  Lansing.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  as  is  Mrs.  Pepper,  and  fraternally  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World. 

Howard  R.  Ford.  In  the  young  and  progressive  element  of  Bay 
City's  business  circles,  Howard  R.  Ford  has  a  place  as  member  of  the 
clothing  and  haberdashery  firm  of  Ford  &  Simon.  He  comes  of  an  old 
Michigan  family,  and  though  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age  has  established 
himself  securely  in  business. 

Howard  R.  Ford  was  born  in  Bay  City  September  9,  1885,  a  son  of 
Charles  S.  and  Ella  (Crane)  Ford.  The  Ford  family  originated  in  Ire- 
land, and  the  founder  of  the  name  in  the  United  States  settled  in  New 
York,  where  Charles  S.  Ford  was  bom.  The  latter  emigrated  to  Michigan 
as  a  young  man,  and  established  himself  in  business  as  a  clothier  in  Bay 
City.  During  his  long  and  successful  career  in  that  community  he  won  the 
confidence  of  his  associates  and  the  esteem  of  those  who  knew  him  on 
account  of  his  industry  and  honorable  dealing.  His  death  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1901,  and  his  wife,  a  native  of  [Michigan,  is  also  deceased.  Their 
three  children  were :  ]\Iiss  Edna,  a  resident  of  Bay  Cit}- ;  Howard  R. :  and 
Ella,  wife  of  George  Kolb,  Jr.,  of  Bay  City. 

Howard  R.  Ford  attended  the  graded  schools  of  Bay  City,  also  the 
high  school,  and  subsequently  spent  one  year  in  the  Military  Academy  at 
Faribault,  Minnesota,  and  one  year  at  Alma  College,  Alma.  Michigan. 
At  the  completion  of  his  studies  he  went  to  Chicago  and  traveled  on  the 
road  for  seven  years,  for  two  large  Chicago  houses.  When  he  decided 
to  enter  business  on  his  own  account,  Mr.  Ford  on  September  i,  1908, 
formed  a  partnership  with  Theodore  C.  Simon,  and  under  the  firm  style 
of  Ford  &  Simon  opened  a  haberdashery  and  clothing  establishment  at 
702  East  Midland  street.  This  venture  proved  a  success  from  the  start, 
and  the  business  has  been  constantly  improved  and  broadened  and  is  now 
one  of  the  leading  stores  of  its  kind  in  Bay  City. 

Mr.  Ford  is  a  Republican,  but  his  only  interest  in  politics  is  that  taken 
by  every  good  citizen  whose  concern  is  for  the  best  welfare  of  his  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Recreation  and  Bay  City  Clubs,  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  also  affiliates  with  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Vul.  IV— 7 


1854  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  . 

Albert  W.  Tausend.  Born  in  Saginaw  City,  August  9,  1873,  Mayor 
Tausend  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Trier)  Tausend,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  the  latter  of  Saxony,  Gennany.  Jacob 
Tausend  has  for  many  years  been  a  resident  of  Saginaw,  and  was  one  of 
the  early  contractors  and  builders  of  the  city.  A  man  of  sterling  char- 
acter, he  reared  and  educated  his  family  to  be  a  credit  to  their  parents, 
and  has  held  a  high  place  in  the  citizenship  of  Saginaw  for  many  years. 
He  is  now  serving  the  city  of  Saginaw  as  director  of  the  poor,  which  office 
he  has  now  held  for  four  years.  There  were  five  children,  the  present 
mayor  of  Saginaw,  being  the  oldest,  and  the  others  as  follows ;  Jacob 
Tausend,  Jr.,  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Oregon ;  Caroline,  wife  of  Martin 
Guderitz.  "of  Saginaw;  Anna  J.,  wife  of  James  T.  Lehan  of  Saginaw; 
and  William  H.  of  Saginaw. 

.Albert  William  Tausend  had  a  public  school  education  graduating 
from  the  Arthur  Hill  high  school.  His  first  regular  employment  came  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  became  tally  boy  and  shipping  clerk  for  the 
C.  I.  ^weet  Lumber  Company  of  Saginaw.  This  was  followed  by  six 
months  employment  as  an  advertising  solicitor,  with  the  Weekly  Jl'orld, 
after  which  the  Saginaw  Manufacturing  Company  employed  him  as  ship- 
ping clerk.  ?Ie  spent  two  and  a  half  years  with  that  company.  Mr. 
Tausend  then  formed  a  connection  with  the  Magnetic  Spring  Water  Com- 
pany of  Saginaw,  who  were  lessees  for  commercial  purposes  of  the  waters 
of  tiie  celebrated  St.  Louis  Magnetic  Mineral  Springs,  located  at  St. 
Louis,  ^Michigan.  That  was  in  1894,  and  in  a  few  years  he  acquired  a 
one-half  interest  in  the  business  with  Chas.  A.  Khuen  as  a  co-partner, 
and  since.  January,  191 1,  has  been  sole  owner  of  this  plant  for  the  manu- 
facture of  high  class  carbonated  and  flavored  beverages,  and  for  the 
bottling  and  distribution  of  the  St.  Louis  magnetic  mineral  water.  The 
product  is  distributed  throughout  Michigan  and  adjacent  states.  An 
active  Democrat,  Mr.  Tausend  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of 
Saginaw  for  ten  years,  and  in  1912,  was  honored  with  election  to  the 
office  of  mayor.  His  entire  career  has  been  spent  in  Saginaw,  where  his 
life  and  character  are  as  an  open  book  to  the  citizens.  Fraternally  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  also  being 
a  member  of  the  Teutonia  Society  and  other  clubs  of  Saginaw. 

On  April  12,  1897,  he  married  Miss  Georgina  Melissa  Landon.  She 
was  born  in  Brockville,  Ontario,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Anna  E. 
(Kilburn)  Landon.  The  two  children  born  to  their  marriage  are;  Albert 
Landon  Tausend,  fifteen  years  old,  and  Ann  Burr,  aged  four  years. 

Mrs.  Fi.ixt  P.  S.mitii.  By  her  contributions  to  the  Iniilding  interests 
of  l'"lint,  Mrs.  Flint  P.  Smith  has  won  the  right  to  a  jjrominent  i:)lace 
among  those  to  whom  the  city  is  indebted  for  its  growth  and  material 
advancement.  Born  September  26,  1855,  at  .Alexandria,  Genesee  county. 
New  York,  she  is  a  daughter  of  Sebe  and  Loretta  C.  (Baldwin)  Brainard. 

The  Brainard  family  is  one  of  the  old  and  honored  ones  of  New 
England,  the  founder  emigrating  from  England  and  settling  in  Connecticut 
in  colonial  times.  Harris  Brainard.  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Smith, 
served  as  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  the  War  of  i8t2,  and 
his  descendants  have  distinguished  themselves  in  military  and  civil  life, 
in  the  professions  and  in  business.  Sebe  ISrainard  was  born  in  .Mex- 
andria.  New  York,  in  the  same  house  which  had  been  the  birthplace  of 
his  father  before  him.  lie  received  excellent  educational  advantages  and 
became  known  as  the  best  grammarian  of  his  locality,  took  an  active 
part  in  local  affairs,  and  devoted  his  activities  to  agriculture.  He  died 
May  30,  1894.  in  the  home  of  his  birth,  aged  seventy-two  years.     Mr. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1855 

Brainard  married  Loretta  C.  Baldwin,  who  also  came  of  an  old  Con- 
necticut family  of  English  descent,  and  whose  father  was  Timothy  G. 
Baldwin  of  Revolutionary  fame.  She  still  survives  in  the  old  Genesee 
county  home,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years,  although  still  in 
good  health.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them :  Carolina  Augusta, 
who  married  Jerome  Riddle  and  died  October  7,  1893,  at  Alexandria, 
New  York ;  and  Franc  Amanda,  of  this  review. 

Mrs.  Smith,  who  was  four  years  older  than  her  sister,  was  educated 
in  Alexandria  Seminary,  and  private  schools  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
being  given  the  best  of  advantages.  She  was  married  in  her  native  city, 
August  25,  1875,  to  Flint  Penfield  Smith,  who  was  born  at  Penfield, 
Ohio,  his  native  town  having  been  named  after  his  maternal  grandmother. 
He  was  born  September  26,  1853,  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Maria  G.  (  Pen- 
field)  Smith,  natives  of  Ohio  and  members  of  leading  families  of  the 
Buckeye  state.  His  early  education  was  secured  in  the  public  schools  of 
Penfield,  and  later  he  attended  the  schools  of  Flint,  Michigan,  to  which 
city  he  came  as  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  On  the  completion  of  his 
literary  training  he  began  his  business  life  as  a  clerk  with  the  firm  of 
Vanepps  &  Bailey,  grocers,  with  whom  he  was  connected  several  years 
as  he  was  also  with  Smith  &  Bridgman.  In  1874,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  he  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account,  securing  a  cap- 
ital of  $1,000  from  his  father,  and  after  five  years  spent  in  the  commis- 
sion business  entered  the  lumber  business  with  his  father,  under  the  firm 
style  of  Hardwood,  Smith  &  Company.  Three  years  later  his  father 
died  and  Mr.  Smith  continued  the  business  alone  under  the  style  of  Flint 
P.  Smith  Lumber  Company  until  1899.  In  that  year  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Orvisburg,  Mississippi,  and  engaged  extensively  in  the  lum- 
ber business  in  Pearl  River  county  under  the  firm  name  of  Champion 
Lumber  Company,  a  venture  in  which  he  met  with  marked  success.  He 
continued  therein  six  years,  and  in  1905  returned  to  Flint,  where  he  lived 
a  somewhat  retired  life,  although  his  capital  was  devoted  to  real  estate 
investments.  His  interests  were  large  and  varied,  and  among  others 
included  a  directorship  in  the  Union  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Flint, 
Michigan,  of  which  he  was  vice  president.  He  was  also  a  director  and 
stockholder  in  the  Meridian  Savings  Bank  of  Meridian,  Mississippi,  and 
the  Poplarville  Bank  at  Poplarville,  that  state,  was  a  man  in  whom  his 
associates  and  the  general  public  placed  the  greatest  confidence,  and  did 
much  to  further  the  interests  of  the  communities  in  which  he  lived.  He 
died  at  Flint,  April  20,  1909,  when  the  city  lost  one  of  its  most  forceful 
men.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  was  active  in  civic  affairs, 
although  he  never  sought  personal  preferment  in  public  matters.  Fra- 
ternally, he  was  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Elks. 
Fie  attended  the  Congregational  church  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to 
its  movements. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  the  parents  of  two  children:  Ward  B.,  now 
a  resident  and  business  man  of  Houghton,  Michigan ;  and  Gwenola,  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  Sidnev  Tucker  Jones,  of  New  York  City.  Since  the 
death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Smith  has  continued  in  the  management  and 
direction  of  his  large  estate,  and  has  shown  herself  a  capable  business 
woman.  In  1910  and  191 1  she  erected  at  a  cost  of  over  $200,000,  what 
is  now  Flint's  largest  office  building,  the  Flint  P.  Smith  Building,  named 
after  her  husband  and  erected  in  his  honor.  It  is  located  in  the  heart  of 
the  business  district  of  the  city  on  South  Saginaw  and  Union  streets,  ad- 
jacent to  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  and  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad 
depots,  the  Interurban  Lines,  and  the  leading  hotels  and  banks.  This  is 
the  site  of  the  old  postoffice,  which  occupied  the  property  for  some  twen- 
ty-five years.     It  is  a  nine-story  office  building,  containing   164  offices, 


1856  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

with  the  most  modern  methods  of  fireproof  construction,  and  its  tenants 
are  furnished  with  every  convenience  in  the  way  of  hot  and  cold  water, 
gas,  electric  light  and  compressed  air  in  every  room,  while  elevator  serv- 
ice is  available  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  Mrs.  Smith  maintains 
offices  in  Room  012-13  in  this  building,  which  is  also  the  home  of  the 
Industrial  Savings  Bank.  Among  other  structures  Mrs.  Smith  erected 
the  Smith  building,  and  has  been  the  developer  of  the  most  beautiful 
part  of  the  city.  Knob  Hill.  She  is  widely  known  in  social  circles  of 
the  citv,  in  which  she  is  an  acknowledged  leader,  and  has  been  actively 
known  also  in  religious  and  charitalile  work. 

.\i.LiiX  D.  Sp.\ngli-:r.  The  oldest  produce  and  fruit  commission  mer- 
chant of  Saginaw,  Mr.  Spangler  represents  pioneer  stock  in  central  Mich- 
igan :  his  father  ventured  to  the  frontier,  and  helped  establish  civiliza- 
tion a  little  more  firmly,  and  then  sacrificed  his  life  for  his  country  dur- 
ing the  war ;  and  the  son  has  known  every  ]3hase  of  Michigan  develo])- 
ment  since  the  log-cabin  school  era.  He  has  long  Ijeen  one  of  the  most 
successful  and  substantial  Saginaw  business  men. 

In  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  Allen  D.  Spangler  was  born  September 
26,  1857,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Philena  (Drayer)  Spangler,  natives  of  Xew 
York  State.  The  father  came  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  the  township 
of  P.ath  in  Clinton  county,  where  he  secured  some  wild  land,  chopped 
lown  the  trees  in  order  to  clear  a  space  for  his  home,  and  underwent  all 
he  hardshi]js  incident  to  existence  in  that  section  of  Michigan.  The 
iiearest  mills  were  at  DeW'itl,  and  Okamus,  and  it  was  a  regular  incident 
of  family  life  to  make  a  trip  with  ox  teams  to  these  mills,  and  Allen  D. 
Spangler  himself  when  a  boy  accompanietl  the  wagon.  It  ref|uired  one 
entire  day  to  get  to  the  mills  and  another  to  return.  Jacob  Spangler  be- 
came a  factor  in  local  politics  in  Clinton  county,  held  various. township 
offices,  and  when  the  war  came  on  enlisted  and  was  assigned  to  the  en- 
gineering corps  in  the  Union  army.  He  contracted  fever,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  a  hos])ital  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  1862.  His  widow  was 
again  married  and  is  now  living  once  more  a  widow,  her  second  hus- 
band having  been  John  W'atling.  Her  home  is  now  with  her  daughter, 
lunily,  at  Lansing.  Michigan.  To  Jacob  Spangler  and  wife  were  born 
foin-  children,  Adelbert  A.  Spangler,  whose  home  is  in  Woodhull,  and 
who  is  a  prominent  farmer  in  Ingham  county ;  Perry  George  Spangler, 
a  traveling  salesman,  with  head(|uarters  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  F.mily.  wife 
of  Edward  L.  Smith,  of  Lansing. 

Allen  D.  Spangler,  the  oldest  of  the  family,  has  the  honor  of  having 
brought  into  Saginaw  the  first  carload  of  California  oranges  and  the 
first  carload  of  liananas.  and  is  the  largest  dealer  in  country  ])roduce  and 
wholesale  commission  fruit  in  the  city.  For  the  convenient  transaction 
of  his  business  seventy-five  hundred  feet  of  floor  space  are  re(|uired. 
and  he  owns  one  of  the  most  eligible  corners  in  the  business  district,  at 
Genesee  and  North  Water  Street.  Mr.  Spangler's  early  education  was 
received  in  a  log  school  in  Clinton  county.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  his 
business  career  began,  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  George  \V.  Christian  at 
Lansing,  and  during  his  stay  at  Lansing,  he  also  attended  the  Parsons 
P)Usiness  College.  That  gave  him  a  familiarity  with  the  business  forms 
and  jJTOved  very  heljjful  in  his  subsequent  career.  His  tuition  at  busi- 
ness college  was  paid  for  out  of  his  earnings  as  a  clerk.  .Vfter  three 
rears  in  his  first  work,  he  got  a  better  place  with  .Amos  Turner,  who 
subsec|uently  moved  his  store  to  Perry,  Michigan.  Mr.  Spangler  remained 
with  Turner  four  years  and  then  returned  to  Saginaw,  and  with  his  sav- 
ings engaged  in  business  with  Darius  Diamond,  the  firm  being  known  as 
the  Diamond  Grocery  Company.     This  was  a  retail  concern,  and   was 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1857 

quite  prosperous.  After  one  year,  Mr.  Spangler  sold  out  to  his  partner, 
and  went  as  manager  for  the  Bentley  Oil  Company,  with  which  con- 
cern he  worked  for  two  years.  The  J.  T.  Bell  &  Company,  wholesale 
produce  merchants  then  gave  him  a  responsible  place  and  kept  his  serv- 
ices for  two  years.  On  leaving  the  Bell  Company,  Mr.  Spangler  engaged 
in  business  for  himself,  and  though  his  start  was  exceedingly  modest, 
he  has  developed  along  different  lines  and  built  up  the  largest  and  now 
the  oldest  wholesale  produce  business  in  Saginaw.  Until  he  got  into  this 
business  at  Saginaw,  the  largest  importation  of  bananas  had  been  one 
hundred  bunches,  which  was  considered  a  very  large  shipment,  and  only 
a  few  cases  of  oranges  were  ever  brought  in  at  one  time.  However,  Mr. 
Spangler  inaugurated  the  business  on  a  much  larger  scale,  and  with 
greater  faith  in  the  local  market,  and  brought  in  the  first  carload  of  Cali- 
fornia oranges,  and  shipped  bananas  by  the  carload.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Spangler  also  owned  and  operated  a  fine  farm  in  the  Saginaw  valley 
running  his  place  in  connection  with  his  markets.  In  1812  he  sold  the 
farm  and  his  entire  time  is  now  occupied  with  his  large  and  still  expand- 
ing produce  market. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  belongs  to 
the  Saginaw  Country  Club,  and  takes  great  pleasure  in  the  game  of 
golf.  Mr.  Spangler  married  Miss  Sarah  Diamond,  daughter  of  Darius 
Diamond,  at  one  time  the  partner  of  Mr.  Spangler.  They  have  no  chil- 
dren, but  Mr.  Spangler  is  a  man  of  such  generosity,  such  love  for  youth, 
that  he  has  taken  two  children  into  his  home,  given  them  the  best  of  edu- 
cational advantages,  and  has  now  one  adopted  daughter,  IMarion  Isabelle 
Spangler. 

Clyde  Willis  Hecox.  Accomplished,  large-minded,  and  progressive, 
Clyde  Willis  Hecox,  editor  and  manager  of  the  Saint  Ignace  Enter- 
prise, has  the  distinction  of  being  the  publisher  of  the  only  Democratic 
paper  issued  in  the  Upper  Peninsula,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most 
popular  men  in  his  profession.  A  son  of  Charles  L.  Hecox,  he  was  born, 
June  9,  1861,  at  Vergennes,  Kent  county,  ^Michigan,  of  pioneer  ancestry. 

Charles  L.  Hecox  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  State,  coming  from 
a  family  of  considerable  prominence,  some  of  his  ancestors  having  been 
contractors  for  the  construction  of  the  Erie  canal,  their  contracts  having 
been  among  the  first  issued  for  that  great  work.  Leaving  New  York 
State  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  he  came  to  Michigan  as  a  pioneer, 
settling  in  Ionia  county,  where  he  built  and  operated  the  first  sawmill. 
Establishing  a  successful  business,  he  extended  his  interests,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  lumbermen  to  invade  the  rich  pine  forests  of  Montcalm 
county.  He  married  Miss  Linda  Ford,  and  of  the  five  children  born  of 
their  union  four  are  now  living,  Clyde  Willis  being  the  youngest  child  of 
the  household. 

Educated  in  Greenville,  Michigan,  Clyde  Willis  Hecox  was  gradu- 
ated from  its  schools  in  1876,  and  immediately  began  learning  the  trade 
of  a  printer.  Serving  an  apprenticeship  in  the  office  of  the  Green\ille 
Independent,  he  subsequently  made  his  way  to  Chicago,  where,  under 
the  regime  of  Wilbur  F.  Story,  he  was  for  a  while  employed  on  the 
Chicago  Times.  He  afterwards  worked  on  the  Louisville  Courier- 
Journal,  and  the  New  Orleans  Picayune,  gaining  both  knowledge 
and  experience  while  thus  employed.  Returning  to  Michigan,  Mr.  Hecox, 
in  company  with  Charles  R.  Stuart,  founded  the  Chippewa  County 
Democrat  at  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  and  later  was  very  active  in  the  for- 
mation of  Luce  county,  and  founded  the  Newberry  Nezvs.  He  was 
subsequently  editor  of  the  Soo  Record,  the  Soo  Nezvs,  the  Soo  Times, 
and  the  Soo  Democrat,  having  charge  of  the  latter  named  paper  first. 


1858  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

At  present  Mr.  Hecox  is  editor  and  manager  of  the  Saint  Ignace  En- 
tcrprisc,  which  has  a  circulation  of  one  thousand  copies,  and  being 
the  only  Democratic  organ  in  the  L'pper  Peninsula,  is  widely  read. 
Mr.  Hecox  has  a  perfectly  equipped  plant,  furnished  with  a  Babcock 
press,  and  a  Merganthaler  linotype.  In  publishing  and  editing  his  paper 
Mr.  Hecox  employs  four  men  all  of  the  time,  and  during  the  season 
doubles  his  office  force,  keeping  eight  men  busy. 

Politically  .Mr.  Hecox  is  a  straightforward  Democrat,  and  interested 
in  jniblic  aflairs,  in  1883-4  serving  as  village  clerk  in  the  Soo,  and  in 
1904-5-6  serving  in  Soo  as  city  recorder.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Upper  Peninsula  Press  Association,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  St. 
Ignace  Lodge,  No.  369,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Order  of  Masons ;  to 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  which  he  was  secretary 
for  three  years;  and  is  a  member,  and  past  chancellor  commander  of  Red 
Cross  Lodge,  No.  51,  Knights  of  Pythias.  Religiously  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Hecox  married,  June  17,  1884,  Miss  Ella  A.  Ashmun,  daughter 
of  Edward  and  Amanda  ( Chapman j  Ashmun.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Ashmun  was  Indian  interpreter  for  the  Government  for  the  northern 
counties  of  Michigan,  a  position  for  which  he  was  well  qualified,  having 
been  well  educated,  and  speaking  several  languages  fluently.  He  was 
afterwards  in  the  lighthouse  service,  and  for  two  terms  was  postmaster 
at  .Soo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hecox  have  four  children,  namely :  Don  M. 
Hecox,  who  married  Miss  Ethel  Howells ;  Florence  M.,  wife  of  George 
E.  Sturt;  Paul  W.  Hecox,  and  Ella  Ruth  Hecox.  Mrs.  Hecox  is  an 
active  worker  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  she  belongs,  being 
vice-president  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  Saint  Ignace,  and  a  memljer 
of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society.  She  also  is  a  member,  and  past  chief,  of  the 
Pythian  Sisters. 

Leberecht  Wasm,und.  The  Batchelder-Wasmund  Company,  cut- 
stone  contractors  and  builders,  at  Detroit,  of  which  Leberecht  Was- 
mund  is  president,  is,  from  the  point  of  its  record  of  long-continued  exist- 
ence, its  financial  responsibilities,  its  reliability  and  competence  in  per- 
formance, one  of  the  foremost  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the  state  of  Michi- 
gan. The  president  of  the  company  has  a  particularly  interesting  career 
of  accomplishment,  leading  from  a  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his  trade  to  a 
place  of  influence  and  leadership  in  the  state's  largest  city. 

.\  native  of  Germany,  Leberecht  Wasmund  was  born  in  the  Province 
of  llrandenburg,  July  14,  1863.  Charles  and  Minnie  (Miller)  Was- 
mund, his  parents,  were  also  natives  of  Germany,  the  father  born  in  1821 
and  the  mother  in  1824.  In  1868  Frederick,  a  son,  and  Gusta,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Wasmiuid  and  wife,  left  Germany  and  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Detroit  the  same  year.  In  1870  the  rest  of  the  family  fol- 
lowed and  all  were  reunited  in  Detroit.  For  a  period  of  five  years  after 
arriving  in  that  city  Charles  W'asnumd  was  employed  in  different  occu- 
pations, and  finally  bought  a  small  farm  north  of  the  city  and  continued 
as  a  farmer  until  his  death  in  188C.    His  widow  died  in  Detroit  in  1894. 

Leberecht  Wasmund  received  his  early  education  in  the  Lutheran 
parochial  schools  of  Detroit,  and  took  his  first  commtmion  when  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  .\r\  apt  and  studious  ininil,  before  he  left  school  he 
was  frequently  in  charge  of  the  other  i>upils  as  an  assistant  teacher 
during  the  absence  of  the  regular  teacher.  It  was  his  father's  ambition 
to  educate  his  son  for  the  profession  of  teaching,  but  his  financial  cir- 
cmnstances  never  |)erniitted  of  this  course.  Instead  the  boy  left  school 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  marble  cutting 
trade  with  Mr.  ( ilogner.  the  old  marble  man  of  that  day.     His  four  years' 


"'"^^, 


^Hy/J"    *'-U 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1859 

apprenticeship  was  followed  by  work  as  a  journeyman  cutter  for  Air. 
Glogner  until  1885.  That  year  marked  his  first  employment  for  the  old 
sand-stone  firm  of  Batchelder  &  Long,  whose  stone  yard  was  at  the  foot 
of  Brush  street  and  was  the  oldest  yard  in  the  city.  While  with  that 
firm  the  serious  illness  of  his  father  and  the  fracturing  of  a  limb  by 
his  mother  necessitated  abandonment  of  work  at  his  trade  so  that  he 
might  return  to  the  farm  to  look  after  his  parents.  While  his  home 
was  on  the  farm  until  the  death  of  his  father,  after  four  months,  Mr. 
Wasmund  resumed  work  in  the  city.  About  that  time  Batchelder  & 
Long  had  under  way  the  erection  of  what  is  commonly  known  as  the 
"Red  Stone  church"  on  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Edmund 
place.  They  put  him  to  work  on  that  contract.  The  foreman  in  charge 
of  the  work  died,  and  Mr.  Wasmund  finished  the  job  as  foreman.  That 
is  considered  the  finest  church  edifice  in  the  city,  and  it  is  naturally  a 
source  of  pride  to  Mr.  Wasmund  that  his  connection  with  its  con- 
struction was  of  such  a  responsible  nature  and  at  so  early  a  period  of 
his  career.  Under  the  superintending  of  the  architect,  Air.  Wasmund 
also  built  Trinity,  or  the  James  E.  Scripp's  Memorial  church,  at  the 
corner  of  Trumbull  avenue  and  Myrtle  street. 

The  old  firm  of  Batchelder  «&  Reed  about  that  time  became  that  of 
Batchelder,  Reed  &  Company,  the-copipany  being  Mr.  Wasmund.  The 
original  Batchelder  dying,  his  intei^^sts  were, taken  by  his  cousin,  John  L. 
Batchelder,  and  still  later  J ohn.L.>\Vas  Succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  L., 
and  the  firm  became  Batchelder  &  Wasmund.  When  incorporated  the 
name  was  slightly  amended  as  Batchelder-Wasmund  Company,  with  Mr. 
Wasmund  as  president ;  C.  L.  Batchelder,  vice-^president ;  Gustav  Sly- 
vester,  treasurer;  and  W.  M.  Panzlau;  secretary.  .The  stone  yard  and 
offices  are  located  at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Fifteenth  street. 

The  firm  of  Batchelder  &  Wasmund  erected,  among  other  buildings 
of  importance,  the  fine  residences  of  John  B.  Ford,  Willis  E.  Buhl,  Dr. 
E.  J.  Torrey,  J.  Brooks,  Bernard  Stroh  and  many  others  of  the  very 
finest  in  Detroit  and  in  Grosse  Pointe.  The  public  buildings  erected 
by  them  include  the  following:  The  Detroit  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  Central 
high  school,  the  Cass  Technical  high  school,  St.  Andrews  Memorial 
church,  Dodge  Bros,   factories,  the  Herman  Kiefer  Memorial   Hospital. 

Mr.  Wasmund  was  married  in  1885  to  the  daughter  of  the  late  Stephen 
Maul.  She  was  born  in  Detroit,  and  her  parents  came  from  Germany  to 
Detroit  in  1852.  The  children  of  Mr.  Wasmund  and  wife  are  as  follows: 
Edward;  William  S.,  who  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  the  class  of  1910,  played  the  position  of  quarterback  on  the  Michigan 
football  team  four  seasons,  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
football  generals  in  the  middle  west,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1912,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  was  acting  as  coach  for  the  football 
squad  of  the  University  of  Texas;  Alfred;  Elsa,  who  married  Capt. 
David  Davie,  of  Detroit ;  Frederick  W. ;  and  Henry,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wasmund  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  He  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Builders'  and  Traders' 
Exchange,  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  and  the  Lutheran  Bund. 

Benj.\min  G.  Appleby.  Head  of  the  B.  G.  Appleby  Company,  real 
estate,  loans,  building  contractors  and  insurance,  Mr.  Appleliy  has  been 
successfully  identified  with  the  business  community  of  Saginaw  as  a 
newspaper  man,  as  a  real  estate  expert,  building  contractor,  and  as  a 
pul:ilic  spirited  citizen  all  his  active  career.  He  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  real  estate  men  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  is 
probably  the  largest  operator  in  general  real  estate  in  the  state,  is  a 
liberal  advertiser,  and  not  onlv  does  a  large  volume  of  business  but  in 


1860 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 


such  a  way  that  its  results  are  for  the  pc-rmancnt  improvement  and  bene- 
fit of  the  city  and  vicinity.  As  a  medium  in  the  excliauKC  of  rcaUv  he 
leads  all  the  real  estate  men  of  Saginaw,  and  his  reputation  in  all  ines 
of  the  business  is  based  on  reliable  dealing  and  very  high  class  methods. 

Benjamin  G.  Applebv  was  born  at  Milltown.  Ontario.  January  ii, 
1874,  the  third  in  a  family  of  si.x  children.  His  parents,  Thomas  D.  and 
iMarv  J  (Smith)  Applebv,  were  both  natives  of  Ontario,  and  on  both 
sides'  the  families  have  long  been  prominent.  Grandfather.  N.  S.  Appleby, 
was  well  known  in  jiolitical  circles  in  the  Dominion,  was  a  member  ot 
Parliament  for  manv  vears,  and  was  also  a  large  timber  and  mill  operator, 
having  come  to  Ca'na'da  from  England,  where  his  family  were  of  high 
I)olitical  and  social  position.  A  cousin  of  the  Saginaw  business  man, 
Sir  Hector  Mansfield  Howell  is  a  prominent  lawyer  and  is  King's  Coun- 
cilor at  Winnipeg,  ^Manitoba,  and  other  near  relatives  were  active  in  af- 
fairs, one  lieing  a  member  of  the  Canadian  Judiciary,  and  several  others 
connected  with  the  Dominion  Government.  David  Smith,  one  of  the 
grandparents,  was  owner  of  the  Mohawk  Mills,  and  an  extensive  lum- 
ber operator  in  Ontario.  Thomas  D.  Appleby,  father  of  the  Saginaw 
real  estate  man,  was  for  a  number  of  years  an  operator  together  with 
his  father  and  brother  on  a  large  scale  in  Canada,  and  in  1889  came  to 
Michigan,  and  settled  in  Saginaw,  where  he  continued  his  lumber  busi- 
ness, as  Superintendent  of  \he  A.  W.  Wright  I-umber  Company  until 
three  years  before  his  death.  He  retired  in  1907  and  died  in  191 1,  at 
the  age  of  si.xty-seven.  His  wife,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in  On- 
tario, is  now  living  in  Saginaw  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 

Benjamin  G.  A])plehy  attended  school   in  Ontario,  and   finished   his 
education  after  moving  to   Saginaw,  but  left  .school  before  graduation. 
His  first  experience  was  in  newspaper  work  with  the  Saginaw   Globe, 
where  he  started  in  as  a  cub  and  quickly  proved  himself  valuable  as  an 
advertising  solicitor,  reporter,  and  all-around  newspaper  man.     Later  he 
was  connected  with  the  Detroit  Evening  Nezvs  for  seven  years  doing 
special  work,  and  on  leaving  Detroit,  became  identified  with  the  Evening 
Leader  and  Courier-Herald  at  Saginaw.     While  with  the  Courier-Her- 
ald Mr.  Appleby  devised  and  pushed  to  a  practical  business  success,  what 
is  known  as  the  "Rural   Mail  Directory,"  and  this  publication  found  a 
ready  sale,  and  has-been  a  pros])erity  maker  ever  since.     Mr.  Appleby  re- 
signed his  position  on  the  regular  newspaper  stafi"  to  give  his  attention 
to  the  publication  and  in  1902  sold  out  his  interests  in  the  directory.   Since 
that  date  his  line  has  been  real  estate,  building  contractor,  and  insurance, 
and  has  grown  from  small  beginning  to  rank  hardly  second  to  any  sim- 
ilar enterprise  in  the  state.    His  specialties  are  the  building  of  homes,  the 
sale  of  real  estate,  business  opportunities  of  improved  farm  land,  and 
a  general  business  in  loans  and  insurance.     During  the  fall  of  191-',  the 
companv  sold  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  worth  of  Saginaw 
county  farms,  and  Mr.  Appleby  is  probably  doing  as  much  tlirough  his 
personal  contact  with  investors  and  through  his  extensive  advertising  to 
make  known  tlie  possibilities  and  resources  of  the  Saginaw  X'alley  as  any 
other  local  citizen.    His  business  has  been  built  up  on  the  basis  of  scjuare 
and  fair  dealings,  and  he  is  always  ready  to  stand  behind  every  transac- 
tion made  through  his  company.     The  comjiany  employ  the  services  of 
an  expert  iiractical  farmer,  to  give  advise  free  of  charge  to  all  customers, 
and  thus  insure  that  every  investor  and  farmer  starts  right,  provided  he 
is  not  thoroughly  informed  as  to  the  best  methods  of  handling  crops  in 
this  section  o^'  Michigan.     The  P..  C.  Appleby  Company  are  members  of 
the  Saginaw   Real  Estate  P.oard.  members  of  the   Xational  Real   Estate 
Exchange,  and  their  Saginaw  ot^ccs  are  in  the  Forester's  Temple  Puild- 
ing,  and  branch   offices   arc   maintained   in   Detroit,   Grand   Rapids,   and 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1861 

personal  agents  represent  the  firm  in  different  sections  of  Michigan, 
Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Appleby  is  a  director  of  the  German-American  State  Bank  of 
Saginaw,  of  the  Saginaw  Board  of  Trade,  and  of  the  Saginaw  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  In  191 1  Governor  Osborn  selected  him  as  real  estate  expert  to 
procure  a  suitable  site  for  the  Michigan  State  National  Guard,  and  in 
May,  191 1,  he  obtained  twelve  thousand  acres  of  land  for  that  purpose, 
and'  without  a  cent  of  expense  to  the  state  government.  All  local  busi- 
ness men  have  implicit  confidence  in  the  judgment  of  IMr.  Appleby  and 
his  record  is,  not  only  one  that  indicates  the  best  but  has  also  been 
accompanied  by  much  disinterested  service  to  all  his  patrons  and  to  the 
public  generally. 

Mr.  Appleby  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  having  taken  thirty- 
two  degrees  in  the  Scottish  Rite  and  is  a  Shriner;  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias :  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks ;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  East  Saginaw  Club ;  Canoe  Club  and  other  social  organizations. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  his  church  is  the  Episcopal. 

On  June  28,  1889,  at  Saginaw,  Mr.  Appleby  married  Miss  Grace  A. 
Purdy,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Augusta  (Allen)  Purdy.  Her  father 
is  now  deceased,  and  many  years  ago  came  to  Saginaw  from  New  York 
State  and  was  well  known  as  a  jeweler.  Mrs.  Appleby  is  a  talented 
musician  and  has  been  organist  in  the  various  churches  in  Saginaw.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  three  children :  Elizabeth  G.,  born  at 
Saginaw  in  1901,  and  now  in  the  eighth  grade  of  the  public  schools;  Ruth 
E.  DeM.,  born  in  Saginaw  in  1903,  and  attending  the  sixth  grade;  Esther 
G.,  born  in  1903,  and  in  the  third  grade  of  the  local  school. 

Fr.xncis  J.  Lee,  ]M.  D.  In  appreciating  the  relative  value  to  man- 
kind of  the  various  professions  and  occupations  to  which  individuals 
devote  their  attentions  and  energies,  it  is  the  consensus  of  general  opin- 
ion that  none  is  of  more  importance  than  the  vocation  of  the  practitioner 
of  medicine.  From  the  cradle  to  the  grave  human  destiny  rests  largely 
in  the  hands  of  the  physician,  not  alone  on  account  of  the  effect  he  may 
have  at  the  present  time,  but  because  of  the  discoveries  being  constantly 
made  in  the  field  of  his  science.  By  reason  of  his  broad  knowledge,  his 
skill  and  his  devoted  efforts  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  calling,  Dr.  Francis 
J,  Lee  holds  a  distinctive  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  medical  profession  in 
Grand  Rapids,  where  he  has  been  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  excellent  prac- 
tice for  the  past  sixteen  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Durham,  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  was  born  January  22,  1868,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Reinbird)  Lee. 

Ralph  Lee,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  Doctor  Lee,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  from  which  country  he  emigrated  to  America  and  became  one 
of  the  very  earliest  settlers  of  his  section  of  Ontario.  There  he  settled  on 
a  farm,  which  he  cleared  from  the  timber,  and  continued  to  be  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  passed  away  in  the  old  coun- 
try. Robert  Lee,  father  of  Doctor  Lee,  was  born  in  1827,  on  his  father's 
homestead,  received  a  somewhat  limited  education  in  the  primitive  schools 
of  his  day,  and  early  in  life  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter.  Gradually, 
as  the  years  passed,  he  drifted  into  contracting  and  building,  and  in  this 
line  won  much  success.  His  latter  years  were  devoted  to  farming,  and 
he  died  on  his  place  in  Ontario  in  1907,  aged  eighty  years.  In  1851  Mr. 
Lee  was  married  to  Mary  Reinbird.  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came 
to  Canada  in  young  womanhood,  where  she  died  in  February,  1914,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  Francis  J.  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  seven 


1862  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

children  still  survive.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  were  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  He  was  a  Conservative  in  politics,  but  was  a  quiet,  unassuming 
man,  and  never  sought  public  preferment. 

The  early  education  of  Doctor  Lee  was  secured  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  he  early  expressed  a  predilection  for  a  profes- 
sional career.  Accordingly,  he  was  entered  as  a  student  in  McGill  Uni- 
versity, ]\Iontreal,  Canada,  from  the  medical  department  of  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1896,  and  in  that  same  year  came  to  Michigan 
and  took  up  his  practice  at  Ada.  After  two  years  in  that  place  Doctor 
Lee  came  to  Grand  Rapids.  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  finest  anatomists 
in  the  state,  having  taught  anatomy  for  five  years  in  the  old  Grand  Rapids 
Medical  College,  of  which  he  was  also  secretary.  His  business  has  steadily 
increased  so  that  at  this  time  he  is  physician  to  many  of  the  best  families 
in  the  city.  A  keen  diagnostician's  sound  judgment  in  methods  of  treat- 
ment, and  marked  skill,  combined  with  an  inherent  sympathy  and  kindly 
nature,  have  won  him  rank  among  the  ablest  physicians  of  this  city.  He 
has  never  ceased  to  be  a  student  of  his  beloved  profession,  and  avails 
himself  of  all  the  aids  that  will  further  him  in  his  work  of  relieving  the 
distress  of  mankind.  Pie  has  had  post-graduate  work  in  Chicago  and 
Montreal.  He  is  also  an  interested  member  of  the  Kent  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Michigan  State  ^Medical  Society  and  the  American  ^ledical 
Association  and  served  for  four  or  five  years  as  secretary  of  the  county 
organization.  He  is  vice-chief  of  the  staff  of  the  U.  B.  Hospital,  but  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  is  devoted  to  his  private  practice.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  the  activities  of  public  life  have  held  out  little  at- 
tractions to  him.  His  fraternal  connection  is  with  the  jMasons.  in  which 
order  he  has  attained  the  Scottish  Rite  and  Shriner  degrees. 

I 

Leo  J-  RiMMELE.  Since  191 1  sheriff  of  Saginaw  county.  Mr.  Rim- 
mele  has  been  known  to  the  citizens  of  this  county  since  his  boyhood,  has 
been  recognized  as  an  industrious,  independent  man  of  action,  and  few 
ofiicials  in  the  county  have  entered  office  with  so  thorough  confidence  on 
the  part  of  their  supporters. 

Leo.  J.  Rinnnele  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Waukegan,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  horn  November  14,  1854.  a  son  of  Ignatz  and  Chriscinia  (Laur") 
Rimmele.  lloth  parents  came  from  the  Province  of  Baden,  Germany,  to 
America  in  1848,  settling  first  in  Illinois  and  later  mo\ing  to  Milwaukee. 
There  his  father  became  foreman  in  a  warehouse,  and  lived  there  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  war.  In  the  early  months  of  the  war  he  served  as  a 
recruiting  officer,  and  then  went  to  the  front  as  captain  of  Company  F 
in  the  Forty-Fifth  Wisconsin  \"olunteers,  continuing  until  the  close.  He 
took  part  in  many  of  the  southern  campaigns  and  battles,  and  among 
others  was  a  participant  in  the  brilliant  engagement  at  Xashville,  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  war.  .After  his  discharge  he  settled  in  Saginaw, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  li(|uor  business  there  until  his  retirement.  He 
finally  returned  to  Milwaukee,  where  his  death  occurred  August  29,  1885, 
when  he  was  lifty-four  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  Saginaw  in  1883, 
also  at  the  age  of  fifty-four. 

The  second  of  the  four  children  in  his  parents'  family.  Leo  J-  Rim- 
mele was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Saginaw,  and  after  he  left  school  he 
started  to  earn  his  living  with  no  capital,  and  has  dejjended  upon  his  own 
efforts  to  advance  him  throughout  his  career.  His  first  business  experi- 
ence was  in  the  retail  meat  business,  and  he  learned  that  trade  thoroughlv, 
later  engaging  in  the  grocery  trade,  and  finally  sold  out  his  interests  in 
both  lines  in  1911.  Soon  afterwards,  his  ])opularity  as  a  citizen  and  his 
well  known  efficiency  as  a  man  of  action,  led  to  his  nomination  and  elec- 
tion to  the  office  of  sheriff"  of  Saginaw  county,  and  since  then  his  ad- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1863 

ministration  has  made  him  known  and  brought  him  the  favorable  com- 
mendation of  all  classes  of  the  county's  population.  Besides  his  present 
office  as  sheriff,  Mr.  Rimmele  served  two  terms  as  supervisor,  and  as 
alderman  for  two  terms. 

He  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  local  Democratic  party,  and  his  fra- 
ternal affiliations  are  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  A.  U.  \'.  In  1884  at  Saginaw,  Mr. 
Rimmele  married  Miss  Phillipine  Bauer,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jacob  Bauer,  early  settlers  in  Saginaw. 

Floyd  E.  Andrews.  It  is  probable  that  the  law  has  been  the  main 
highway  by  which  more  men  of  merit  have  advanced  to  prominence  and 
position  in-  the  United  States  than  any  other  road,  and  it  is  not  unusual 
therefore  to  find  among  the  leading  citizens  of  a  community  a  legal  prac- 
titioner. During  the  past  seventeen  years  Floyd  E.  Andrews  has  been 
engaged  in  a  large  and  representative  law  practice  at  New  Baltimore, 
in  addition  to  which  he  has  been  well  known  in  the  business  field  and  in 
public  matters.  He  was  born  at  Bergen,  Genesee  county.  New  York, 
August  8,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  George  J.  and  Marian  J.  (Hart)  Andrews. 

George  J.  Andrews  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  from  whence  he 
migrated  with  his  family  to  Michigan  during  the  early  seventies,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Battle  Creek,  in  Calhoun  county, 
where  during  his  active  years  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  is  now  living  retired  and  makes  his  home  at  New  Balti- 
more, being  seventy-five  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Andrews,  who  also  survives 
at  New  Baltimore,  is  seventy-two  years  old,  and  has  been  the  mother 
of  four  children,  as  follows:  Dr.  George  R.,  a  successful  practicing 
physician  of  Detroit ;  Floyd  E. ;  Frank  W.,  a  resident  of  New  Baltimore ; 
and  Julius  J.,  who  died  at  LeRoy,  Michigan,  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years. 

Floyd  E.  Andrews  was  a  small  lad  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Michigan,  and  his  early  education  was  secured  in  the  district  schools 
of  Calhoun  county,  where  he  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm.  Subse- 
c[uently  he  became  a  student  in  the  Battle  Creek  High  school,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1886,  and  at  that  time  began  his  law  studies  in  the 
office  of  Median,  Hulbert  &  Mechan,  attorneys  of  Battle  Creek.  Later 
he  went  to  Harrison,  Michigan,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  No- 
vember 9,  1889,  and  shortly  thereafter  went  to  Lansing  and  established 
himself  in  practice.  For  some  time  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  State,  but  in  the  spring  of  1897  left  Lansing  and  came  to 
New  Baltimore.  Here  his  devotion  to  his  calling,  his  systematic  and 
methodical  habits,  his  discretion  in  judgment,  his  diligence  in  research 
and  his  conscientiousness  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  have  made  him 
recognized  as  one  of  the  able  and  leading  memliers  of  the  bar  and  have 
attracted  to  him  a  large  and  constantly  growing  practice.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Macomb  County  Bar  Association  and  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  its  work.  For  some  years,  in  connection  with  his  practice,  Mr. 
Andrews  has  been  engaged  successfully  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate 
business,  his  associates  in  which  have  found  him  a  man  true  to  every  en- 
gagement. A  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  he  has  taken  a  keen  and  help- 
ful interest  in  civic  matters,  and  his  five  terms  as  president  of  the  village 
of  New  Baltimore  were  marked  by  progress  and  improvement  in  the  com- 
munity's government. 

On  July  6,  1890,  Mr.  Andrews  was  married  at  Tupton,  Michigan,  to 
Miss  Winnifred  W.  Westfall,  daughter  of  Charles  G.  and  Charlotte  Jane 
(Chase)  Westfall,  a  well-known  pioneer  family  of  this  state.  Mr.  West- 
fall  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  Indians  in  the  early  seventies  in  North- 


1864  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

erii  Michigan,  while  the  mother  died  in  1909.  in  advanced  years.  Mr. 
.'\ndre\vs  devotes  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  his  practice  and  his 
business,  but  enjoys  the  companionship  of  his  friends,  and  is  popular 
with  his  fellow-members  in  the  local  lodges  of  the  Modern  W'oodmen  of 
America  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 

Jon.\  L.  J.\CKS()N.  .Something  over  thirty  years  ago  a  small  m.-tchine 
shop  was  established  in  Saginaw,  and  that  small  industry  was  the  original 
of  what  is  now  one  of  Saginaw's  greatest  industrial  plants,  the  Jackson 
&  Church  Iron  Works.  John  L.  Jackson,  who  originally  started  the 
business  in  1880  has  developed  his  individual  enterprises  in  proportion 
to  the  growth  of  this  industry,  of  which  he  is  now  the  president,  and  his 
name  is  connected  in  official  capacity  with  several  other  large  concerns. 
He  is  president  of  the  Herzog  Art  Furniture  Company,  and  of  five  brick 
manufacturing  plants — the  Saginaw  Brick  Company,  the  Grande  Brick 
Conipanv  at  (irand  Rapids,  the  South  Michigan  lirick  Company  at  Kala- 
mazoo, the  Jackson-Lansing  Brick  Company  at  Kives  Junction,  and  the 
North  Indiana  Brick  Company  at  Michigan  City. 

John  L.  Jackson,  whose  importance  in  the  industrial  enterprise  of 
Saginaw  is  thus  briefly  ?ndi<grt?d,was  born  in  this  city,  August  19.  1854, 
and  belongs  to  one  of  tlic -pioneer  families.  His  parents  were  Thomas  L. 
and  \'eronica  fBlatz)  j^ack.son.  His  father,  a  native  of  England,  for 
many  years  followed  tbe^sea  as  a  sailor  up  to  1852.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Alichigan  and  settled  at  Saginaw,  and  became  one  of  the  foremost  citi- 
zens in  infiuence  and  activity...  He  was  a  farmer,  a  merchaiU,  served  as 
county  treasurer  for  four  years,  was  superintendent  of  the  county  poor 
for  thirty  years,  and  at  his  death  on  Octolier  8.  1898.  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  Saginaw  city  and  county  mourned  his  loss  as  that  of  a  man  whose 
value  to  the  community  had  been  often  tested.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Germany,  came  to  America,  as  a  girl  with  her  father,  was  educated  and 
married  in  .^aginaw,  where  her  death  occurred  in  1881  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven.  There  were  only  two  children  and  the  other  son  died  in 
boyhood. 

John  L.  Jackson  was  reared  and  educated  in  Saginaw,  attending  the 
public  schools,  and  after  leaving  school  bis  first  experience  was  along  the 
line  which  his  father  had  followed,  and  for  one  year  he  sailed  the  salt 
seas  as  a  common  sailor.  Coming  to  the  great  lakes  he  spent  two  sum- 
mers as  a  fireman  and  engineer,  and  also  studied  in  a  private  school  dur- 
ing the  winter  months.  Perfecting  himself  in  the  trade  of  machinist 
to  which  his  abilities  and  tastes  inclined  him,  be  took  up  his  trade  as  a 
journeyman  during  the  seventies,  and  followed  this  up  to  18,80  in  different 
localities  in  the  state.  Returning  to  Saginaw  in  1880  he  went  to  work 
in  a  foundry  and  machine  shop,  and  soon  established  a  small  business 
of  his  own.  In  1894  Mr.  Jackson  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Church, 
his  present  partner,  and  under  their  combined  efforts  the  establishment 
grew  and  flourished  until  it  is  now  one  of  large  proportions,  employing 
from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  men,  and  manufacturing  machinery 
;ni<l  supplies  for  a  trade  of  much  more  than  local  character.  In  1902  the 
business  was  organized  and  incor])orated  under  the  laws  of  Michigan, 
the  three  constituent  meml>ers  being  Mr,  F.  D.  Church,  Mr.  .A.  G.  Roeser 
and  Mr.  Jackson.  In  1900  the  firm  of  Jackson,  Church  i^  Company  took 
over  the  McGregor  i<:  Jackson  Boiler  Shop,  Mr.  Church  buying  out  the 
McGregor  interest.  This  business  is  now  consolidated  with  the  Jack- 
son &  Church  Company.  Mr.  Jackson  also  has  interests  in  the  Saginaw 
Table  and  Cabinet  Company,  and  the  Saginaw  Specialty  Company. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  was  alderman  two  vears  and  trustee 
of  the  Auditorium  for  five  years.     /Vt  St.  Louis,  Michigan,  on  January 


-M  Puij 


^BXl 


'.a-i 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1865 

I,  1881,  John  L.  Jackson  married  Miss  Sadie  Smith,  who  died  January  26, 
1913.  Her  parents  were  Martin  S.  and  iNIary  C.  Smith,  of  a  well  known 
family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  became  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Mrs.  Edyth  M.  Ressegye  of  Saginaw,  and  the  mother  of  one  daughter, 
Mary  :  Thomas  ]\I.  Jackson,  of  Saginaw  ;  and  Mrs.  Inez  V.  Connery  of 
Saginaw. 

Henry  J.  Barber.  An  active  and  successful  member  of  Detroit's 
circle  of  contractors,  Mr.  Barber  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
building  interests  of  Detroit  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  during  which 
time  as  a  contractor  and  builder  of  his  own  properties  success  has  been 
continuous  and  in  increasing  proportion,  until  at  the  present  time  he  is 
not  only  one  of  the  leading  plaster  contractors,  but  is  the  owner  of  much 
\;aluable  improved  real  estate.  His  career  is  an  interesting  one,  demon- 
strating what  industry,  perseverance,  close  application  and  pluck  will 
accomplish.  Born  in  a  log  house  on  a  farm,  receiving  only  a  meager 
schooling  so  far  as  text-books  go,  and  beginning  his  active  career  under 
adverse  circumstances,  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  growing  business 
as  a  contractor,  accumulated  a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods  and  estab- 
lished a  reputation  as  a  contractor,  citizen  and  man  which  receives  the 
admiration  of  his  friends  and  all  who  know  him. 

Henry  J.  Barber  was  born  in  what  is  known  as  Cedar  Swamp,  Ox- 
ford township,  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  January  13,  1879,  son  of 
Richard  S.  and  Eliza  (Golf)  Barber.  Richard  S.  Barber,  the  father, 
was  born  in  Ohio,  was  brought  to  ^Michigan  by  his  parents,  who  founded 
a  home  in  Oakland  county,  where  he  was  reared  and  continued  to  live 
until  1884.  In  that  year  the  father  took  his  family  out  to  South  Dakota. 
then  known  as  Dakota  Territory,  and  took  up  two  government  land 
claims  near  Aberdeen.  His  venture  as  a  farmer  in  the  far  northwest 
was  a  disastrous  experience,  and  repeated  failure  of  crops  finally  drove 
him  back  east,  though  in  the  meantime  he  had  proved  up  one  of  his 
claims,  and  abandoned  the  other.  Returning  to  [Michigan  in  1892,  Rich- 
ard S.  Barber  engaged  in  the  carpenter's  trade,  moved  to  Detroit  and 
became  a  carpenter  contractor,  and  so  continued  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  is  now  following  a  somewhat  more  leisurely  life  and  is  in  the  employ 
of  his  son,  Henry  J.  Flis  wnfe  died  while  the  family  lived  in  South 
Dakota. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  Henry  J.  Barber  came  to  Detroit  in  1892, 
making  his  home  with  an  aunt.  His  first  practical  work  began  in  1893 
in  the  laying  of  lath,  but  he  soon  afterwards  went  to  work  as  a  car- 
penter. In  1898  [Mr.  Barber  began  plaster  contracting,  and  from  the 
beginning  has  made  a  success  of  that  line.  For  three  years  he  was  a. 
member  of  the  firm  of  Bason  &  Barber,  since  then  has  carried  on  busi- 
ness under  his  own  name,  and  has  done  plastering  work  as  a  contractor 
on  hundreds  of  residences,  flats,  apartment  houses,  stores,  etc.  An 
important  feature  of  his  business  and  source  of  his  prosperity  has  been 
the  building  on  his  own  capital  of  difi'erent  types  of  residence  structures, 
and  he  has  erected  upwards  of  a  hundred  residences,  flats,  apartment 
houses  and  stores  for  sale  or  rent.  At  the  present  time  he  owns  and 
rents  a  number  of  valuable  pro])erties.  The  special  distinction  which 
Mr.  Barber  has  gained  in  the  building  trade  in  Detroit  is  in  stucco  work. 
He  is  probably  the  leading  contractor  in  that  line.  His  beautiful  resi- 
dence on  Pennsylvania  avenue  is  a  specimen  of  his  workin  stucco,  and 
is  the  most  attractive  home  on  that  avenue  or  in  that  section  of  the  city. 
'  Mr.  Barber  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Builders'  &  Traders'  Exchange 
and  belongs  to  Banner  Council  of  the  National  Union.  It  should  also 
be  mentioned  that  Mr.  Barber  has  probably  started  more  men  on  sue- 


1866  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

cessful  careers  of  their  own  than  any  other  contractor  in  Detroit.  At 
least  thirteen  former  employes  have  left  him  after  a  thorough  training 
in  the  business  to  take  up  contracting  independently,  and  several  of  these 
men  learned  the  trade  from  beginning  under  his  direction. 

Mr.  Barber  married  Bertha  1  lennecke,  who  was  born  at  Lake  Lin- 
den. Michigan,  daughter  of  Francis  1  lennecke.  To  their  marriage  four 
children  have  been  born,  as  follows :  Bertha  Mary,  Eleanor  Elizabeth, 
Henry  Francis  and  Harvey  I'rcderick,  but  the  last  named  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years. 

Prof.  Arthur  R.\tiii-:k.  In  one  of  the  most  difticult  of  the  learned 
professions.  Prof.  .Arthur  Rather  has  advanced  himself  to  an  enviable 
position  through  the  force  of  his  own  talent  and  industry.  Still  a  young 
man,  his  broad  learning,  his  enthusiasm,  his  devotion  to  his  chosen  fiel^ 
of  labor  and  his  undoubted  ability  to  impart  to  others  his  own  vast  store 
of  knowledge,  ha\e  gained  him  high  prestige,  and  it  is  the  consensus  of 
opinion  among  his  fellow-workers  in  the  line  of  education  that  he  is  one 
of  the  most  thoroughly  informed  instructors  in  Macomb  county.  Pro- 
fessor Rather  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Michigan,  February  3,  1S86, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Bueschlen)  Rather.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Oconomow'oc,  Wisconsin,  came  to  Michigan  as  a  young  man 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  with 
some  success  to  the  present  time.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  h.andsome  proj)- 
erty  in  Huron  county,  and  is  now  fifty-two  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Rather 
was  born  in  County  Huron,  Canada,  and  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Huron  county,  Michigan,  in  young  womanhood.  She  still  survives  and 
is  forty-eight  years  old.  Henry  and  ^lary  Rather  have  four  children, 
all  of  whom  have  shown  a  predilection  for  educational  work :  Arthur, 
of  this  review  ;  Mola,  a  popular  school  teacher  of  Macomb  county  :  Selma, 
who  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Elkton,  ^Michigan ;  and  Howard,  now 
attending  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  preparing  for  an  educational 
career. 

Arthur  Rather  received  his  early  education  in  the  rural  schools  of 
Fluron  county,  spending  the  summer  months  in  assisting  his  father  in 
the  work  of  the  homestead  farm.  He  next  entered  the  Mount  Pleasant 
Normal  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1908,  and  this  was  sup- 
plemented by  a  literary  course  in  the  University  of  Michigan.  Thus  thor- 
oughly prepared,  he  entered  upon  his  work  as  an  educator  at  McBride, 
Michigan,  where  he  acted  in  the  capacity  of  principal  of  schools  for  two 
years,  and  then  came  to  New  Baltimore,  where  he  has  since  been  in 
charge  of  Hathaway  Institute.  .Since  assuming  hi?  jiresent  duties  Pro- 
fessor Rather  has  brought  the  entire  course  of  study  in  the  institiUe  up 
to  the  standard  of  the  course  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  He  is  popu- 
lar alike  witli  students  and  teachers,  and  few  men  have  become  better 
known  in  educational  circles  in  so  short  a  period  of  time.  At  present  he 
is  a  valued  member  of  the  educational  board  of  the  village  of  New  Balti- 
more. Although  he  has  found  no  time  to  engage  actively  in  public  affairs, 
he  has  shown  a  commendable  willingness  to  aid  movements  calculated  to 
make  for  progress,  and  his  influence  is  always  foiuid  on  the  side  that  is 
aiding  in  his  conmiunity's  welfare. 

While  a  resident  of  Blount  Pleasant,  Michigan,  in  .August,  1008,  Pro- 
fessor Rather  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Crace  \\'right,  the  esti- 
mable daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Arthur  Wright,  who  are  well  and  favor- 
al)ly  known  residents  of  Isabella  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rather  have  had 
no  children. 

Joseph  A.  Tromblf.v.  In  1882  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  Joseph 
A.  Trombley  came  to  Saginaw,  and  in  the  city  of  that  time  started  out 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1867 

alone,  almost  friendless,  and  with  only  a  few  dollars  in  ready  money, 
to  make  his  fortune.  His  was  the  start  of  thousands  of  boys,  but  though 
he  started  equal  his  attainments  have  been  much  above  the  ordinary,  and 
he  has  long  since  outdistanced  many  of  those  who  started  even  with  him 
at  the  beginning.  Mr.  Trombley  is  well  known  as  an  architect,  a  de- 
signer, a  practical  artist  in  all  kinds  of  wood  construction,  and  maintains 
a  large  plant  in  Saginaw,  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  boats  ami  other 
classes  of  fine  woodwork. 

Joseph  A.  Trombley  was  born  at  Quebec,  Canada,  February  13,  1866. 
The  sixth  in  a  family  of  ten  children  whose  parents  were  Magloire  and 
Adela  Trombley,  his  father  and  mother  being  of  the  same  name,  but  not 
related.  Both  parents  were  born  and  reared  in  Canada,  and  the  father 
conducted  a  large  blacksmith  and  woodworking  plant  in  Quebec,  where 
he  died  in  1910  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  The  mother  passed  away 
in  1875,  when  forty-six  years  of  age. 

Joseph  A.  Trombley  was  reared  in  Quebec,  attended  the  ])arochial 
schools  there,  and  had  some  experience  in  the  shops  of  his  father,  which 
strengthened  his  inclination  and  tastes  for  what  has  proved  his  perma- 
nent vocation  in  life.  Coming  to  Saginaw  in  1882,  two  years  later  Mr. 
Trombley  set  himself  seriously  to  mastering  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
following  it  as  a  regular  workman  for  fifteen  years. 

In  igoi  Mr.  Trombley  established  in  business  for  himself,  and  in 
Tgo6  organized  and  instituted  the  Trombley  Boat  Works,  of  which  he 
is  sole  owner.  This  establishment  not  only  builds  boats  of  different  kinds, 
but  manufactures  large  quantities  of  fancy  woodwork  for  churches,  fine 
residences  and  office  equipment.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Trombley 's 
reputation  as  an  architect  has  been  growing  throughout  Michigan,  and 
he  has  designed  and  supervised  the  construction  of  many  schools  and 
other  buildings  in  the  state. 

His  politics  is  Independent,  and  his  church  is  the  Catholic.  At  Saginaw 
in  1888,  Mr.  Trombley  married  Aliss  Julia  Plent,  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
Plent.  a  well  known  pioneer  of  Saginaw,  now  deceased.  Five  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trombley  in  their  Saginaw  home,  and  they 
are  mentioned,  as  follows:  Agnes,  born  in  1894,  and  died  in  1909;  Flor- 
ence, who  is  attending  high  school:  Edward,  born  in  1899,  and  also  in 
high  school;  Blanch,  born  in  1900,  and  now  the  youngest  scholar  on  the 
west  side  attending  high  school,  being  thirteen  years  of  age:  Arthur, 
born  in  1902,  and  in  the  grade  schools. 

WiLLi.^M  W.  Mountain.  As  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Flint  Varnish  Works,  Mr.  Mountain  is  one  of  the  leading  business  execu- 
tives in  Flint  commercial  affairs.  His  success  illustrates  the  value  of 
keeping  to  one  line  of  business.  As  soon  as  he  left  college  he  entered 
a  varnish  establishment,  and  has  practically  known  no  other  line  of  busi- 
ness, except  as  an  investor  in  later  years.  He  knows  the  varnish  busi- 
ness as  a  manufacturer  and  as  a  salesman,  as  an  humble  employe  and  as 
an  owner  and  official,  and  his  success  in  that  line  has  brought  him  promi- 
nence among  the  business  men  of  the  state,  and  at  Flint  he  has  long 
been  regarded  as  a  citizen  who  performs  many  valuable  services  in  be- 
half of  his  community. 

William  W.  Mountain  was  born  at  Howell,  in  Livingston  county, 
Michigan,  November  2,  1862.  His  parents,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  New  York  State,  and  came  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  Livingston 
county  among  the  pioneers,  were  Robert  S.  and  Cecelia  (Pruden)  Moun- 
tain. His  father  was  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Livingston  county,  and 
died  at  Logansport,  Indiana,  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  went  to  the  front  with  Michigan  troops,  and  saw  active 


1868  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

service.  The  mother,  who  was  educated  and  married  in  Xew  York  State, 
died  in  Indiana  in  1903.    They  were  the  parents  of  three  children. 

William  W.  Mountain,  the  first  in  the  family,  grew  up  in  Livingston 
county,  attended  the  schools  at  Howell,  and  later  entered  the  University 
of  Indiana,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  literary  course.  On  leaving 
college  he  entered  the  em])loy  of  the  Murphy  \'amish  Company,  at  Cleve- 
land. Ohio.  He  remained  seven  years  as  a  salesman  with  that  concern, 
and  then  became  manager  of  the  varnish  business  of  the  Sherwin-\\"il- 
liams  Co.,  Cleveland,  which  position  he  held  until  he  moved  to  Flint 
and  found  similar  employment  with  the  Flint  \'arnish  Works.  From 
the  position  of  salesman  he  has  been  promoted  from  one  responsibility 
to  another,  until  he  now  fills  the  place  of  president  and  general  manager 
of  a  million-dollar  corporation.  The  Flint  Varnish  Company  is  one  of 
the  largest  industries  in  Flint.  Its  paid-up  capital  is  one  million  dollars, 
and  the  annual  value  of  its  product  is  above  that  amount.  One  hundred 
and  sixty  persons  are  employed  in  the  factory,  with  si.xteen  in  the  office 
stafif,  and  eighteen  on  the  sales  force.  The  factory  covers  one  entire 
block  at  Hamilton  and  St.  John  streets,  and  is  a  four-story  brick  building, 
supplied  with  excellent  railroad  facilities  for  the  distribution  of  its 
product. 

In  the  political  field  Mr.  Mountain  has  never  ventured,  and  maintains 
an  independent  attitude  on  political  questions.  Fraterally  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  C)rder  through  thirty-two  degrees  of  Scottish  Rite,  the 
Knights  Templar,  and  belongs  to  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  which  he  is  e.xalted  ruler. 

.'\t  Howell,  Michigan,  April  19,  1S92,  Mr.  Alountain  married  Miss 
Julia  Iluck,  daughter  of  Leonard  Huck.  Her  father  is  now  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mountain  have  two  children,  Airs.  Maude  Edgecomb,  who 
was  born  at  Howell,  and  now  lives  at  Flint,  being  the  mother  of  one  child, 
William  B.  Edgecomb ;  and  Grace  M.  Mountain,  born  at  Cpnnersville, 
Indiana,  a  graduate  of  Akeley  Hall,  Grand  Haven,  and  now  attending 
Thomas'  Training  School  in  Detroit.  Mr.  Mountain  is  well  known  and 
I)opular  in  both  social  and  business  circles,  and  is  very  fond  of  outdoor 
recreation  of  all  kinds. 

August  Goes.  Now  president  of  the  C.  L.  Roeser  Company,  at  Sag- 
inaw, one  of  the  largest  retail  concerns  handling  hardware  and  farm  im- 
plements in  the  state,  Mr.  Goes  has  had  a  business  career  of  very  notable 
progress,  having  started  as  a  farm  worker,  was  employed  in  a  creamery 
in  both  his  native  state  of  Wisconsin,  and  in  Michigan,  finally  became  a 
clerk  in  a  hardware  establishment,  and  after  some  years  as  a  commercial 
traveler,  engaged  in  the  sale  of  implements,  he  became  identified  with  the 
large  concern  of  Saginaw,  of  which  he  is  now  the  executive  head. 

August  Goes  was  bom  at  Jeft'erson,  Wisconsin,  March  17,  1863.  His 
parents  were  John  'SI.  and  Mary  Anna  (Peffer)  Goes,  both  natives  of 
Germany,  where  they  were  l)orn  in  1826.  The  father  came  to  America  in 
1852,  taking  uj)  farm  land  in  Jefferson  county,  where  his  life  was  (|uietly 
spent  as  an  agriculturist  until  his  death  in  191 1.  The  mother  died  in  Jef- 
ferson county  in  1895.  There  were  six  sons  and  one  daughter  in  the 
family,  the  daughter,  Lydia,  dying  at  the  age  of  twenty  in  1893.  Hie 
sons  are:  John,  Leonard,  Michael,  all  three  of  whom  are  living  "in  \\is- 
consin;  August;  and  George  and  Henry,  both  residents  of  Montana. 

.August  Goes  was  reared  in  Jeft'erson  county,  Wisconsin,  attended 
the  local  public  schools  there,  and  imtil  he  was  twenty-two  vears  of 
age,  lived  on  a  farm.  His  next  experience  was  in  a  creamery,  and 
two  years  were  silent  in  that  work  in  Michigan.  .After  a  vear's  ex- 
perience as  a  grocer  clerk,  he  began  selling  farm  implements  for  a  Sag- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1869 

inaw  firm,  and  three  years  later  became  a  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Aultman,  Miller  &  Company,  covering  the  state  of  Michigan  for  three 
years  with  the  well  known  line  of  implements  and  machinery,  manu- 
factured by  that  concern.  On  leaving  the  Aultman  company,  Mr.  Goes 
began  his  connection  with  the  C.  L.  Roeser  firm,  selling  farm  implements 
for  eight  years.  In  1904  he  bought  out  the  interest  of  Air.  C.  L.  Roeser, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  president  of  the  company.  The  business  was 
incorporated  at  that  time,  and  the  other  officers  are :  John  G.  Roecker, 
vice  president;  Fred  G.  Roecker,  secretary.  This  firm  does  the  largest 
business  in  this  part  of  the  state  in  the  distribution  of  farm  implements 
and  hardware  to  the  retail  trade. 

Mr.  Goes  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  his  church  is  the  Episcopal.  At_  Detroit,  on 
August  18,  1897,  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Amelia  Versel,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  \'ersel,  the  former  now  deceased.  To  their  marriage 
has  been  born  one  son,  John  Lyman  Goes,  born  at  Saginaw,  July  (),  1900, 
and  now  attending  school. 

Albert  N.  Treadgold,  M.  D.  The  medical  profession  has  in  Tuscola 
an  able  and  popular  representative  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Treadgold,  who 
is  engaged  in  successful  practice  at  Cass  City  and  whose  professional 
laliors  extend  also  into  the  adjoining  counties  of  Sanilac  and  Huron  and 
this  demand  for  his  services  giving  adequate  voucher  for  his  technical 
ability  and  his  personal  popularity.  The  Doctor  has  not  confined  his  ener- 
gies solely  to  his  profession,  but  his  mature  judgment  and  progressive 
policies  have  led  him  into  divers  business  enterprises,  in  each  of  which 
he  has  been  successful,  the  while  he  has  made  incidental  contribution  to 
the  civic  and  material  advancement  of  the  community.  He  is  aggressive 
and  far-sighted  as  a  man  of  attairs  and  as  a  citizen  he  is  most  liberal  and 
public-spirited.  He  has  won  success  and  independence  through  his  own 
efforts  and  well  merits  the  proud  American  title  of  self-made  man. 

Dr.  Albert  Nathan  Treadgold  was  born  at  Collingsiftood,  Gray  county, 
Ontario,  Canada,  on  the  26th  of  September,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Edmund 
and  Alary  (Taylor)  Treadgold,  who  came  to  Alichigan  in  the  autumn  of 
1879  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Austin  township,  Sanilac  county.  The  father 
not  only  developed  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  this  section  of  the  state, 
but  also  was  specially  successful  in  the  handling  of  real  estate,  in  which 
his  operations  were  extensive  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1902  he  removed 
from  his  farm  to  Cass  City,  and  he  li\ed  virtually  retired  during  the  last 
fifteen  years  of  his  life.  He  died  on  the  i8th  of  November,  1913,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-one  years,  two  months  and  sixty-two  days,  and 
was  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  part  of 
the  state.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  proclivities,  but  would  never 
consent  to  become  a  candidate  for  public  office.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  as  is  also  his  widow,  who  still  resides  in  Cass  City.  Con- 
cerning their  children  the  following  brief  data  are  given :  Alary  Ann  is 
the  wife  of  Anthonv  Richards,  of  Huron  county:  George  H.  resides  in 
the  city  of  Port  Huron,  this  state:  Sarah  H.  is  the  wife  of  Luther  Karr, 
of  Cass  City:  Alanton  Wright  Treadgold  is  a  successful  fruit-grower  at 
The  Dalles.  Oregon ;  Dr.  William  Edmund  Treadgold  was  graduated  in 
the  Alichigan  College  of  Aledicine  and  Surgery,  in  1892.  and  is  engaged 
in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  at  Akron,  Tuscola  county :  Dr. 
Albert  Nathan  Treadgold,  of  this  review,  was  the  next  in  order  of  birth  : 
Fannie  Susan  is  the  wife  of  John  Henry  Waldon,  of  Detroit,  Alichigan: 
and  Clara  Alaude  is  the  wife  of  Donald  AIcArthur,  of  Lawrence,  Kansas. 

Dr.  .Albert  N.  Treadgold  was  about  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
the  family  removal  to  Sanilac  county.  Alichigan,  and  there  he  was  reared 

Vol    TV-  -8 


1870  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

to  adult  age  on  the  homestead  farm,  in  Austin  township.     After  com- 
pleting the  curriculum  of  the  district  schools  he  entered  the  high  school 
at  Alarysville,  St.  Clair  county,  in  which  he  was  graduated,     'iiiereafter 
he  completed  a  course  in  the  Ferris  Institute,  at  Big  Rapids,  and  for  four 
years  he  was  found  as  a  successful  and  popular  teacher  in  the  schools  of 
Sanilac  county.     In  1894  he  entered  the  Alichigan  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  in  this  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1897,  with  the  well  earned  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine.    The  Doctor  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Kilmanagh,  Huron  county,  where  he  remained  four  years.     He  then,  in 
1901,  removed  to  Cass  City,  Tuscola  county,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued in  active  general  practice,  as  one  of  the  zealous  and  representative 
physicians  and  surgeons  of  this  section  and  with  a  clientage  of  important 
order.     He  is  a  close  student  of  his  profession  and  thus  keeps  in  touch 
with  the  advances  made  in  medical  and  surgical  science.    He  has  not  de- 
nied himself  the  most  arduous  application  in  his  profession  and  is  fully 
alive  to  its  dignity  and  responsibility,  but  his  powers  seem  to  have  no  as- 
signed limitations  and  he  has  proved  himself  resourceful  and  successful 
as  a  business  man.    His  ambition  and  courage  have  given  him  admirable 
reinforcement  and  he  has  not  been  afraid  to  put  them  to  the  severest 
tests.     Since   1912  he  has  conducted  a  successful  drug  business  in  his 
home  town ;  he  has  been  a  prominent  and  inHuential  dealer  in  real  estate ; 
he  is  the  owner  of  and  gives  his  personal  supervision  to  a  well  equipped 
lumber  yard  in  Cass  City,  the  same  controlling  a  large  and  substantial 
business;  and  he  was  one  of  the  leading  figures  in  the  organization  of  the 
Home  Telephone  Company  of  Cass  City,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder  at 
the  present  time.     In  the  year  191 3  Dr.  Treadgold  gave  employment  to 
thirty  men  and  his  pay  roll  represented  a  total  expenditure  of  $40,000. 
His  various  enterprises,  entailing  such  an  expenditure,  had  patent  intlu- 
ence  in  furthering  the  civic  prosperity  of  Cass  City,  where  his  business 
activities  have  been  centered.     At   Bandon,  Oregon,  the  Doctor  is  the 
owner  of  326  acres  of  valuable  timber  land,  the  tract  being  close  to  the 
water  front  and  within  four  miles  of  the  village  of  Bandon.     At  Pierre, 
South  Dakota,  he  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  village  property.     In  his  home 
town  he  holds  much  valuable  real  estate,  including  his  attractive  resi-^ 
dence  property.     The  Doctor  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker,  as  even" 
the  brief  outlines  of  this  sketch  indicate,  and  from  the  time  he  initiated 
his  independent  career  up  to  the  present  he  has  had  virtually  but  one  vaca- 
tiou,  this  itself  being  a  semibusiness  trip  to  Oregon. 

In  politics  Dr.  Treadgold  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  he  holds  membership  in  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  and  the 
American  Medical  Association,  besides  being  identified  with  various  fra- 
ternal and  social  organizations.  His  wife  is  a  leader  in  social,  charitable 
and  benevolent  affairs  in  Cass  City  and  is  a  most  gracious  chatelaine  of 
their  hospitable  home. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1S97,  Dr.  Treadgold  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lillie  Bell  Thomas,  wdiose  birth  name  was  Morrison,  she  being 
adopted  by  the  Thomases.  She  was  born  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  New 
York,  of  Scottish  lineage.  The  one  child  of  this  union  is  \'ernita  Lucile 
Carolyn,  who  was  born  at  Kilmanagh,  Huron  county,  on  the  ist  of  June, 
1899;  she  is  now  a  student  in  the  Cass  City  high  school,  as  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1917. 

Casper  Haehnle  H,  now  deceased,  was  in  his  day  a  well-kimwii 
figure  in  business  circles  of  Jackson.  As  the  founder  of  the  Haehnle 
lirewing  Company  of  Jackson,  a  concern  that  is  still  in  existence  and  is 
among  the   prosperous   industrial   enterprises   of   the   city,   Air.   Haehnle 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1871 

made  a  name  for  himself  in  Jacl<son  that  is  lasting,  and  that  reflects 
great  credit  upon  his  energy'  and  business  ability. 

Casper  Haehnle  was  born  at  Gingen,  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  on  Jan- 
uary 19,  1853,  ^"d  he  died  in  Jackson,  jMichigan,  on  February  10,  1893, 
when  he  was  little  more  than  forty  years  of  age.  His  father,  Casper 
Haehnle  I,  came  to  the  United  States  alone  in  1854,  leaving  his  wife 
and  children  in  Gemiany,  it  being  his  intention  to  send  for  them  later. 
In  1867,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  Casper  II  came  over  and  joined  his 
father  in  this  country.  The  latter  had  upon  first  arriving  here  spent 
some  time  at  Detroit,  being  employed  merely  as  a  w-age  earner.  Later 
on  he  embarked  in  the  brewing  business  here  in  Jackson,  but  he  soon 
removed  to  Marshall,  Michigan,  where  he  followed  the  brewing  business 
until  his  death  in  1869.  Meanwhile,  prior  to  his  death,  he  was  married 
again  and  his  children  had  come  from  Germany.  In  1870  the  family 
returned  to  Jackson.  Here  Casper  Haehnle  II,  with  some  associates, 
became  the  founder  of  the  Haehnle  Brewing  Company,  and  he  success- 
fully conducted  the  enterprise  then  founded  until  his  death  in  1893. 
Since  that  event  it  has  been  just  as  successfully  handled  by  his  son, 
Casper  Haehnle  III,  though  it  should  be  said- that  the  latter  was  but 
a  youth  of  sixteen  years  when  his  father  died,  and  but  eighteen  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  brewery.  The  son  has  also  added  to  the  brewing 
industry  an  ice  manufacturing  plant,  and  the  two  plaints  are  today 
ranked  among  the  most  prosperous  industries  of  Jackson. 

Casper  Haehnle  II  was  married  in  Jackson,  Michigan,  on  December 
19,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Baltz,  who,  together  with  five  children,  survive 
him.  The  widow  resides  at  No.  416  South  Jackson  street,  this  city,  in 
the  south  half  of  a  splendid  double  frame  house,  which  she  caused  to 
be  built  in  1901.  Mr.  Haehnle  was  a  man  of  marked  energy  and  enthu- 
siasm, and  the  possessor  of  much  enterprise  and  public  spirit.  He  was 
a  kind-hearted  man,  affable  in  manner,  and  known  widely  as  the  friend 
of  the  workingman,  often  being  known  to  provide  work  for  men  in  his 
plant  when  there  was  really  no  need  for  their  services,  so  that,  regardless 
of  the  times,  his  plant  always  ran  at  capacity.  He  had  just  completed 
the  present  spacious  brick  brewery  on  Cooper  street,  which  he  had  built 
to  take  the  place  of  a  former  frame  building  wdiich  had  burned,  when 
he  was  summoned  by  death.  The  new  property,  completed  at  an  ex- 
penditure of  a  good  many  thousands,  was  modern  in  every  detail,  and 
Mr.  Haehnle  anticipated  much  additional  business  prestige  from  its 
operation.  His  son,  then  sixteen  years  old,  two  years  later  took  charge 
of  the  business,  and  has  since  conducted  it  in  a  manner  that  reflects 
much  credit  upon  his  father  as  well  as  upon  himself.  In  the  operation 
of  the  plant  and  its  kindred  affairs  he  has  been  ably  assisted  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Berger,  the  latter  being  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Mary  Haehnle, 
his' mother.  Mrs.  Berger  herself  is  especially  deserving  of  credit  for 
the  success  of  the  business,  for  immediately  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Haehnle  she  took  complete  charge  of  the  office  and  the  management  of 
the  business,  and  attended  to  its  every  detail  during  the  first  two  years 
before  the  son  became  old  enough  to  become  manager,  and  even  since 
the  son,  Casper  III,  took  charge  of  the  outside  management,  Mrs.  Berger 
has  maintained  complete  charge  of  the  books  and   of  the  office  work. 

Casper  Haehnle  II  was  a  valuable  business  man  in  his  community. 
He  was  a  liberal-minded  and  public-spirited  citizen,  a  kind  huslxmd  and 
father  and  a  faithful  friend.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Arbeiter  \'erein 
and  of  the  Harmonic  Society,  both  German  in  their  nature.  His  passing 
was  widely  deplored  in  and  about  Jackson,  and  a  host  of  people  mourned 
his  loss. 

The  Haehnle   family  is  one  to  which  considerable  interest  attaches. 


1872  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  further  facts  relative  to  their  migration  to  American  shores  and  ih.eir 
actvities  here  are  offered  in  connection  with  the  brief  facts  set  forth 
above  in  regard  to  the  business  enterprises  of  them. 

Casper  Haehnle  I  came  to  America  in  1H54,  setting  hrst  at  Detroit, 
later  going  to  Jackson,  then  to  Alarshall,  where  he  died  in  1869.  Still 
later,  after  the  death  of  the  father,  Casper  Haehnle  II  and  the  family 
returned  to  Jackson,  as  has  been  intiinated  in  an  earlier  paragraph. 

■The  widow  of  Casper  Haehnle  II  was  born  in  Detroit  on  December 
^S)  1855;  ii'id  her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Baltz.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Frederick  Baltz,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  died  when  his  daughter 
was  four  years  old,  and  of  Amelia  (Mauch)  Baltz,  also  of  German 
birth.  She  died  on  May  3,  1910.  They  were  married  in  Detroit,  and 
there  spent  their  wedded  lives.  After  the  death  of  j\Ir.  Baltz,  his  widow 
became  the  second  wife  of  Casper  Haehnle  I,  the  father  of  him  whose 
name  heads  this  review.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  widow  of  Casper 
Haehnle  II  is  a  daughter  of  the  second  wife  of  her  husband's  father, 
a  somewhat  unusual  complication.  The  marriage  of  the  elder  couple 
took  place  some  years  before  that  of  their  children. 

The  five  children  of  Casper  and  Alary  (Baltz  )  Haehnle  are  as  follows: 
Casper  Haehnle  III,  now  managing  the  brewery  business,  as  has  been 
previously  mentioned;  Amelia,  the  wife  of  William  Kast,  a  well-known 
druggist  of  Jackson,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kast  &  Hoftinan ; 
Benedict,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Lillian,  the  wife  of  George  E. 
Parks,  of  Chicago ;  and  Bertha,  who  married  Roy  E.  Stanley,  of  Rich- 
mond, Indiana. 

Walter  J.  Hunsaker.  For  upwards  of  thirty  years,  Walter  J.  Hun- 
saker  has  been  identified  with  Alichigan  journalism.  Since  1902  he  has 
been  the  publisher,  editor  and  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Saginaw:  Daily 
Courier-Herald,  and  by  buying  the  half  interest  of  Governor  Osborn  in 
1913,  has  become  sole  proprietor  of  this  well  known  and  influential  news- 
paper. Mr.  Hmisaker  got  his  first  experience  in  newspaper  work,  over 
forty  years  ago,  while  he  was  still  a  boy,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
ablest  and  best  known  in  his  profession  in  the  state  at  the  present  time. 

Walter  J.  Hunsaker  was  born  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  September  19,  1857. 
His  parents  were  George  T.  and  Emeline  (Coddington)  Hunsaker.  His 
early  life  was  spent  at  Carthage,  Illinois,  where  he  was  educated  in  private 
schools  and  Carthage  College.  In  1872,  in  that  town,  he  got  his  first 
acquaintance  with  practical  newspaper  work,  and  from  1879  to  1S85  was 
publisher  of  the  Creston  .RcpiibliLaii  and  Daily  Gazette  in  Iowa.  In  1885, 
Mr.  Hunsaker  was  an  editorial  writer  with  the  Alinneapolis  Journal,  and 
then  became  night  editor  on  the  Detroit  Tribune,  being  promoted  to  man- 
aging editor  of  that  journal  in  1888.  He  was  managing  editor  of  the 
Detroit  Eveninij  Journal  from  1892  to  1902,  and  in  the  latter  year  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  Saginaw  L^aily  Courier-IJerald.  Mr.  Hunsaker 
understands  newspaper  inihlishing  in  all  its  details,  is  a  practical  man  at 
the  business  and  through  his  enterprise  has  made  the  Courier-Herald  one 
of  the  most  profitable  and  influential  jotirnals  in  the  state.  Mr.  Hunsaker 
is  president  of  the  Michigan  Republican  Newspaper  Association,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee  and  president  of  the 
Michigan  Fish  Commission.  On  October  21,  1S85,  he  married  Alma  Lyle 
Clarke,  of  Creston,  Iowa. 

Hex.  RoLLix  Harlow  Persox.  Judge  Person  has  been  for  forty 
years  a  Michigan  lawyer,  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  identified  with  the 
bar  of  Lansing.  Besides  his  success  as  a  lawyer,  he  was  for  about  nine 
years  a  judge  of  circuit  cijurt. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1873 

A  native  son  of  Michigan,  Judge  Person  was  born  in  Livingston 
county,  October  15,  1850,  a  son  of  Cornelius  Harlow  and  Lucinda  (Staf- 
ford) Person.  Cornelius  H.  Person  was  born  in  New  York  state  in 
1822,  and  came  to  Michigan  as  a  youth  of  fifteen  years,  the  same  year 
that  Michigan  was  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  state.  He  settled  near 
Howell,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
career.  He  also  followed  school  teaching  and  was  known  as  one  of  the 
best  informed  and  best  read  men  of  his  day  and  locality.  Judge  Person 
was  reared  on  the  old  family  homestead,  and  his  father  supervised  his 
early  education.  That  training  was  so  thorough  that  by  the  time  he  had 
reached  his  nineteenth  year  he  was  able  to  pass  the  examination  and 
secure  a  teacher's  certificate.  He  was  engaged  as  an  educator  for  two 
years,  and  upon  reaching  his  majority  began  to  attend  public  school, 
paying  his  way  with  money  he  had  earned  while  teaching.  He  was  given 
a  first-grade  teacher's  certificate  in  187 1  and  in  the  same  year  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  register  of  deeds  of  Livingston  county.  In  1872  he  began 
the  study  of  law  with  Dennis  Shields,  and  in  1872-73  was  a  student  at 
the  law  department  of  the  L'niversity  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.  The 
latter  year  saw  his  admission  to  the  bar  and  his  marriage,  and  after  the 
latter  event  he  took  his  bride  to  Nebraska,  locating  at  Republican  City, 
then  practically  a  border  town  and  the  scene  at  that  time  of  a  county- 
seat  war  and  of  numerous  Indian  troubles.  Judge  Person's  cash  cap- 
ital when  he  arrived  at  Republican  City  was  less  than  five  dollars.  For- 
tunately the  county  clerk,  who  was  also  the  register  of  deeds,  felt  the 
need  of  a  vacation,  and  hearing  of  Mr.  Person  he  offered  him  all  the  fees 
of  the  office  if  he  would  take  charge  for  a  time.  He  subsequently  lived 
in  a  dug-out  upon  a  tract  of  government  land  and  entered  into  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Republican  City.  Eventually,  however,  the  grass- 
hoppeu  plague,  which  materially  injured  the  prosperity  of  that  section, 
drove  Judge  Person  back  to  Michigan,  and  at  Howell  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  in  1875. 

Judge  Person  served  as  recorder  of  Howell  in  1876  and  1877  and  as 
circuit  court  commissioner  in  1877  and  1878,  and  then  again  resumed 
practice.  In  1891  he  was  again  called  to  public  office,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed judge  of  the  newly  organized  Thirtieth  Judicial  Circuit,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  from  February  ist  to  April  ist,  when  he  was 
elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  that  circuit  for  three  years.  In  1893  he  was 
nominated  by  all  the  parties  in  the  field  for  judge  of  the  same  circuit, 
and  was  elected  without  opposition  for  the  full  term,  expiring  in  1899. 
As  the  end  of  his  term  approached.  Judge  Person  decided  to  refuse  re- 
election and  since  that  time  has  practiced  in  Lansing  with  success  and 
distinction.  In  the  summer  of  1913.  just  forty  years  after  he  had  entered 
the  office  of  Dennis  Shields  as  a  student  of  law.  Judge  Person  formed  a 
partnership  with  Edward  C.  Shields,  son  of  Dennis  Shields,  and  chair- 
man of  the  Democratic  state  committee  of  Michigan. 

In  July,  1873,  Judge  Person  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  May  i\Iadden. 
daughter  of  Judge"  Madden,  of  Monmouth,  Illinois.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union :  Harlow  S.,  professor  of  Commerce  and  In- 
dustry at  Dartmouth  College:  Harry  J.,  a  successful  business  man  of 
Lansing:  May,  residing  at  home  with  her  parents;  and  Armand,  a  student 
at  Dartmouth  College. 

Albert  H.  Ryckman.  The  material  development  of  Saginaw  and 
vicinity  owes  much  to  the  ability  of  Albert  H.  Ryckman  as  a  prominent 
contractor  and  builder.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  structural  interests  of  this  part  of  Michigan,  and  has  to  his  credit 
a  remarkably  long  list  of  achievements  in  houses  and  large  public  build- 


1874  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

ings.  Mr.  Ryckman  has  become  noted  for  his  good  management  in  the 
handling  of  all  contracts  committed  to  his  care,  and  furnishes  both  a  sub- 
stantial and  practical  responsibility  to  his  every  undertaking. 

Born  in  Sanilac  county,  Michigan,  October  29,  1863,  with  a  common 
school  education,  with  the  experience  as  identified  with  his  father's  farm, 
he  went  through  a  thorough  apprenticeship  there  as  a  carpenter,  and 
after  some  years  of  journeyman  work  at  Calumet  and  other  places  has  for 
the  past  six  years  been  an  independent  contractor  and  builder,  and  in  that 
time  has  the  following  record  of  practical  achievements  in  the  field  of 
construction : — the  Auditorium  Building,  the  Sommers  Brothers  factory, 
the  Strable  Manufacturing  Company's  plant,  the  Wilcox  Engineering 
plant,  the  addition  to  the  Plate  Glass  factory,  the  addition  to  the  Saginaw 
Table  Company's  plant,  the  Saginaw  Sheet  Aletal  Works,  the  Schmelzer 
apartments,  the  Schmelzer  furniture  building,  a  nine  story  structure,  the 
Germania  school  building,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  building,  the  Wilcox-McKim 
factory,  the  Cash  Register  factory  now  in  course  of  construction,  and  a 
large  number  of  the  finer  residences,  including  the  beautiful  home  of  .Mr. 
A.  Lemke  and  many  others. 

Mr.  Ryckman  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  born  to 
William  and  Harriet  (Badgers)  Ryckman.  His  father,  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, came  to  Michigan  in  the  early  fifties,  and  was  a  farmer  in  Sanilac 
county  up  to  five  years  before  his  death,  when  he  removed  to  Huron 
county,  and  died  there  in  Februarj^  1910,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Canada,  and  was  educated  and  mar- 
ried in  that  state. 

Mr.  Ryckman  is  Independent  in  politics,  is  affiliated  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
his  associations  in  Saginaw  are  with  the  leading  business  men  of  that 
city.     He  is  very  popular  and  is  well  known  in  many  parts  of  Michigan. 

In  1895  at  Bad  Axe,  Michigan,  Mr.  Ryckman  married  Aliss  Phoebe 
Spooner,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Spooner.  To  their  mar- 
riage have  been  born  six  children,  named  as  follows :  Earl,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Emerson,  who  was  born  in  1895  at  Bax  Axe,  and  is  now  attend- 
ing night  school;  Hazel,  born  at  Bad  Axe  in  1897;  Ethel,  bom  at  Bad 
Axe  in  1900;  Y'era,  born  in  1905  in  Saginaw;  Lillian,  born  in  1907  in 
Saginaw.    All  the  children  are  attending  school. 

As.\  T.  Sanderson.  Probably  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  pop- 
ular business  men  of  St.  Charles.  Michigan,  Asa  T.  Sanderson  is  a  native 
of  the  East,  having  been  born  IMay  2,  1850,  at  Fenner,  Madison  county, 
New  York,  a  son  of  William  Shakespeare  and  Rhoda  M.  (Humiston) 
Sanderson.  His  father,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  came  to  the 
United  States  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  settled  first  in  New  York, 
where  he  attended  Casanovia  Seminary  and  was  graduated  in  law.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Empire  State,  and  followed  his  profession 
there  until  1856,  in  which  year  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Michigan. 
Taking  up  his  residence  at  St.  Charles,  he  continued  his  practice  here, 
and  also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  a  large  scale,  being  equally 
successful  in  both  lines  of  endeavor.  His  career  was  cut  short  at  its  most 
promising  point,  however,  for  he  passed  away  in  1866,  when  but  thirty- 
six  years  of  age.  During  his  residence  at  St.  Charles  he  occupied  numer- 
ous positions  of  trust  and  importance  in  the  township  of  that  name,  and 
gained  and  retained  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens.  A 
pioneer  in  the  lumber  industry,  he  did  much  to  foster  its  growth  and 
development,  and  the  position  he  held  in  the  confidence  of  his  Ijusiness 
associates  was  impregnable.  jMrs.  Sanderson  was  born  in  New  York,  and 
first  met  her  future  husband  while  attending  Casanovia  Seminary.     She 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1875 

was  of  Scotch  parentage  and  was  a  lady  of  culture,  refinement  and  many 
social  graces,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death,  in  October,  191 1,  when  seventy- 
nine  years  of  age,  was  one  of  the  highly  beloved  ladies  of  St.  Charles. 
Six  children  were  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanderson:  x\sa  T.,  Harry  H., 
Frank  E.,  Miss  Annie,  Clarence  E.  and  Fred  W. 

Asa  T.  Sanderson  received  his  education  principally  in  schoolhouses 
of  the  log  variety,  and  when  still  a  lad  began  to  assist  his  father  in  his 
operations  in  the  lumber  industry.  He  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age  and 
the  oldest  of  his  parents'  children  when  the  father  died,  and  he  became 
the  chief  support  of  the  family,  working  for  others  in  the  lumber  business 
until  he  could  accumulate  some  small  capital  and  then  embarking  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  In  the  meantime  he  also  carried  on  agricultural 
operations,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  reaching  his  thirty-fourth  year, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  St.  Charles.  He  was  the 
proprietor  of  this  business  for  thirteen  years,  following  which  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  and  for  four  years  lived  a  retired  life.  It  was  not  Mr. 
.Sanderson's  nature,  however,  to  continue  to  remain  idle,  and  in  February, 
1906,  he  established  his  present  enterprise,  which  has  developed  into  the 
most  successful  in  its  line  at  St.  Charles.  Each  of  his  ventures  has  proven 
successful,  and  his  standing  in  commercial  circles  is  accordingly  high. 
He  has  an  excellent  stock  of  the  most  up-to-date  goods,  well  chosen  for 
the  needs  of  his  large  and  constantly  growing  trade.  Mr.  Sanderson's 
business  activities  have  been  carried  on  in  such  a  manner  as  to  gain  the 
good  will  and  confidence  of  the  people,  and  like  his  father  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  fill  responsible  offices.  A  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
he  has  been  elected  to  every  position  of  importance  within  the  gift  of  the 
township,  and  served  with  distinction  as  a  member  of  the  Forty-first  and 
Forty-second  Legislatures,  where  he  supported  many  important  measures 
relative  to  the  welfare  of  Saginaw  county.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Masonic  Blue  Lodge,  being 
the  present  master  of  his  home  lodge.  He  is  likewise  widely  known  in 
banking  circles  as  vice-president  of  the  State  Bank  of  St.  Charles. 

On  June  9.  1888.  ]\Ir.  Sanderson  was  married  at  St.  Charles,  Mich- 
igan, to  Miss  Kitty  Stewart,  daughter  of  Alfred  Stewart,  a  well-known 
pioneer  of  this  section,  now  deceased.  Three  sons  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sanderson,  namely:  Stewart  C,  born  at  St.  Charles  in  1889,  a 
graduate  of  St.  Charles  High  school,  and  now  his  father's  partner  in  the 
dry  goods  business;  Glenn  Dale,  bom  October  26,  1891,  a  graduate  of  St. 
Charles  High  school,  and  now  attending  Albion  College :  and  Lester  M., 
born  in  March,  1894,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1914,  St.  Charles  High 
school  and  now  a  student  in  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  The  Sanderson  home  is  one  of  the  handsome  and  modem 
family  residences  of  St.  Charles. 

George  Willi.\m  Stolz,  among  the  merchants  of  Saginaw,  has  the 
distinction  of  having  within  a  brief  period  of  years  built  up  the  largest 
jewelry  house  in  that  city,  and  his  establishment  is  now  regarded  as 
one  of  the  leading  stores  of  the  shopping  district.  It  is  the  place  above 
all  others  where  the  trade  in  high-class  gold  and  silver  goods  and  jewelry 
is  supplied,  and  not  only  the  equipment  but  the  management  of  the 
business  are  a  credit  to  Saginaw^ 

G.  William  Stolz  is  a  native  of  Saginaw,  bom  in  this  city  April  5, 
1862,  a  son  of  John  and  Meta  (Neumann)  Stolz.  His  father  was  born 
in  Gunsenhausen,  Bavaria,  and  the  mother  in  Mulsum,  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. The  elder  Stolz  came  to  Saginaw  in  1852,  at  a  time  when  the 
city  was  onlv  a  straggling  village,  containing  only  a  few  business  houses. 
In  1858  John  Stolz  was  married,  and  his  wife  died  March  26,  1902,  when 


1876  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

sixty-nine  years  of  age.  John  Stolz  was  born  in  1833,  acquired  the  trade 
of  butcher  in  Germany,  and  after  coming  to  Saginaw  started  in  business 
with  limited  means  and  on  a  small  scale,  but  by  giving  the  best  of  service 
and  by  persistent  application  to  his  work,  became  highly  successful,  accu- 
mulating much  valuable  real  estate,  so  that  in  1894  he  was  able  to  retire, 
and  afterward  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  past  labors.  His  death  occurred 
on  the  30th  of  April,  1914.  He  was  a  Republican  and  belonged  to  St. 
John's  Lutheran  Church.  There  were  only  two  children,  and  the  son 
Henry  died  in  infancy. 

G.  William  Stolz  grew  up  in  Saginaw,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  worked  under  his  father  and  obtained  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  butchering  trade,  and  at  one  time  directed  his  studies  toward  the 
Lutheran  ministry,  attending  the  German  Lutheran  Seminary  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio.  However,  his  career  was  finally  diverted  into  commercial 
pursuits,  where  his  inclinations  were  strongest,  and  in  i88g  he  started 
in  business  for  himself  at  412  Genesee  avenue.  His  first  stock  of 
jewelry  was  a  modest  one,  but  he  was  soon  getting  a  big  trade  and  ex- 
tending his  business,  and  for  a  long  term  of  years  has  stood  in  the  front 
rank  of  local  jewelers.  In  icjo6  Mr.  Stolz  moved  from  his  first  location 
and  opened  a  business  in  the  modern  three-story  business  block  at  the 
corner  of  Genesee  and  Baum  streets,  a  structure  especially  remodeled 
by  him.  There  he  has  a  large  and  well-lighted  store  room,  supplied  with 
all  the  equipment  and  facilities  for  his  special  business,  and  his  stock 
and  his  large  importations  are  the  best  in  the  Saginaw  valley.  A  num- 
ber of  clerks  and  skilled  assistants  are  required  in  the  operation  of  the 
store. 

Mr.  Stolz  has  undaunted  faith  in  the  future  of  Saginaw  as  a  business 
community,  and  he  built  and  owns  the  large  manufacturing  plant  occu- 
pied by  the  C.  \V.  Henning  &  Sons  Company,  a  number  of  stores  and 
office  buildings.  His  fine  home  is  at  906  Holland  avenue,  and  on  Timber 
Island,  on  the  shores  of  Saginaw  Bay,  he  has  a  fnodest  summer  home, 
where  he  and  his  family  spend  the  open  months  of  the  year. 

Mr.  Stolz  is  affiliated  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Royal  League,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  is  one  of  the  choir  singers 
in  the  Germania  Society,  and  has  an  active  part  in  social  and  business 
affairs.  In  1912  he  toured  Europe  and  the  Orient,  and  visited  the  home 
of  his  parents,  also  other  interesting  points  in  Germany  and  Austria. 
In  1913.  in  company  with  his  two  daughters,  he  again  made  a  European 
tour,  and  that  time  visited  Germany,  Austria,  Holland,  France  and  Eng- 
land. On  November  2.  1884,  Mr.  Stolz  married  Miss  Lisette  Besch,  who 
was  born  in  Saginaw,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  ^^lary  (Schenk)  Besch, 
a  pioneer  family  of  this  city,  her  father  having  been  prominent  as  a 
stone  and  marble  manufacturer.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  their 
marriage  two  are  deceased,  those  living  being:  \'iola  Flora,  a  graduate 
of  the  Saginaw  high  school;  Florence,  also  a  high  school  graduate;  Marie, 
Harold,  and  Helen. 

John  A.  Ci-mmerer.  A  business  man  and  manufacturer  of  Saginaw, 
who  is  both  enterprising  and  prosperous,  Mr.  Cimmerer  began  his  busi- 
ness career  without  capital,  and  by  his  persevering  industry  and  ability 
has  gained  a  place  where  he  is  regarded  among  his  associates  as  one  of 
the  most  aggressive  and  far-sighted  commercial  leaders  in  the  Saginaw 
\'allev.  \\'hile  gaining  substantial  rewards  of  effort  for  himself,  he  is 
also  an  imi)ortant  factor  in  making  his  home  city  a  center  of  permanent 
business  and  industry. 

Born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  October  9,  1862,  he  is  the  third  in 
a  family  of  five  children,  born  to  Henry  and  Phoebe  (Staley)  Cimmerer. 


* 


THE  MW  TOM 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1877 

Two  of  the  children  are  deceased,  and  the  two  still  living  are  Levi  and 
Henry.  In  1873,  the  parents  moved  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Genessee 
county.  In  that  section  in  that  year  pioneer  conditions  still  prevailed  to 
a  large  extent,  and  the  father,  who  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  was  one 
of  the  earlv  men  in  his  vocation  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  built 
many  of  the  first  houses  in  Genessee  and  Clare  counties,  and  all  over  that 
part'of  the  state.  The  father  is  now  retired  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight, 
and  the  mother  is  seventy-four  years  of  age. 

John  A.  Cimmerer  in  early  youth  attended  the  district  schools,  and 
spent  his  nights  in  study.  At  an  early  age,  his  ambition  for  larger  at- 
tainment than  the  average  was  evidenced,  and  in  school  he  showed  his 
disposition  as  a  leader  by  keeping  up  ahead  or  close  to  the  head  of  his 
class.  The  summer  months  were  never  spent  in  idleness,  and  being  strong 
and  vigorous  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  took  his  place  at  the  side 
of  his  father  and  helped  in  the  heavy  work  of  the  farm.  While  working 
thus  on  the  old  homestead,  a  merchant  named  Stringer  from  Otisville 
was  attracted  by  the  evident  industry  and  capability  of  the  boy,  and  after 
a  conference  with  the  father,  secured  the  youth's  services  as  clerk  in 
the  store.  Thus  he  spent  six  months  with  the  firm  of  Stringer  &  Os- 
born.  and  the  following  year  resumed  his  studies  in  sclioel.  The  next 
vacation  was  spent  at  work  in  a  flour  mill  at  Otisville,  conducted  by  his 
cousin.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  there  packing  flour.  That  was  fol- 
lowed by  another  clerical  job  with  a  Mr.  Patton.  -and  that  in  turn  by 
work  in  a  creamery  at  Flint.  That  was  more  or  less  of  a  permanent  po- 
sition, and  he  held  it  for  considerable  time.  Then,  with  a  companion, 
he  went  to  Harrison,  ]\Iichigan,  and^  readily  found  work  in  the  lumber 
camps  of  a  big  firm  of  W.  H.  &  F.  A.  Wilson.  Though  still  a  young 
man,  he  took  his  place  as  a  sawyer  alongside  the  hardiest  and  strongest 
and  experienced  lumbermen,  and  continued  all  that  winter  in  the  felling 
of  trees  at  the  lumber  camp.  The  exposure  of  this  severe  labor  brought 
on  a  cold  and  such  ill  health  that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  stand  the 
rigors  of  a  Alichigan  winter  in  the  woods.  Leaving  the  camp  he  ap- 
proached Mr.  \\'ilson  at  Harrison,  explained  the  situation,  and  sug- 
gested that  if  given  inside  work  in  the  saw  mill  he  would  be  able  to  keep 
on  with  his  work.  He  was  therefore  given  a  position  on  what  is  known 
as  the  edger,  and  at  the  end  of  one  week  had  displaced  the  man  who 
taught  him  the  job,  and  better  still  his  health  was  in  a  short  time  entirely 
restored,  and  he  continued  at  the  lumber  camp  until  the  following  :\Iay. 
While  on  a  visit  to  his  parents  Mr.  Wilson  sent  for  him  to  take  the  man- 
agement of  the  camp  store,  and  after  that  he  remained  with  the  Wilson 
firm  for  seven  years.  That  was  followed  by  a  period  of  business  on  his 
own  account  at  Hatton  in  Clare  county,  where  he  remained  an  inde- 
pendent merchant  for  a  year  and  a  half,  selling  out  at  a  good  profit. 
He  then  resumed  service  with  Mr.  Wilson,  on  the  understanding  that  in 
case  a  proposed  deal  in  Florida  should  be  consummated  by  which  the 
Wilson  firm  was  to  begin  the  clearing  and  cutting  of  forty  thousand 
acres  of  timber,  Mr.  Cimmerer  was  to  take  charge  of  the  General  Store 
in  connection  therewith.  This  proposition  was  not  negotiated,  and  Mr. 
Cimmerer  soon  resigned  and  opened  a  general  store  at  Harrison.  _  His 
three  years  there  was  marked  by  success  similar  to  what  he  had  enjoyed 
at  Hatton,  and  on  selling  out  he  transferred  his  interests  to  Saginaw, 
and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  This  kept  his  energies  employed 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  since  then  he  has  been  connected  with  a  larger 
field  of  enterprise.  About  that  time  the  Highland  \'inegar  Company 
was  in  financial  straits,  and  a  company  was  organized  in  Saginaw  to  buy 
out  the  assets.  Mr.  Cimmerer  was  one  of  these  reorganizers  and  after 
the  purchase  had  been  made  the  other  members  of  the  syndicate  pre- 


1878  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

vailed  upon  him  to  take  the  position  of  general  manager  of  the  concern, 
he  having  been  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  company.  To 
perform  his  duties  he  removed  to  Highland,  and  at  once  took  charge  of 
the  plant.  Although  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  about  the  manufacture 
of  vinegar  and  pickling  business,  he  possessed  just  the  aggressive  tem- 
per and  the  openminded  intelligence,  which  seldom  fail,  when  confronted 
by  difficulties  that  perseverance  may  overcome.  In  a  short  time  he  had 
the  company  on  a  paying  basis,  and  the  plant  was  kept  at  H^ighland  for 
eleven  years.  In  1902,  the  entire  business  was  removed  to  Saginaw, 
large  modern  building  secured  from  the  Hoyt  Estate,  and  the  name  of 
the  enterprise  changed  to  the  Oakland  Vinegar  &  I'ickle  Company.  This 
manufacturing  concern  is  now  known  all  over  the  country,  and  its  pro- 
ducts are  sent  to  many  states.  The  particular  territory  in  which  these 
products  are  distributed  are  the  states  of  Ohio,  Illinois,  Minnesota,  Iowa, 
Nebraska,  Wisconsin  and  ^Michigan.  Mr.  Cimmerer  is  nov/  regarded  as 
an  expert  in  the  vinegar  and  pickling  business,  and  his  advice  is  often 
sought  from  outside  concerns. 

A  successful  business  man  himself,  he  has  taken  his  position  among 
the  leaders  in  commercial  affairs  at  Saginaw.  For  two  terms  he  was 
president  of  the  Saginaw  Board  of  Trade,  resigning  at  the  end  of  his 
second  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Park  and  Cemetery  Com- 
missioners of  Saginaw.  He  is  also  counsel  for  this  district  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Though  a 
Democrat  he  has  never  sought  any  honors  in  politics.  His  fraternal 
affiliations  are  chiefly  with  the  Masonic  Order,  in  which  he  has  taken  the 
blue  lodge,  chapter  and  comniandery  degrees,  and  belongs  to  the  ^iystic 
Shrine ;  also  with  the  Bene\olent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  with 
other  fraternal  associations,  is  a  member  of  the  East  Saginaw  Club,  and 
his  church  is  the  Presbyterian. 

At  Flint,  Michigan,  in  1885,  Mr.  Cimmerer  married  Miss  Mary  E. 
Requadt,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  Requadt,  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cimmerer  have  one  child:  Mrs.  Irma  May  Hubbell,  who  was  born  in 
Harrison,  Michigan,  and  now  lives  in  Saginaw,  the  mother  of  one  child, 
Mary  Elizabeth  Hubbell,  born  in  191 1.  Mr.  Cimmerer  owns  a  tine  home 
in  Saginaw,  and  a  summer  cottage  at  White  Lake,  ^^lichigan,  where  he 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  spend  their  vacations. 

Osc.-VR  R.  Kr.m'sk.  The  president  of  the  Banner  Brewing  Company 
at  Saginaw  is  a  business  man  whose  success  has  been  distinctive  and  a 
citizen,  whose  philanthropic  impulses  and  activities  have  made  his  place 
one  of  usefulness  and  honor  in  the  community  which  has  been  his  home 
since  childhood. 

Oscar  R.  Krause  was  born  at  New  Baltimore,  Michigan,  December  14, 
1859.  His  parents  Francis  and  Johanna  (Sliefert)  Krause,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  came  to  America  in  1850,  immediately  after  their  marriage 
and  coming  to  Michigan  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of 
New  Baltimore.  They  located  on  a  farm,  and  it  was  on  that  old  home- 
stead that  the  Saginaw  brewer  was  born.  Later  in  1868  they  moved  to 
the  city  of  .Saginaw,  where  his  father  took  up  mercantile  lines,  and  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  1907  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  The 
mother  passed  away  in  Saginaw  in  1893,  when  sixty-three  years  of  age. 

His  early  training  was  in  the  public  schools  of  Saginaw,  and  with  the 
conclusion  of  his  studies  in  the  local  schools,  he  quickly  found  a  place  for 
himself  in  the  world  of  aft'airs  where  he  could  be  self-supporting  and 
where  his  energies  quickly  brought  him  success  and  influence.  In  1900 
Mr.  Krause  took  the  leading  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Banner  Brew- 
ing Company,  and  this  has  since  grown  to  be  the  largest  establishment  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1879 

its  kind  in  the  Saginaw  valley.  There  are  about  forty  men  on  the  pay- 
roll, and  the  products  are  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  state.  The  annual 
capacity  is  sixty  thousand  barrels.  Mr.  Krause  is  also  a  director  in  the 
German  American  Bank  at  Saginaw.  Politically  he  is  an  indepenflent 
Democrat.  His  fraternal  associations  are  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  and  the  Arbeiter  Verein.  At  Saginaw  in  1883  Mr.  Krause  mar- 
ried Aliss  Mary  Martin,  whose  father,  Andrew  Martin,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  died  in  1906,  and  was  a  well  known  brewer  in  Detroit. 

Mr.  Krause  is  a  citizen  whose  effective  aid  is  extended  to  every 
worthy  enterprise  in  his  home  city.  He  is  popular  and  genial,  has  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  and  has  built  up  a  very  flourishing  business,  which  is 
regarded  as  one  of  Saginaw's  leading  industries.  Mr.  Krause  is  very 
fond  of  hunting  and  fishing,  and  on  Saginaw  River  maintains  a  private 
clubhouse,  at  which  he  spends  his  summer  vacation.  A  fine  steam  launch, 
handsomely  fitted  up  and  furnished,  carries  himself  and  his  friends  back 
and  forth  from  the  city,  and  the  club  house  is  always  at  the  disposal  of 
his  friends. 

Cecil  E.  Park.  The  high  position  occupied  by  Cecil  E.  Park  among 
the  leading  business  men  of  Flushing,  Michigan,  has  been  attained 
through  earnest  and  consecutive  etifort.  Beginning  at  the  bottom,  thor- 
oughly learning  every  detail  of  the  business  which  he  had  adopted  as  his 
life  work,  and  gradually  advancing  to  the  ownership  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  ventures  of  its  kind  in  the  county,  he  has  displayed  energy, 
perseverance  and  progressive  spirit,  and  is  well  entitled  to  the  success 
which  is  his  and  the  general  confidence  in  which  he  is  held.  Mr.  Park 
was  born  in  Rose  township,  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  November  29, 
1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Mortimer  and  Cordelia  (Leland)  Park.  His  father, 
a  native  of  New  York  state,  came  to  Michigan  in  1837  as  a  pioneer  set- 
tler, first  following  farming  and  subsequently  engaging  in  business  as  a 
hardware  merchant.  In  December,  1863,  he  came  to  Flushing,  where  he 
was  active  in  public  afl^airs  and  served  as  township  trustee,  township 
treasurer  and  in  other  offices.-  He  died  in  October,  1905,  at  Flushing,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  Park  was  a  Republican  and  a  loyal, 
trustworthy  and  public-spirited  citizen.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Eighth  Michigan  Battery,  but  after  about  one  year 
received  his  honorable  discharge  on  account  of  disability,  having  con- 
tracted illness  in  Mississippi.  Mr.  Park  married  Miss  Cordelia  Leland, 
who  was  born  in  Michigan,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Leland,  a  Michigan 
pioneer  of  French  descent.  Mrs.  Park  died  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
eight  years,  at  Flushing,  the  mother  of  five  children,  of  whom  three  are 
jiving:  Cecil  E. ;  Catherine,  a  resident  of  Flushing;  and  Preston,  whose 
home  is  at  Flint. 

Cecil  E.  Park  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Flushing, 
which  he  attended  until  reaching  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  His  first 
position  was  in  the  tinshop  of  his  father's  business,  where  he  learned  the 
tinner's  trade,  following  which  he  entered  his  father's  store  and  there 
thoroughly  familiarized  himself  with  every  detail  of  the  hardware  busi- 
ness. From  1883  until  about  five  years  before  his  father's  death  he  was 
associated  in  business  with  the  elder  man,  and  then  purchased  his  inter- 
est and  has  continued  to  carry  on  the  business  alone.  This  has  proven  a 
decidedly  successful  enterprise,  the  annual  business  done  amounting  to 
between  $12,000  and  $15,000.  To  be  recognized  as  a  useful  and  con- 
structive citizen  of  a  community  in  these  modern  days  of  intelligent  com- 
petition, means  something,  and  investigation  usually  discloses  that  an 
individual  so  brought  forward  beyond  his  fellows  possesses  abilities  and 


1880  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAX 

qualitications  of  a  higli  order.  Such  at  any  rate  is  the  case  with  Air.  Park, 
for  his  activities  are  carried  on  in  an  ahle  and  businesslike  manner,  and 
through  honorable  dealing  he  has  w'on  the  high  esteem  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  been  brought  into  contact.  P'olitically  a  Republican,  he  has  served 
as  township  clerk  for  seven  years.  He  is  treasurer  of  Alasonic  Blue  Lodge 
Xo.  223,  belongs  to  Flushing  Chapter,  and  is  a  Pythian  Knight. 

^Ir.  Park  was  married  at  Burlington,  Kansas,  in  1886,  to  ]\liss  Susan 
Stoutemyre,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Stoutemyre.  They 
have  had  no  children. 

\\'iLi.i.\M  Simpson.  The  president  and  proprietor  of  the  \\'illiams 
Simpson  Ice  &  Coal  Company  at  Saginaw,  is  an  example  of  the  man  who 
starts  out  with  absolutely  no  capital  only  his  individual  ability  and  judg- 
ment to  help  him  in  the  world,  and  who  finally  reaches  a  place  of  inde- 
pendence and  secure  prosperity. 

William  Simpson  was  born  in  Saginaw.  September  26,  1867,  and  be- 
longs to  a  family  of  old  settlers  in  this  vicinity.  His  parents  were  James 
and  Mary  ( Butcher )  Simpson.  His  father,  a  native  of  England  came  to 
Alichigan  when  a  boy,  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Gratiot  county,  where 
he  still  resides  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  The  mother  died  in  1878 
when  thirty  years  of  age.  There  were  five  children,  of  whom  William 
was  the  second. 

After  leaving  the  public  schools  of  ^Michigan,  which  gave  him  all  his 
school  advantages,  he  got  his  first  experience  in  the  milling  business  and 
then  became  identified  with  the  ice  and  coal  trade.  His  present  enter- 
prise was  started  in  1893,  on  a  very  small  scale,  and  has  been  developed 
by  good  management.  Two  wagons  are  used  in  the  distribution  of  the 
products  handled.  There  is  a  large  ice  and  storage  plant  owned  by  the 
firm  on  Hess  Avenue.  Mr.  Simpson  has  taken  considerable  part  in 
political  affairs,  has  served  two  terms  as  school  inspector  and  is  an  active 
Democrat.     His  fraternal  relations  are  with  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

In  October,  1893,  in  Saginaw,  Mr.  Simpson  married  Celinda  Stebbins, 
a  daughter  of  Frank  Stebbins.  who  still  lives  in  Saginaw.  Both  her  par- 
ents were  born  in  Maine,  and  have  lived  in  Saginaw  for  the  past  forty 
years,  her  father  being  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  The  only  child  of 
their  marriage  is  Howard  Simpson,  born  at  Saginaw  in  1903,  and  now 
attending  school. 

Anthony  W.  Bartak.  There  is  something  inspiring  in  the  life  story 
of  a  man  who  has  fought  his  way  over  obstacles  and  through  difficulties 
to  prominence  and  prosperity,  and  at  the  same  time  achieved  no  less  for 
his  community  than  for  himself.  The  very  existence  of  some  of  our 
most  prosperous  cities  rests  upon  the  activities  and  accomplishments  of 
his  class.  To  labor  long  and  faithfully  and  by  so  laboring  win  success  is 
a  noteworthy*  personal  distinction,  but  to  contribute  at  the  same  time  to 
the  wealth  and  welfare  of  a  growing  city  is  to  typify  the  best  that  lies  in 
American  citizenship.  Traverse  City  has  become  one  of  the  most  thriv- 
ing and  enterprising  commercial  and  industrial  centers  of  Western  Mich- 
igan, and  its  prestige  in  the  business  world  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  such 
men  as  Anthony  W.  Bartak.  His  activities  in  advancing  the  material  in- 
terests of  the  city  are  so  widely  known  that  they  can  be  considered  as  no 
secondary  part  of  his  career  of  signal  usefulness.  He  belongs  to  that 
class  of  representative  Americans  who,  while  gaining  individual  success, 
also  promote  the  public  prosperity.  His  place  is  foremost  among  those 
individuals  who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon  the  comnninity 
no  less  by  his  well  managed  business  interests  than  by  his  upright  and 
honorable  life. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1881 

Born  in  Grand  Traverse  county,  Michigan,  May  22,  1858,  Mr.  Bartak 
is  a  son  of  Wenzil  and  Lucy  (Vitzpalikj  Bartak,  natives  of  Austria,  who 
emigrated  to  the  L'nited  States  in  1853.  While  on  their  way  from  New 
York  City  to  Chicago,  occurred  the  death  of  their  then  only  child,  Eliz- 
abeth, aged  six  years,  at  Rochester,  New  York,  and  these  people,  strangers 
in  a  strange  land  whose  language  they  were  unable  to  speak,  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  their  little  daughter  behind  and  to  journey  on  to  their  desti- 
nation. After  a  short  stay  in  Chicago  they  came  on  to  Grand  Traverse 
county,  Michigan,  and  here  took  up  wdd  land,  intending  to  engage  in  farm- 
ing. This  property,  however,  proved  worthless  the  soil  being  principally 
sand,  after  a  hopeless  struggle  of  nine  years  they  purchased  another  prop- 
erty, four  miles  from  the  present  city  limits  of  Traverse  City,  where  they 
were  located  for  more  than  ten  years.  The  father,  a  cabinet  maker  by 
trade,  worked  at  that  vocation  during  the  winter  months  and  thus  added 
materially  to  the  family  income.  In  1873  the  family  moved  to  Traverse 
City,  where  the  elder  Bartak  engaged  in  undertaking,  and  continued  in 
this  business  until  his  retirement  in  1893.  He  died  in  1908,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-three  years,  after  a  lifetime  of  hard  work  and  honest  labor,  in 
which  he  gained  and  retained  the  universal  respect  and  esteem  of  the 
community.  Airs.  Bartak  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years, 
having  been  the  mother  of  six  children :  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  six  years;  Anna,  who  was  seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death: 
Amelia,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Votruba,  a  leading  merchant  of 
Traverse  City;  Anthony;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Charles  Wilhelm,  also  a 
merchant;  and  Matilda,  who  studied  music  at  Florence  and  Berlin,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Boston  Conservatory  of  Music,  is  now  teaching  music  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  the  widow  of  Angus  McAIanus  who  was  engaged  in 
the  general  merchandise  business  at  Traverse  City*  until  his  sudden  death. 

After  attending  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  Traverse  City,  to  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  Anthony  W.  Bartak  assisted  his  parents  on  the 
home  farm  until  eighteen.  He  then  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Mrs. 
George  Furtsch,  and  two  years  later  married  her  daughter.  In  1880  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  Wilhelm  and  Frank  Votruba,  brothers- 
in-law,  engaging  in  the  grocery  and  harness  business  in  a  modest  way 
under  the  tirm  style  of  Wilhelm,  Bartak  &  Company,  which  was  destined 
to  become  one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  Traverse  City.  The  business 
steadily  prospered,  and  in  1890  the  tirm  built  one  of  the  finest  business 
blocks  in  the  city,  known  as  the  City  Opera  House  Block,  which  con- 
tained, in  addition  to  the  opera  house  and  office  quarters,  three  stores, 
which  constituted  the  lower  floor,  and  two  of  which  were  occupied  by  the 
firm,  one  for  the  harness  and  saddlery  business  and  the  other  for  the 
grocery  establishment.  This  building  cost  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  company  employed  from  ten  to  twelve  clerks.  In  1904  Mr. 
\'otruba  withdrew  from  the  firm  to  continue  in  the  harness  business,  and 
Wilhelm  and  Bartak  under  the  firm  name  of  Wilhelm,  Bartak  &  Com- 
pany, continued  to  devote  their  attention  to  the  large  grocery  trade.  A 
large  loss  by  fire  was  sustained  in  1906  and  in  the  following  year  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  at  which  time  Mr.  Bartak  erected  a  new 
block  and  engaged  in  business  at  146-148  Front  street,  with  his  son 
Edward  E.,  as  junior  partner  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  W.  Bartak  & 
Son.  Under  the  popular  name  The  Majestic,  this  has  been  built  up  as 
one  of  the  largest  retail  grocery  concerns  in  the  city,  with  an  establish- 
ment modern  in  every  particular  and  a  model  for  neatness  and  arrange- 
ment. The  store  room  is  33x150  feet,  and  seven  people  are  required  to 
look  after  the  interests  of  the  large  trade.  Mr.  Bartak  is  the  largest  im- 
porter of  fancy  groceries  in  the  city,  and  commands  the  custom  of  the 


1882  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

most  representative  people  of  the  community,  as  well  as  the  large  resort 
trade. 

His  business  ventures  have  been  of  varied  character  and  extensive 
nature,  and  have  contributed  greatly  to  Traverse  City's  importance  as  a 
center  of  business.  Through  his  efforts  was  organized  the  Traverse  City 
Milling  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  first  president,  and  in  1906  he 
organized  the  Traverse  City  Lock  Company.  Both  time  and  money  have 
been  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  an  interurban  railroad  between  Old 
Mission  and  Traverse  City,  a  project  now  under  consideration  of  eastern 
capitalists.  Mr.  Bartak  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  ]\Ianistee  River 
Power  Company,  and  its  treasurer  until  its  absorption  by  the  Common- 
wealth Company.  It  was  his  intention  to  organize  a  large  paper  mill 
there,  but  when  the  company  was  merged  with  the  large  corporation  he 
gave  up  this  plan.  Mr.  Bartak  is  also  president  of  the  Traverse  City 
Brick  Company,  which  was  organized  by  him  and  several  other  prominent 
business  men.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  People's  Savings  Bank  and 
the  Boardman  River  Light  &  Power  Company.  His  private  interests  also 
include  the  ownership  of  several  valuable  farms  in  Grand  Traverse 
county,  considerable  city  realty,  including  his  modem  residence  at  iii 
West  Eighth  street.  His  intense  desire  to  bring  about  the  organization 
of  enteqjrises  which  would  benefit  his  community  has  frequently  cost 
him  large  sums,  but  his  puljlic  spirit  at  all  times  has  been  above  selfish 
motives.  Having  succeeded  himself,  he  has  been  desirous  to  help  others 
to  success,  and  the  full  extent  of  his  practical  charity  in  this  direction  will 
probably  never  be  known. 

One  of  his,  most  helpful  services  to  his  city  occurred  in  191 2,  when 
the  city  council  decided  to  purchase  what  was  claimed  to  be  a  tract  of 
fourteen  acres  for  park  purposes.  The  site  had  been  used  during  the  old 
lumber  days  as  a  dumping  ground  for  sawdust,  much  of  which  is  still  in 
evidence.  Mr.  Bartak  knew  that  the  tract  contained  much  less  than  four- 
teen acres,  that  the  price  was  exorbitant,  and  while  others  were  ii^ert  on 
the  matter  and  willing  to  have  the  public  finances  sacrificed,  he  showed 
his  independence  by  circulating  a  petition  remonstrating  against  the  pur- 
chase. The  petition  was  ignored  by  the  city  council.  Mr.  Bartak  then 
enjoined  the  city  council,  and  the  injunction  was  sustained  by  the  courts. 
A  later  investigation  disclosed  the  fact  that  instead  of  nearly  fourteen 
acres  as  claimed  by  the  council  the  property  contained  only  three  and 
three-quarters  acres.  The  plan  was  dropped,  and  the  citizens  of  Traverse 
City  were  saved  the  not  inconsiderable  sum  of  twenty-eight  thousand 
dollars. 

This  is  only  one  of  many  instances  which  might  be  cited  to  illustrate 
Mr.  Bartak's  courage  and  decision  in  his  civic  leadership.  He  has  been 
keenly  alert  to  the  needs  and  wants  of  the  people,  and  courageous  and 
outspoken  in  their  behalf.  During  a  recent  campaign  to  establish  a  com- 
mission form  of  government,  Mr.  Bartak  was  convinced  that  the  plan 
w'as  advocated  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  terminating  the  services  of  a 
city  official  who  was  supposed  to  be  unfit  for  the  honorable  position  he 
held.  Conse(|uently  he  voiced  his  protest  against  the  change  until  the 
city's  affairs  might  be  cleaned  up,  advocating  that  it  was  the  moral  duty 
of  the  people  to  vindicate  or  remove  an  erring  official  first,  and  not  con- 
sider a  change  of  government  for  the  sole  purpose  of  evading  their  re- 
sponsibilities. Later,  at  a  business  men's  meeting,  twenty  volunteered  to 
act  as  a  committee  and  together  with  their  representative,  Mr.  J.  R. 
Santo,  who  had  already  arranged  with  Governor  Ferris  for  a  meeting, 
to  give  prestige  to  the  cause  before  the  governor  and  bring  about  impeach- 
ment of  the  city  official.  On  the  day  set,  when  the  party  was  to  leave  for 
Lansing,  the  only  committee  members  to  appear  were  Mr.  Bartak  and  F. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1883 

Hunter.  In  spite  of  this  defection,  these  gentlemen  carried  out  their 
plan,  and  so  ably  handled  the  affair  that  the  proceedings  took  place  and 
the  offending  official  was  removed  from  office.  This  is  but  one  instance 
where  Mr.  Bartak  has  kept  his  given  word  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
which  he  considered  right.  He  has  been  fearless  in  his  defense  of  his 
opinions,  whether  upon  religious,  legal,  political  or  personal  matters,  and 
it  is  but  natural  that  in  taking  such  a  stand  he  shoidd  have  made  enemies. 
But  the  better  class  of  citizens  realize  his  sincerity,  his  honesty  and  his 
absolute  disinterestedness,  and  those  who  disagree  with  him  are  found 
greatly  in  the  minority.  As  a  rule  he  supports  the  principles  and  can- 
didates of  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  taken  some  interest  in  fraternal 
matters,  being  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  has  numerous  friends  in  both  orders. 

In  May,  1878,  Mr.  Bartak  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Furtsch,  who 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  daughter  of  George  and  Lucy  Furtsch,  and 
to  this  union  there  have  been  born  three  children :  Edward  E.,  born  at 
Traverse  City,  Michigan,  July  14,  1881,  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools,  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in  the  grocery  business.  He 
married  Miss  Sadie  Magee,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Magee  of 
New  York,  and  they  have  one  son,  Anthonv  Magee,  born  November  19, 
1912.  The  second  child  is  Edith,  a  graduate  of  the  Traverse  City  high 
school  and  now  a  student  of  the  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Conservatory  of 
Music.     The  third  child  died  in  infancy. 

Charles  D.  Shaw,  Jr.  Now  county  surveyor  of  Saginaw  county, 
Mr.  Shaw  has  been  in  active  practice  as  engineer  and  surveyor  in  Saginaw 
for  the  past  ten  years.  His  professional  life  has  brought  him  in  connec- 
tion with  many  important  works,  and  with  the  varied  experience  both  in 
this  country  and  elsewhere.  He  is  a  man  of  unusual  capacity  and  ability, 
and  is  held  in  high  esteem  in  Saginaw. 

Charles  D.  Shaw,"  Jr.,  was  born  at  Elmira,  New  York,  December  3, 
1876,  a  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Mary  (Dickinson)  Shaw.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Michigan,  early  in  life  went  to  New  York  State,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  for  a  nimiber  of  years,  and  is  now  living 
in  New  York  city  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  His  mother,  who  was  born  in 
Vermont  and  educated  there  was  married  in  New  York  State  and  died 
in  1909  at  Elmira  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  The  Saginaw  citizen  was  the 
third  in  that  family  of  children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Captain 
Frederick  B.  Shaw,  an  officer  in  the  United  States  army;  Howard  M., 
and  Mrs.  Clara  Herrick,  twins ;  Mrs.  Grace  Collins ;  and  Harry  Shaw. 

With  a  high  school  education  as  his  chief  equipment  for  life,  Charles 
D.  Shaw,  on  leaving  school  became  dependent  upon  his  own  resources, 
and  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Fred  Leach  got  a  practical  knowledge  of  civil 
engineering  and  surveying.  After  three  and  a  half  years  of  this  appren- 
ticeship he  went  to  Porto  Rico,  where  he  continued  work  in  his  profession 
until  illness  compelled  him  to  return  to  the  United  States.  On  recovering 
his  health,  Mr.  Shaw  spent  some  time  in  practice  in  New  York,  and  in 
1902  came  to  Michigan.  For  three  years  he  served  as  assistant  city  en- 
gineer of  Saginaw,  and  did  much  work  in  the  laying  out  of  streets,  the 
supervision  of  the  various  public  works  undertaken  during  that  time :  and 
has  also  been  in  active  private  practice  for  himself.  In  191 2  Mr.  Shaw 
was  appointed  county  road  engineer,  a  position  which  now  takes  nearly 
all  his  time,  and  having  held  the  office  of  county  surveyor  since  1905,  he 
now  has  little  time  for  private  work. 

Mr.  Shaw  affiliates  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Teutonic  Society.  His  politics  is  Republican,  and  his  church  is  the 
Episcopal. 


1884  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

At  Saginaw  in  September,  1903,  Mr.  Shaw  married  Miss  Josephine 
Sullivan,  a  daughter  of  D.  J.  Sullivan,  a  well  known  resident  of  Saginaw. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Margaret  Helen,  born  in  Saginaw 
in  1904,  and  now  in  the  fourth  grade  of  the  public  schools. 

David  E.  B.\gshavv,  M.  D.  Since  getting  his  first  case  in  Saginaw 
about  ten  years  ago.  Dr.  Bagshaw  has  been  steadily  advancing  in  favor 
and  success  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  until  now  there  are  probably 
none  whose  ability  based  on  actual  success  could  be  rated  higher. 

David  E.  Bagshaw  was  born  at  Sunderland,  near  Toronto,  Ontario, 
October  10,  1876,  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Evans)  Bagshaw,  his 
father  a  native  of  Canada,  and  his  mother  of  Wales.  The  parents  were 
educated  and  married  in  Ontario,  and  the  father  followed  farming  with 
fair  prosperity  in  that  province  until  his  death  in  1879  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  years.  The  mother  passed  away  in  Sunderland  in  1910  when 
seventy-one  years  old.  The  doctor  was  the  youngest  child,  and  the  other 
three  are :  Dr.  D.  J.  Bagshaw,  a  practicing  dentist  in  Toronto ;  Mrs.  W. 
R.  Ashenhurst,  and  Mrs.  H.  J.  Crowder,  both  of  Ontario. 

Dr.  Bagshaw  received  his  early  education  in  the  Ontario  schools,  was 
graduated  from  Woodstock  College  in  1S98,  then  entered  McMasters 
University  at  Toronto,  was  a  student  there  two  years,  and  subsequently 
was  a  student  in  Toronto  University  in  the  Medical  Department,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Saginaw  Valley  Medical  College  in  1902;-  In 
the  same  year  he  took  up  active  practice,  went  ahead  with  increasing 
success  for  five  years,  and  then  entered  the  Jefferson  Medical  College 
at  Philadelphia,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  equipped  medical  schools  in 
America,  graduating  in  1908.  Returning  to  Saginaw,  Dr.  Bagshaw  has 
since  been  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  and  a  large  clientage 
reposed  complete  confidence  in  his  ability.  Dr.  Bagshaw  has  been  secre- 
tary in  1911-12,  of  the  Saginaw  County  Medical  Society,  is  a  member 
of  the  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  American  ]\Iedical  .\ssociation. 
His  other  affiliations  are  with  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Saginaw  Canoe  Club.  His  politics  is  of  the 
independent  order. 

At  Toronto,  in  December,  1900,  Dr.  Bagshaw  married  Emma  Pugh, 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Pugh,  who  are  still  living  in  the 
city  of  Toronto.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  one  daughter  Sarah 
Victoria  Bagshaw,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Saginaw  in  1901,  and  who 
is  attending  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  Dr.  Bagshaw  owns  and  with 
his  family  occupies  a  beautiful  home  on  South  Washington  Street  in 
Saginaw. 

Erd  Motor  Company.  Of  the  many  important  manufacturing  plants 
of  Saginaw  there  is  none  more  widely  known  or  of  more  e-xtensi\e  opera- 
tion than  the  Erd  Motor  Company,  whose  works  are  on  Mackinaw  and 
Niagara  Streets  in  West  Saginaw.  The  Erd  Motor  is  a  name  that  stands 
for  many  excellences  wherever  motors  are  known  or  discussed.  The 
genius,  brains  and  experience  of  one  of  America's  ablest  engineers  are 
concretely  expressed  in  the  finely  adjusted  mechanism,  and  for  efficiency, 
durability,  smoothness  of  operation,  and  low  cost  of  upkeep,  the  Erd  has 
no  superior  and  few  equals  on  the  market.  The  industrj-  is  one  wdiich 
brings  a  very  large  revenue  to  Saginaw,  where  it  is  distributed  by  the 
large  force  of  skilled  workmen  in  the  plant,  and  is  a  large  item  in  the 
general  prosperity  of  the  city. 

The  president  and  manager  of  the  Erd  Motor  Company  is  John  G. 
Erd,  whose  talent  in  mechanical  engineering  and  whose  ability  as  a  busi- 
ness organizer  have  been  at  the   foundation  of  the  company's  success. 


^f  /3^<j-^^^-^  ^.  ^. 


THI  NIW  TOM 

?Q£i,lClIi.)URY 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1885 

John  G.  Erd  was  born  in  Saginaw  in  185S,  and  his  people  were  among 
the  pioneers  of  the  city.  His  education  was  received  in  the  country 
schools,  and  at  an  early  age  he  took  up  practical  engineering  and  me- 
chanical work.  He  followed  it  as  a  workman  until  he  perfected  what  is 
known  as  the  Erd  motor,  and  soon  after  began  its  manufacture  in  a  small 
building,  and  his  own  labor  was  the  biggest  element  in  the  industry  as 
then  conducted.  In  March  1900,  having  shown  large  jjossibilities  in  the 
business,  he  succeeded  in  organizing  a  company  with  a  capital  stock  of 
forty  thousand  dollars,  himself  as  president  and  manager,  R.  H.  Knapp  as 
vice  president,  and  Harry  F.  Erd  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  present 
splendid  plant  was  built  in  1909.  It  is  modern  in  every  respect,  fifty 
skilled  mechanics  are  employed  in  the  factory,  and  the  plant  has  a  floor 
space  used  in  the  industry  of  eighteen  thousand  square  feet.  The  capacity 
is  seven  hundred  complete  motors  every  year.  These  motors  are  shipped 
and  sold  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  are  used  in  motor  boats,  automo- 
biles, and  for  other  power  uses. 

John  G.  Erd  married  Miss  Anna  Clago.  The  two  children  of  their 
marriage  are :  Miss  Edith  M.  Erd,  and  Harry  S.  Erd,  both  born  in 
Saginaw. 

Harry  S.  Erd,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Erd  ]\Iotor  Company, 
was  born  at  Saginaw,  March  3,  1882,  during  his  boyhood  was  a  student 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and  got  his  practical  training  for  life  as 
an  employe  of  his  father.  Thus  he  acquired  all  the  details  of  the  motor 
manufacturing  business,  and  having  a  natural  talent  fof  mechanics,  he 
quickly  proved  himself  an  able  assistant  to  his  father,  and  as  a  young 
man,  his  range  of  accomplishments  in  the  future  is  also  unbounded.  At 
the  present  time  he  is  really  the  active  manager  of  the  Erd  Motor  Com- 
pany, and  looks  after  all  the  details  of  the  business,  both  in  the  construc- 
tion department  and  in  the  extension  of  its  business  commercially. 

Harry  S.  Erd  is  Independent  in  politics,  is  at  the  present  time  exalted 
ruler  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  belongs  to  the 
Canoe  Club  of  Saginaw,  the  West  Side  Business  Men's  Association,  the 
Board  of  Trade,  the  W.  and  M.  Association,  the  National  Association  of 
Engine  and  Boat  Manufacturers,  is  president  of  the  Marine  Engine  ;\Ian- 
ufacturers  Association,  and  one  of  the  most  influential  and  able  business 
men  and  citizens  of  Saginaw. 

Harry  S.  Erd  was  married  at  Detroit,  in  June  igo8,  to  Miss  Grace 
Behr,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eugene  Behr,  a  well  known  Detroit 
family,  where  her  parents  still  live.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born 
at  Saginaw  in  June  1912,  one  daughter,  Elizabeth  Jane  Erd.  Both  Harry 
Erd  and  his  father  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  Saginaw's  successful  men. 
The  father's  home  is  at  725  S.  Washington  Street,  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  residences  of  that  thoroughfare,  while  Harry  Erd  resides  at  618 
Cleveland  Avenue. 

Charles  A.  Bigelow.  Three  times  elected  president  of  the  Michigan 
Hardwood  Lumber  Manufacturers  Association,  Charles  A.  Bigelow  by 
his  practical  accomplishments  in  lumbering  has  more  than  measured  up 
to  the  dignity  of  his  official  honor.  For  more  than  thirty  years  beginning 
in  early  boyhood,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  kmiber  business  from 
the  operation  of  a  retail  yard  to  the  management  of  two  of  the  best  known 
lumber  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  lower  peninsula.  The  son  of  an 
old-time  lumberman,  he  grew  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  business  and 
with  an  energy  and  alertness  of  mind  which  are  well  shown  in  his  face, 
he  lias  long  been  one  of  the  chief  individual  factors  in  his  field. 

Charles  A.  Bigelow  was  born  at  Redford,  Wayne  county,  Michigan, 
July  18,  1866,  a  son  of  Albert  E.  and  Jennie  (Ashcroft)  Bigelow.     The 


1886  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Bigelow  ancestry  in  America  goes  back  to  English  stock  planted  in  the 
colonies  during  the  sixteenth  century,  and  on  his  mother's  side  he  is  of 
French  origin.  Albert  E.  Bigelow  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Michigan, 
and  at  his  death,  June  15,  1913,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  left  a  splendid 
business  record  as  a  lumberman  and  was  also  a  gallant  soldier  of  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  He  went  in  as  a  private  in  Company 
I  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  Alichigan  Infantry,  and  rose  to  the  non-commis- 
sioned rank  of  sergeant.  He  was  wounded  both  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg and  in  the  Wilderness  conflicts.  His  service  was  from  early  in  1S63 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  he  was  a  convalescent  when  peace  came. 
Mr.  Bigelow's  mother  was  born  at  Montpelier,  Vermont,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Martha  Ashcroft.  The  public  schools  of  Detroit  gave  Mr. 
Bigelow  his  education,  and  in  1881,  when  fifteen  years  old,  he  was  first 
regularly  employed  in  his  father's  retail  lumber  yard  in  Detroit.  Several 
years  of  work  gave  him  a  good  knowledge  of  the  buying  and  selling  of 
lumber  and  the  general  conduct  of  the  business  in  its  retail  features.  In 
1886  his  father  took  him  in  as  a  partner,  and  they  were  associated  in 
business  until  1891,  when  the  son  was  forced  by  illness  to  retire  from 
active  work  for  three  years.  IMr.  Bigelow  was  married  at  Birmingham, 
Michigan,  October  17,  1887,  to  Miss  Minnie  A.  Durkee. 

When  he  again  resumed  his  work  in  1894,  it  was  as  traveling  salesman 
for  The  Michelson-Hanson  Limiber  Company  at  Lewiston,  and  in  1896 
he  became  secretary  of  that  company.  On  May  29,  1901,  The  Kneeland- 
Bigelow  Company  was  organized,  and  soon  became  one  of  Michigan's 
best  known  lumber  plants.  On  October  19,  1905,  the  Kneeland-Buell  & 
Bigelow  Compay  was  formed,  which  in  19 12  was  changed  to  the  Knee- 
land-Lunden  &  Bigelow  Company.  Mr.  Bigelow  is  secretary,  treasurer, 
and  general  manager  of  both  these  companies,  while  D.  M.  Kneeland  is 
president.  The  lumbering  operations  of  the  two  companies  are  confined 
to  large  areas  of  timber  in  jNIontmorency,  Otsego,  Presque  Isle,  and  Che- 
boygan counties,  the  logs  being  brought  to  Bay  City,  where  they  are  man- 
ufactured into  lumber  in  two  saw  mills,  with  an  annual  output  of  forty 
million  feet,  and  a  total  volume  of  business  aggregating  about  one  mil- 
lion dollars  a  year.  The  companies  have  operated  largely  in  hemlock  and 
hardwood. 

Both  physically  and  mentally  Mr.  Bigelow  is  clearly  a  man  for  his 
special  field  of  work.  In  business  hours  no  one  can  surpass  him  as  a 
hustler,  and  not  only  in  the  transaction  of  routine  matters,  but  as  a  thinker 
and  originator  of  new  plans  and  new  scope  of  operations  for  his  com- 
pany. He  is  very  fond  of  outdoor  sport,  is  a  swimmer  and  horseman, 
a  baseball  fan,  and  besides  these  engaging  qualities,  has  the  faculty  of  mak- 
ing friends,  and  he  has  a  great  host  of  them,  not  only  in  the  lumber  trade 
Ijut  in  all  classes  of  ^Michigan  citizenship.  In  politics  he  is  an  independent 
Republican,  and  has  often  participated  in  Alichigan  public  aft'airs,  though 
never  as  an  office  seeker.  At  his  home  in  Bay  City,  ]\Ir.  Bigelow  is  one 
of  the  best,  most  prosperous  and  substantial  citizens.  He  belongs  to  the 
Bay  City  Club,  the  Bay  City  Country  Club,  the  Saginaw  Country  Club 
and  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  Mr.  Bigelow  has  been  honored  with  a 
place  on  the  ]\Iichigan  State  Insurance  Department,  being  chairman  of  the 
advisory  committee. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Forest  I-'ire  Detective  Depart- 
ment of  Michigan,  an  organization  which  in  policing  and  in  the  instituting 
of  other  measures  for  the  prevention  of  forest  fires,  has  done  a  service 
of  incalculable  value  in  the  preservation  of  standing  timber,  and  in  be- 
half of  the  general  lumber  and  public  interests. 

It  should  also  be  said  in  this  connection  that  while  a  very  successful 
business  man  himself,  Mr.  Bigelow  has  at  the  same  time  done  much  to 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1887 

assist  other  men  to  fortune,  and  has  never  been  selfish  in  his  attainments. 

Soon  after  his  election  in  the  summer  of  1909  as  president  of  the 
Michigan  Hardwood  Lumber  Manufacturers  Association,  the  leading  ar- 
ticle in  the  American  Lumberman  was  an  interesting  review  of  the  char- 
acter and  activities  of  Mr.  Bigelow  and  was  written  under  the  title  "A 
Theorist  who  made  Good.''  Extracts  from  this  article  will  supplement 
the  general  outline  of, facts  herewith  presented: 

"A  few  years  ago  there  was  a  young  man  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Michigan,  who  was  somewhat  of  a  theorist.  At  that  time  the  lumber  in- 
dustry in  that  state  was  undergoing  many  changes.  In  those  days  when- 
ever there  was  a  meeting  of  lumbermen  in  Alichigan  this  young  man  was 
there  full  of  new  ideas  concerning  every  operation  connected  with  the 
lumber  business  from  logging  in  the  woods  to  the  final  selling  of  the 
lumber  in  the  open  market.  For  practically  every  new  problem  he  had 
that  which  he  believed  to  be  the  correct  solution.  His  ideas  were  based 
on  his  experience  in  the  business  and  close  observation  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  business  had  been  transacted  in  the  past,  and  in  which  it  would 
have  to  be  transacted  in  the  future  to  meet  the  changing  order.  By  many 
he  was  looked  upon  as  a  theorist  only.  He  endeavored  to  bring  other 
men  to  his  ideas,  and  did  not  always  meet  with  encouragement.  Never- 
theless he  had  the  most  sincere  confidence  in  every  proposition  he  ad- 
vocated ;  and  if  other  men  were  not  prone  universally  to  agree  with  him 
it  was  at  least  his  own  intention  to  put  his  theories  into  practice  as  far  as 
possible  in  the  operations  in  which  he  was  interested.  As  the  years  went 
on  he  saw  each  of  his  theories  demonstrated,  and  he  saw  men  who  had 
originally  scoffed  at  many  of  his  ideas  coming  out  to  put  them  into  prac- 
tice with  benefit  to  themselves  and  good  to  the  lumber  business  in  general. 
Recently  this  young  man  was  elected  to  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of 
the  Hardwood  Lumbermen  of  Michigan,  and  it  was  a  conspicuous  vindi- 
cation of  his  ideas  and  appreciation  of  his  services." 

It  was  during  his  connection  with  the  Michelson-Hanson  Lumber 
Company  during  the  nineties  that  Mr.  Fiigelow  "became  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  lumber  manufacturing  industry  of  the  state.  He  was  pres- 
ent at  all  of  the  meetings  of  the  manufacturers  that  were  held.  In  these 
meetings  he  took  an  active  part  and  was  frank  in  expressing  his  views. 
There  was  no  feature  of  the  business  whether  it  was  methods  of  logging 
or  methods  of  manufacture,  the  conduct  of  an  office  or  successful  sales- 
manship on  which  he  did  not  have  an  opinion  w^hich  he  was  prepared  to 
maintain.  Although  a  young  man  about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  attained 
recognition  from  men  much  older  in  years  and  much  older  in  the  busi- 
ness. His  aggressiveness  and  progressiveness  demanded  and  received 
attention." 

Francis  R.  Alger.  A  school  of  practical  vocational  training,  with  a 
record  to  be  found  in  the  personnel  of  a  large  number  of  business  con- 
cerns in  the  state  of  Michigan,  is  the  Bliss-.-Xlger  College  of  Saginaw. 
Probablv  no  educational  institution  in  the  city  has  a  more  practical  rela- 
tion to  the  business  community,  and  to  the  individual  welfare  of  many 
young  men  and  women  in  that  section  of  the  state.  Tiie  Bliss-.Alger  Col- 
lege has  ample  quarters  and  facilities  for  perfect  work,  and  with  all  the 
necessary  equipment,  and  with  a  staff'  of  thoroughly  trained  and  expert 
teachers  in  the  different  branches  offers  courses  in  general  business,  in- 
cluding bookkeeping,  commercial  law,  banking,  office  practice,  accounting, 
short-hand  and  typewriting,  court  reporting,  and  a  number  of  the  common 
branches,  which  are  fundamental  to  any  business  education. 

Francis  R.  Alger,  who  represents  an  old  family  in  the  Saginaw  A'alley 
was  born  in  Saginaw  county,  May  9,  1885,  a  son  of  David  B.  and  Carrie 


1888  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

(Gray)  Alger.  Both  parents  were  born  in  New  York  State,  and  were 
brought  to  ^lichigan  and  to  Saginaw  county  many  years  ago.  His  father, 
who  now  lives  retired  in  Saginaw,  was  for  many  years,  active  as  a  farmer, 
and  during  the  Civil  war  went  out  with  the  Fifth  Michigan  Regiment  and 
carried  arms  in  defense  of  the  union  throughout  the  war.  Grandfather 
Leonard  Alger  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  during  the 
hostilities.  The  father  is  now  sixty-eight  years  of  age,  and  the  mother  is 
about  sixty-two.  There  were  two  sons,  the  other  being  Dr.  Alger,  of 
Saginaw. 

Francis  R.  Alger  has  largely  educated  himself  and  made  his  own  way 
in  the  world  with  little  assistance  from  outside  sources.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  was  graduatd  from  the  Saginaw  high  school,  was  a  student  in 
the  Arthur  Hill  School,  and  for  one  year  studied  medicine  in  the  Detroit 
Medical  College.  That  year  convinced  him  that  medicine  was  not  his 
forte,  and  after  attending  school  for  one  year  at  Columbus  he  went 
to  Kalamazoo  and  was  a  teacher  there  one  year,  and  then  came  to  Saginaw 
and  with  Mr.  Bliss  opened  the  institution  above  described.  The  present 
enrollment  of  the  Bliss-Alger  College  is  three  hundred  and  twenty-four 
students,  and  there  is  an  average  of  two  hundred  graduates  each  year. 
This  indicates  the  prosperity  and  also  the  high  standing  of  the  school  in 
the  estimation  of  business  houses  and  the  people  of  northeastern  ^Michigan. 

Mr.  Alger  is  Independent  in  politics,  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  on  June  12,  1907,  at  Saginaw,  was  married  to  Miss 
Madge  Alcenia  Bliss,  whose  father  was  the  late  Fred  H.  Bliss,  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Saginaw.  Her  mother  is  still  living  at  Saginaw.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  two  children:  Dorris  Bliss  Alger,  born 
January,  1910;  and  Ruth  Alcenia  Alger,  born  December  12,  1912.  Mr. 
Alger  is  fond  of  all  outdoor  sports,  and  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the 
Saginaw  Canoe  Club. 

Ealy  &  Company.  This  firm,  which  has  its  headquarters  at  Caro, 
does  the  largest  private  banking,  real  estate  and  abstract  business  in 
Tuscola  county,  and  few  associations  of  a  business  and  financial  nature 
have  a  record  of  such  substantial  character,  enduring  integrity,  and  influ- 
ential relations  with  a  larger  territory.  The  enterprise  of  Ealy  &  Com- 
pany is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  city  of  Caro.  It  is  the  parent  concern 
of  a  large  number  of  branch  banks  in  that  section  of  the  state,  and  the 
constituent  members  of  the  company  represent  capital,  business  power, 
and  resources  far  above  any  possible  extension  of  liability.  The  mem- 
bers of  Ealy  &  Company  are  Dr.  John  M.  Ealy,  his  two  sons,  J.  McXair 
Ealy  and  Milton  D.  Ealy  and  Henry  Parker. 

Dr.  John  Milton  Ealy,  who  has  for  twenty-five  years  been  successfully 
identified  with  banking  in  Tuscola  county,  and  who  previous  to  coming 
to  Michigan  was  a  successful  physician  and  surgeon,  was  born  in  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania.  He  graduated  from  the  college  at  Edinboro.  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  a  number  of  years  taught  school  in  his  native  state,  and  with 
the  earnings  from  that  vocation  pursued  his  studies  and  graduated  from 
the  Cleveland  Aledical  College  with  the  degree  M.  D.  He  has  practiced 
medicine  at  Girard,  Pennsylvania,  for  a  number  of  years,  and  finally  re- 
tired from  the  profession  and  located  at  Caro  in  Tuscola  county,  Michi- 
gan, in  1888.  Dr.  Ealy  began  his  career  as  a  banker  by  purchasing  the 
interest  of  A.  T.  Slaight  in  a  private  bank  at  Caro.  Previously  the  firm 
had  been  Slaight,  Staley  &  Cooper,  later  Cooper  it  Slaight,  and  subse- 
quentlv  Carson  &  Ealy.  After  Dr.  Elaly  became  interested  in  the  busi- 
ness, its  success  as  bankers  and  real  estate  dealers  was  greatly  extended, 
and  he  continued  his  associations  with  Mr.  Carson  until  the  death  of 
W.  H.  Carson  in  1904.     That  resulted  in  the  reorganization  of  a  new 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1889 

company,  comprising  John  j\l.  Ealy,  Henry  Parker.  Alilton  D.  Ealy  and 
John  McXair  Ealy.  under  the  present  title  of  Ealy  &  Company. 

This  new  company  has  become  one  of  the  strongest  and  best  known 
private  banking  institutions  in  the  eastern  part  of  Michigan,  and  since 
the  reorganization  fifteen  branch  banks  have  been  established  in  various 
parts  of  the  state.  These  branches  are  as  follows :  Bank  of  Akron,  Bank 
of  Reese,  Bank  of  Fairgrove,  Bank  of  Millington,  Bank  of  Clifford,  Bank 
of  Silverwood,  The  State  Savings  Bank  of  Caro,  Bank  of  Otter  Lake, 
Bank  of  East  Tawas,  Bank  of  Tawas  City,  Bank  of  Gilford,  Bank  of  Rich- 
ville.  Bank  of  Munger.  Ogemaw  Countv  Bank  at  \\'est  Branch  and  Bank 
of  Hale. 

Dr.  Ealy  besides  his  extensive  associations  with  business  aft'airs  is 
treasurer  of  the  Gleaners  Association  of  Detroit,  and  also  affiliates  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  a  deacon  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in  politics  a  Republican. 

Dr.  Ealy  married  ^liss  Agnes  McNair,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
the  McXairs  having  been  prominent  and  wealthy  land  owners  in  that  state. 
Dr.  Ealy  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  three  children,  and  brief  sketches 
of  the  careers  of  their  two  sons  follow : 

John  McXair  Ealy,  son  of  Dr.  John  M.  Ealy,  was  bom  at  Girard, 
Pennsylvania,  December  24,  1885,  received  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon and  high  schools  at  Caro.  to  which  city  the  familv  removed  when  he 
was  about  three  years  of  age,  and  after  two  years  in  the  New  York  Mili- 
tary Academy  returned  to  Michigan  and  began  his  business  career  under 
the  direction  of  his  father  in  the  banking  house  of  Carson  &  Ealy.  Dur- 
ing the  next  four  years  he  learned  all  the  details  of  banking,  real  estate, 
and  related  aft'airs,  and  in  1906  was  made  a  partner  in  the  business,  and 
has  since  been  one  of  the  energetic  factors  in  the  success  of  the  firm. 

In  1906  John  McNair  Ealy  married  in  Caro  Miss  Ha?el  Harris,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Clara  (De\'oe)  Harris.  Her  father,  now  de- 
ceased, was  at  one  time  prominent  in  the  grain  and  elevator  business  in 
Tuscola  county.  Mr.  Ealy  and  wife  have  two  sons:  Horton  McXair  and 
Harris  DeA'oe,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in  Caro.  Mr.  Ealy  is  a  Repub- 
lican, affiliates  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Milton  D.  Ealy,  the  second  son  and  junior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Ealy 
&  Company,  was  born  in  Caro,  Michigan.  April  26.  i8gi.  Though  a  very 
young  man  his  accomplishments  are  far  beyond  his  youthful  years.  The 
common  and  high  schools  of  Caro  gave  him  his  early  training,  and  he 
also  spent  three  years  in  the  military  academy  where  his  brother  had  been 
a  student  before  him.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  started  tO'  work  in 
his  father's  bank,  beginning  with  the  branch  at  Silverwood.  and  after 
one  year  was  taken  in  as  junior  partner  with  the  company  in  June,  1913- 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  but  at  times  worships  in  the  Episcopal  church  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member.  In  July,  1913,  at  Caro,  ]\Iilton  D.  Ealy  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet ]M.  Gallagher,  who  was  born  in  Saginaw.  Her  father  is  Rev.  Wil- 
liam H.  Gallagher,  a  prominent  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal  church  in 
Michigan,  and  Grand  Chaplain  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  the  state. 
Her  mother  is  Ann  ( Duncan  )  Gallagher.  Mr.  Ealy  and  wife  have  one 
daughter.  Agnes  McXair  Ealy,  born  in  Caro,  June  26,  1914. 

Henrv  Parker,  the  other  member  of  the  firm  of  Ealy  &  Company,  is 
one  of  tile  highly  successful  men  of  Tuscola  county,  and  has  come  up 
from  the  ranks  of  business  affairs  to  leadership  and  important  influence. 

Born  in  Derbyshire.  England.  October  7,  1869,  Henry  Parker  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Matkin)  Parker,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Derbyshire  and  are  now  deceased.     His  father,  who  was  a  lace  manu- 


1890  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

facturer  in  his  native  shire  for  many  years,  died  in  1880  at.  the  age  of 
fifty-seven,  while  the  mother  survived  until  1912  and  was  eighty-one 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  The  youngest  of,  nine  children, 
Henry  Parker  received  a  grammar  school  education,  but  when  eleven 
years  of  age  left  his  books  to  begin  an  apprenticeship  in  his  father's  fac- 
tory, where  he  served  five  years,  and  learned  the  trade  of  lace  designer. 
Failing  health  compelled  him  to  leave  the  confining  vocation  to  which  he 
had  been  trained,  and  he  came  on  a  visit  to  America  after  three  years  as 
a  journeyman  worker  in  the  lace  industry.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in 
October,  18S7,  and  was  directed  to  Tuscola  part  of  Michigan  by  reason  of 
the  fact  that  his  uncle,  Joseph  Alatkin,  was  a  farmer  in  that  section,  and 
while  visiting  under  his  roof  began  work  as  a  farm  hand  and  in  the 
lumber  woods  and  stave  mills  of  that  locality.  Three  years  of  this 
vigorous  outdoor  occupation  completely  restored  his  health  and  rugged 
vigor,  and  since  then  he  has  never  had  any  relations  with  the  trade  which 
he  learned  as  a  young  man,  but  coming  to  Caro  began  his  business  career 
as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  Six  months  later  he  found  a  position  as  clerk 
with  the  banking  house  of  Carson  &  Ealy  and  was  paid  at  first  only  three 
dollars  a  week  as  wages.  He  showed  industry  and  responsibility,  and  rose 
rapidly  in  the  confidence  of  his  employers,  and  for  ten  years  was  the  of- 
ficial abstractor  for.TQscoIa  county.  In  1906  Mr.  Parker  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  o£Ea;ly.&-Company  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Carson,  and  is  now 
recognized  as  one  of  the  successful  and  prosperous  business  men  of  Caro. 
His  prominence  in  local  affairs  is  also  indicated  by  his  services  for  two 
years  as  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Caro,  as  assessor  for  four  terms,  and  as 
a  member  of  the'  B'Qa^4  of  Education.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  af- 
filiates with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  church. 

In  (;)ctob*er,  1893,  at  Caro,  Mr.  Parker  married  Miss  Violet  I!.  War- 
ren, who  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  and  her  father,  George 
W.  Warren,  was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in 
Caro,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Cheboygan.  Michigan.  Mr.  Parker  and 
wife  have  two  children:  Fred  Parker,  who  was  born  at  Caro  in  1897  and 
is  now  a  student  in  the  high  school,  and  Geneva  Parker,  born  at  Caro  in 
Novemlier,  1899. 

John  B.  Goetz.  The  oldest  and  largest  business  of  its  kind  in  Sagi- 
naw is  the  John  B.  Goetz  Greenhouses,  which  was  founded  by  John  B. 
Goetz  in  1871.  Mr.  Goetz  had  learned  his  trade  thoroughly  in  his  native 
land  of  Germany,  but  on  coming  to  Saginaw,  he  was  possessed  of  very 
little  capital,  and  with  the  thrift  and  enterprise  characteristic  of  his  na- 
tionality, acquired  a  little  piece  of  ground  and  constructed  his  first  green- 
houses with  his  own  hands.  He  went  into  the  business  conservatively, 
supplied  the  best  of  everything  to  his  customers,  and  by  careful  tending 
and  economical  management  during  the  first  years,  saw  his  business  rap- 
idly developing  until  his  prosperity  was  assured.  Mr.  Goetz,  who  now 
lives  retired,  from  active  affairs,  is  one  of  the  honored  older  business  men 
of  Saginaw. 

John  B.  Goetz  was  born  in  Phaft'endorf.  Bavaria  Germany,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1844,  was  educated  in  the  German  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen was  apprenticed  to  a  florist,  and  spent  four  or  five  years  in  learning 
the  profession  which  was  the  basis  for  his  successful  career,  x^t  the  age 
of  twenty-three  he  came  to  New  York  City,  spent  four  years  there,  and 
in  1871,  established  at  Saginaw,  the  John  B.  Goetz  Greenhouses.  At  the 
present  time  the  Goetz  greenhouses  have  seventy-five  thousand  square 
feet  of  glass,  and  there  is  no  establishment  in  the  state  of  its  kind  more 
modern  and  capable  of  supplying  finer  products  to  the  trade.    The  entire 


B. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1891 

plant  is  heated  by  steam.  In  1903,  Mr.  Goetz,  having  given  his  close  at- 
tention to  the  business  for  thirty-two  years,  retired  and  turned  over  the 
active  management  to  his  sons. 

Mr.  Goetz  has  been  a  Republican  voter  since  coming  to  America,  but 
has  never  shown  anv  inclination  to  seek  the  honor  of  pubHc  office,  and  has 
been  content  to  perform  his  citizenship  through  his  private  business.  At 
I-ake  Ridge,  Michigan,  in  1876,  Mr.  Goetz  married  Miss  Margareta 
Beland,  a  daughter  of  John  Beland  and  wife.  She  died  in  the  summer  of 
1883.  Her  father  died  in  1902  and  her  mother  in  October,  1910.  The 
Belauds  were  a  well  known  pioneer  family,  and  her  father  came  to  this 
part  of  Michigan  many  years  ago,  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and 
built  his  first  home  out  of  the  rough  logs,  that  old  cabin  still  standing  until 
a  few  years  ago.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goetz  were  Ijorn  two 
sons,  the  birth  of  both  occurring  in  Saginaw.  Henry  W.  F.  Goetz  was 
bom  in  1877,  and  J.  Fred  Goetz  in  1S79.  Both  attended  the  public 
schools  of  this  city,  and  on  leaving  school  entered  their  father's  establish- 
ment, got  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  floral  business  in  all  details,  and  in 
1903  was  entrusted  with  the  responsibility  of  managing  the  prosperous 
business  built  up  by  their  father,  and  have  for  ten  years  conducted  it  with 
increasing  prosperity.  Henry  Goetz  was  married  in  Hinsdale,  Illinois,  in 
1904,  to  Miss  Hermine  Mueller,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Mueller,  her  par- 
ents still  living  at  Hinsdale,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Goetz  was  born  in  Proviso, 
Illinois.  Their  children  are :  John  B.,  Jr.,  born  in  Saginaw,  on  Decem- 
ber 22.  1907;  Margareta  Goetz  born  on  August  20,  1909;  and  Herbert 
Winfred,  born  on  August  16,  1013.  Henry  Goetz  is  a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics, belongs  to  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  he  and  his  family 
reside  at  315  N.  Webster  Street.  J.  Fred  Goetz  was  married  in  Saginaw 
in  1907  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Kurzhals,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Wil- 
helm'ina  Kurzhals,  her  father  now  deceased.  J.  Fred  is  also  a  Republican 
and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  John  B.  Goetz  married  for  his 
second  wife  Otelia  Yahran,  who  is  still  living. 

Joseph  Henri  Riopelle,  M.  D.  Since  1906  a  physician  and  surgeon 
of  high  standing  and  success  in  Saginaw,  Dr.  Riopelle  represents  an  old 
French-Canadian  family,  is  a  graduate  of  the  best  Dominion  schools, 
and  is  a  man  whose  success  has  been  well  earned.  It  was  by  hard  work 
at  any  honest  occupation  that  Dr.  Riopelle  earned  the  money _  needed 
for  his  higher  education,  and  when  he  left  University  he  had  in  addi- 
tion to  his  diploma  a  thorough  experience  and  a  self-reliance  gained  by 
actual  contact  with  men  and  life. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Montreal,  Canada,  September  18,  1868.  His 
parents  were  Louis  and  Sophie  ( Constant)  Riopelle,  among  whose  seven 
children  he  was  third  in  order  of  birth.  Both  parents  were  natives  of 
Canada,  lived  there  all  their  lives  and  his  father  followed  the  business 
of  contracting  mason,  until  his  death  in  1901,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine. 
The  Riopelle  family  was  founded  in  Canada  during  the  latter  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  by  the  great-grandparents,  of  Dr.  Riopelle.  Dr. 
Riopelle's  mother  was  at  one  time^  a  school  teacher,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred in  1901  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 

Joseph  Henri  Riopelle,  as  a  boy,  attended  the  public  schools,  and  his 
ambition  to  get  a  medical  education  was  pursued  under  adverse  circum- 
stances. Finally  he  acquired  the  means  to  enter  the  Laval  University  of 
Montreal,  where  he  was  awarded  his  diploma  in  medicine  in  1894.  One 
year  was  spent  in  practice  at  Montreal,  after  which  he  went  to  the  state 
of  Maine,  practicing  at  Greenville  and  Brunswick  until  1906.  Dr.  Rio- 
pelle came  to  Saginaw  in  1906.  and  has  since  enjoyed  a  large  practice 
and  also  an  influential  place  as  a  citizen,  particularly  among  the  many 


1892  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

people  of  his  own  nationality  in  this  city.  In  civic  and  social  affairs,  he 
has  taken  a  prominent  part.  For  four  years  from  1908  to  1912,  Dr. 
Riopelle  was  city  physician  of  Saginaw.  He  is  supreme  president  of  the 
French  League  of  Saginaw,  has  been  supreme  officer  of  the  Society  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist  of  America  for  six  years ;  belongs  to  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  is  a  Catholic  in  religion,  and 
a  Republican  in  politics.  The  doctor  belongs  to  the  various  medical  so- 
cieties, and  is  a  working  member  of  the  Saginaw  board  of  trade. 

At  Montreal  in  1893  Dr.  Riopelle  married  Miss  Fabiola  Payette,  a 
daughter  of  Medore  Payette.  Mrs.  Riopelle  died  at  Greenville,  Maine, 
in  1900.  Her  two  sons  were:  Joseph  Henri  Riopelle,  born  at  Montreal 
in  1895  ;  and  Joseph  Edward  Riopelle,  born  in  Greenville,  Maine  in  1899. 
Both  sons  are  students  of  a  school  in  Montreal,  where  they  are  being 
liberally  educated  in  both  the  English  and  French  languages. 

At  Greenville,  Maine,  in  1903,  Dr.  Riopelle  married  Miss  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Nasom,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Nasom,  whose  home  is 
at  Skowhegan,  Mame.  All  the  three  children  of  the  second  marriage 
died  in  infancy.  Dr.  Riopelle  resides  at  902  South  Washington  Street, 
owns  one  of  the  tine  automobiles  of  the  city,  and  uses  that  machine 
both  in  the  practical  work  of  his  profession  and  as  a  means  of  relaxation 
and  pleasure. 

H.\RRY  E.  Oppenheimer.  To  those  who  smoke — and  their  number 
is  legion — the  title  of  the  Oppenheimer  Cigar  Company  has  long  been 
familiar  in  the  states  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Michigan,  and  stands  for 
high  standards  of  merchandise  and  courteous  methods  of  salesmanship. 
In  the  three  states  mentioned,  Samuel  and  Harry  E.  Oppenheimer  now 
operate  a  chain  of  twenty-three  stores,  and  handle  each  year  a  vast  vol- 
ume both  wholesale  and  retail  in  cigars  and  general  smokers'  supplies. 
It  is  a  splendid  business  representing  the  modern  system  of  business  or- 
ganization, and  every  one  of  the  stores  is  creditable  to  the  enterprise  and 
ability  of  the  two  proprietors.  The  headquarters  of  the  business  are  at 
Saginaw. 

In  the  career  of  Harry  E.  Oppenheimer,  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm,  Saginaw  has  one  of  its  ablest  business  men,  and  few  have  risen  in 
so  short  a  time  to  a  commanding  position  in  the  trade. 

Harry  E.  Oppenheimer  was  born  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  February  10, 
1872,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Carolina  (Kline)  Oppenheimer.  Both 
parents  were  born  in  Massillon.  Ohio,  where  their  respective  parents 
were  early  settlers,  and  both  families  at  an  early  date  removed  to  Rich- 
mond, Indiana,  where  Benjamin  and  Carolina  Oppenheimer  grew  up  and 
were  married.  Benjamin  Oppenheimer  engaged  in  the  clothing  business 
at  Richmond,  and  followed  it  actively  there  until  1883,  when  he  moved 
to  Saginaw.  His  death  occurred  at  Saginaw,  in  May.  1904,  when  fifty- 
eight  years  old.  His  wife  survived  and  is  now  living  in  Saginaw  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years.    Of  the  nine  children,  seven  are  living. 

Harry  E.  Oppenheimer  who  was  third  among  the  children,  was  about 
eleven  years  old  when  he  came  to  Saginaw,  and  continued  his  education 
here  until  graduating  from  the  high  school.  His  uncle,  Samuel  Oppen- 
heimer, had  established  a  cigar  business  at  Saginaw  in  1887,  and  when 
the  nephew  finished  high  school,  his  first'  regular  work  was  as  clerk  in 
the  Oppenheimer  Cigar  establishment.  The  business  was  then  conducted 
on  the  ordinary  scale  of  the  individual  store,  and  it  was  largely  the 
foresight  and  keen  enteriirise  of  the  junior  member  that  opened  up  the 
way  and  did  the  planning  and  executed  the  details  in  the  organizing  of 
a  svstem  of  stores,  now  located  in  three  different  states.  In  a  short  time 
he  had  risen  from  the  responsibilities  of  a  clerk  to  the  ownership  of  a 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1893 

half  interest  in  the  Oppenheimer  business.  Seven  of  the  Oppenheinier 
stores  are  located  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  though  the  headquarters  have 
always  been  in  Saginaw,  I^Iichigan.  Necessarily  the  magnitude  of  the 
enterprise  requires  the  employment  of  a  large  force  of  skilled  tobacco 
salesmen,  and  the  stock  and  fixtures,  and  the  payroll  represent  a  large 
investment  and  capitalization.  One  of  the  rules  of  the  house  is  "Always 
be  polite  and  courteous,"  and  that  has  been  one  of  the  corner  stones  in 
the  success  of  the  business. 

]\Ir.  Harry  E.  C)ppenheimer  is  affiliated  with  the  IJenevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  in  Saginaw,  and  in  Alasonry  has  taken  the  Scottish 
Rite  up  to  and  including  the  thirty-second  degree.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Elf  Khurafeh  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  X.  M.  S.,  one  of  its  charter  members 
and  very  active,  and  is  treasurer  and  held  other  important  offices  in  that 
organization.  He  is  treasurer  of  Saginaw  Valley  Chapter  No.  31  R. 
A.  M.,  also  treasurer  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  Mutual  Benefit  Asso- 
ciation. His  other  local  affiliations  are  with  the  Saginaw  Club,  the  .Ar- 
beiter  Society  at  Saginaw,  the  Saginaw  Country  Club,  the  Germania  So- 
ciety, and  as  one  of  the  live  members  of  the  Saginaw  Board  of  Trade. 
Mr.  Oppenheimer  states  that  he  has  always  been  too  busy  to  meddle 
with  politics,  and  his  attitude  in  that  direction  is  independent.  However, 
his  good  citizenship  has  never  been  a  matter  of  doubt,  and  he  quickly 
allies  himself  with  laudible  public  undertakings.  Mr.  Oppenheimer  is 
unmarried,  and  resides  with  his  mother  in  one  of  the  beautiful  homes  in 
Saginaw.  He  is  fond  of  all  athletic  sports,  and  is  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular and  influential  young  business  men  in  the  Saginaw  \'alley. 

AI.M.coL.M  C.  SixcL.MR,  M.  D.  Humanity  owes  a  greater  debt  to 
medical  science  and  its  exponents  than  to  any  other  profession  or  class  of 
men.  The  physician  from  earliest  times  has  borne  an  important  part,  not 
alone  in  the  care  of  the  sick,  but  in  the  councils  of  the  nations,  and  as  the 
countries  have  passed,  his  importance  has  deservedly  increased.  The 
life  of  the  medical  practitioner  is  never  one  of  ease;  not  only  is  he  re- 
quired to  devote  years  to  preliminary  training,  but  his  studies  are  not 
completed  until  he  finally  lays  aside  his  duties,  for  medicine  is  one  of 
tb.e  most  prrigressive  sciences  known  and  each  day  develops  new  meth- 
ods and  discoveries,  to  keep  abreast  of  which  demands  unceasing  study, 
a  broad  mind  and  comprehensive  reasoning.  Prominent  among  the  merl- 
ical  men  of  Grand  Rapids  who  has  won  deservedly  high  place  by  reason 
of  his  devotion  to  his  profession  is  found  Malcolm  C.  Sinclair,  M.  D., 
who  has  been  engaged  in  continuous  practice  in  this  city  since  1876. 

Doctor  Sinclair  was  born  on  a  farm  near  .St.  Thomas,  County  Elgin, 
Ontario,  Canada,  October  3,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Coll  and  Jane  f^Ic- 
Larty )  Sinclair,  natives  of  Scotland,  and  a  grandson  of  .Krchibald  Sin- 
clair, who  sjJent  his  life  in  that  country.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
stockraiser  by  occupation,  and  attained  success  by  reason  of  his  native 
energy  and  thrift.  Both  he  and  his  wife  emigrated  to  Canada  as  young 
people  and  were  there  married,  and  both  passed  away  in  the  faith  of  the 
Disciples  Church.  In  politics,  ]\Ir.  Sinclair  was  a  Conservative.  Of  his 
family  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  attained  manhood  and  womanhood, 
eight  still  survive. 

Dr.  Sinclair's  early  education  began  in  a  Canadian  Country  School, 
after  which  he  entered  the  high  and  grammar  schools  of  St.  Thomas. 
Shortly  after  this,  he  became  a  student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Leonard  Luton, 
St.  Thomas.  Ontario  (who  for  many  years  was  president  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Ontario),  and  then  became  a  student  in 
Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Chicago,  where  he  graduated  in  1873.  Fol- 
lowing this,  he  spent'  some  time  in  Europe,  and  upon  his  return  to  the 


1894  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAX 

United  States  began  tlie  practice  of  medicine  in  Grand  Rapids.  Michigan. 
Bv  that  time,  the  Doctor's  resources  were  about  exhausted  and  he  began 
his  professional  career  as  a  poor  and  practically  obscure  doctor.  He  ex- 
perienced the  usual  difficulties  of  the  young  physician  in  gaining  a  foot- 
hold in  his  profession,  but  his  superior  abilities  soon  became  recognized 
and  he  began  to  enjoy  a  good  practice.  Since  that  time,  Doctor  Sinclair 
has  advanced  rapidly  to  a  high  place  in  his  profession,  and  his  achieve- 
ments have  given  him  a  high  standing  among  the  medical  fraternity  and 
a  firm  place  in  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  has  been  hon- 
ored bv  appointment  and  election  to  various  positions  of  trust  and  re- 
sponsibility. He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pingree  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  registration  in  medicine  in  Michigan  and  was  elected  its 
first  president.  He  was  also  appointed  by  Governor  Warner  a  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  where  he  served  six  years.  He  also  served 
six  years  on  the  Grand  Rapids  Board  of  Health.  He  is  now  a  member  of 
the  medical  examiners  of  the  Michigan  State  Sanatorium  at  Howell.  }^Iich- 
igan.  He  was  also  appointed  by  President  Roosevelt  memlier  of  the 
United  States  Board  of  Pension  Examiners,  where  he  served  eight  years. 
He  has  ser\-ed  as  president  of  the  Michigan  Homeopathic  State  Medical 
Society,  of  which  he  is  still  a  member,  as  well  as  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Homeopathy,  .American  Medical  Association,  West  Michigan 
Homeopathic  Society  and  Kent  County  Medical  Society  and  is  on  the  staff 
of  the  U.  B.  A.  Hospital,  where  he  was  for  some  time  lecturer  to  the 
nurses  of  that  institution. 

He  maintains  offices  in  the  \\'iddicomb  Building  and  carries  on  a  gen- 
eral practice,  although  he  is  not  unknown  in  the  field  of  surgery.  His 
business  interests  are  many  and  he  is  connected  with  the  ^  alley  City 
Lumber  Company,  Ltd.,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  and  is  still  a  di- 
rector of  the  Grand  Rapids  Building  &  Loan  Association  and  is  president 
of  the  Grand  Rapids  Milk  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
his  fraternal  connection  is  with  Grand  River  Lodge  Xo.  34.  F.  &•  A.  ]M.. 
DeMolai  Commanderv  and  the  Shrine,  of  the  Masonic  order. 

In  1887.  Doctor  Sinclair  was  married  to  Miss  Edith  M.  Luton,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Elizabeth  Luton,  of  ]Mapleton.  Ontario,  and  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  union :  Douglas,  who  after  graduating  from 
the  Grand  Rapids  High  School  entered  the  University  of  IMichigan  and 
is  now  treasurer  of  the  ^'alley  City  Lumber  Company,  Ltd.,  and  Jean, 
who  married  Heber  \\\  Curtis,  vice  president  of  the  Kent  State  Bank. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  and  their  children  are  members  of  the  Disciples 
church. 

Emit.  P.  ^^'.  Richter,  M.  D.  A  prominent  young  physician  who  has 
practiced  at  Saginaw  since  IQOO,  Dr.  Richter  belongs  to  one  of  the  old 
and  substantial  families  of  that  city,  was  himself  born  there  and  before 
entering  upon  his  profession  had  prepared  by  study  and  training  in  the 
best  schools  and  centers  of  learning  in  both  America  and  Europe. 

F.mil  P.  \\'.  Richter  was  born  in  Saginaw.  February  10.  1875.  the 
second  of  eight  children  born  to.  Fred  .-X.  and  Katherine  ('Mueller")  Rich- 
ter. His  father  was  born  in  Prussia,  and  the  mother  in  Hessia.  Germany. 
The  grandparents  on  both  sides  came  to  America  when  Dr.  Richter's 
mother  and  father  were  about  twelve  years  of  age.  both  families  estab- 
lishing their  homes  in  Saginaw,  where  they  have  lived  ever  since.  Fred 
A.  Richter  was  for  many  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Wright  Lumber 
Companv.  and  for  a  time  operated  a  saw  mill  business  of  his  own  at 
Marion.  ^Michigan.  Finally  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Saginaw, 
and  is  still  active  in  business  affairs. 

Dr.  Richter  grew  up  in  Saginaw,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  and 


HISTORY-  OF  MICHIGAN  1895 

parish  schools.  His  first  training  for  liis  profession  was  furnished  by 
the  Saginaw  \'alley  ^Medical  College  and  he  afterwards  took  post-grad- 
uate work  in  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  Hospital,  went  abroad  and 
studied  and  attended  clinics  in  Berlin  and  Vienna  and  other  European 
centers,  and  in  igoo  began  active  practice.  His  career  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon  has  been  one  of  uninterrupted  and  unqualified  success.  He  was 
president  of  the  County  Medical  Society  in  IQII,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  From  1904  to  191 1,  he  was  honored  by  the  citizens 
of  Saginaw  County  with  the  office  of  coroner,  and  in  191 3  was  elected 
County  Physician,  which  office  he  now  holds.  His  fraternal  relations  are 
with  the  Masonic  Order,  including  the  Chapter  degree,  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber and  is  medical  examiner  for  the  local  organization  of  the  Maccabees, 
the  Woodmen  of  the  \\'orId,  the  Royal  Neighbors,  the  Loyal  Mystic 
Legion,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Arbeiter  Society. 
At  Saginaw.  September  11,  1901,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of 
Dr.  Richter  and  ?iliss  Flspeth  R.  Grenney,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Jeanette  Grenney.  Dr.  Richter  and  wife  are  both  popular  in  social  affairs, 
and  he  is  especially  fond  of  outdoor  sports,  and  takes  much  interest  in  the 
local  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Hox.  Fr.\xk  L.  Dodge  commenced  his  professional  career  in  Lansing 
thirty-five  years  ago  and  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  public  servant  has  earned 
a  substantial  and  honorable  reputation.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  at 
Oberlin,  Lorain  county,  in  1853,  the  son  of  Hervey  and  Angeline 
(  Stevens )  Dodge,  and  comes  of  distinguished  ancestry.  Hervey  Dodge, 
his  father,  was  born  in  Essex  county.  Massachusetts,  July  20,  1806,  and 
was  by  trade  a  cabinetmaker.  His  brother  was  the  father  of  the  manu- 
facturer of  the  well-known  Dodge  brand  of  shoes,  and  he  himself  was  a 
nephew  of  Nathan  Dane,  the  eminent  lawyer.  Angeline  Stevens,  the 
mother  of  Frank  L.  Dodge,  was  born  at  Haverhill.  New  Hampshire,  July 
22.  1812.  the  daughter  of  Col.  Bradstreet  Stevens,  whose  brother  served 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Her  remote  ancestry  was  of  Revolutionary  stock. 
E.  L.  Stevens,  her  brother,  was  for  thirty-five  years  chief  clerk  of  the 
Indian  Bureau,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  his  son.  Durham  White  Stevens, 
served  as  Japanese  consul  to  Korea.  After  working  at  his  trade  for  a 
number  of  years,  Harvey  Dodge  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  at 
Utica,  New  York,  from  w-hence  he  came  west  to  Ohio,  there  meeting  his 
future  wife,  who  had  migrated  to  that  state  in  young  womanhood.  The 
father  died  in  July.  1884.  while  the  mother  survived  until  January.  1890. 

Frank  L.  Dodge  received  ordinary  educational  advantages  in  Ohio, 
and  there  entered  a  business  career,  Ijut  after  some  years  as  a  merchant 
decided  to  adopt  the  profession  of  law,  and  accordingly  took  up  his 
studies  at  Eaton  Rapids,  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  in  the  office  of  the 
late  Hon.  Isaac  M.  Crane,  of  whom  he  became  a  partner  as  soon  as  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1879  Mr.  Dodge  removed  to  Lansing,  where 
he  has  since  continued  successfully  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  for 
several  years  in  partnership  with  the  Hon.  C.  P.  Black,  formerly  United 
States  attorney  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Michigan.  In  his  long  and 
uniformlv  progressive  career  several  personal  traits  are  quite  noticeable, 
among  them  versatility  of  talents  combined  with  thoroughness  of  prepara- 
tion and  depth  of  legal  knowledge.  In  1885  Judge  Brown,  later  of  the 
Cnited  States  Supreme  Court,  appointed  Mr.  Dodge  Ignited  States  com- 
missioner, an  office  which  he  held  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  For  twelve 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lansing  common  council  and  of  the  county 
board  of  supervisors.  In  1882  he  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
to  the  Michigan  State  Legislature  and  was  re-elected  by  an  increased  ma- 


1896  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

jority  in  1884,  and  served  with  distinction,  ability  and  usefulness  in  the 
sessions  of  that  body,  introducing  and  in  many  cases  securing  the  passage 
of  a  number  of  the  most  important  measures.  In  1890  Mr.  Dodge  was 
elected  to  the  Michigan  State  Senate,  and  in  the  upper  body  of  the  legis- 
lature served  with  equal  distinction  as  he  had  in  the  lower.  Mr.  Dodge 
was  the  original  promoter  and  incorporator,  as  well  as  secretary,  of  the 
Lansing,  St.  Johns  and  St.  Louis  Railway  Company,  and  it  was  to  his 
efforts  and  unflagging  zeal  that  the  successful  completion  of  the  enter- 
prise was  chiefly  due. 

On  November  20,  1888,  Mr.  Dodge  was  married  to  Aliss  Abby  Turner, 
the  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  James  Turner,  and  youngest  sister  of  the 
late  Hon.  James  M.  Turner.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
namely :  Sophie  Dane,  Franklin  L.,  Jr.,  Wyllis  Osborne,  Joseph  Nichol- 
son and  Marion  Elizabeth. 

Edwin  Kersten.  Thirty  years  of  vigorous  business  enterprise,  of 
faithful  and  efficient  handling  of  many  trusts  and  responsibilities,  and  of 
public  spirited  citizenship,  have  marked  the  residence  of  Edwin  Kersten 
at  Saginaw.  Mr.  Kersten's  name  is  too  well  known  in  his  home  city  to 
require  an  introduction,  and  in  connection  with  general  insurance  busi- 
ness, with  which  he  has  been  identified  since  1889,  and  in  fraternal -and 
benevolent  circles,  and  in  civic  affairs,  it  has  always  been  synonymous 
with  the  punctuality  and  fidelitv  which  are  qualities  in  themselves  be- 
speaking the  highest  praise  to  their  possessor. 

Edwin  Kersten,  a  native  of  Germany  where  he  grew  up  and  lived  un- 
til early  manhood  was  born  March  27,  1861,  at  Brentau,  Kreis.  Danzig 
in  West  Prussia,  a  son  of  Julius  and  Emalai  ( Strahl )  Kersten.  The 
mother,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1834,  is  still  a  resident  of  Saginaw, 
now  nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  and  well  known  in  the  older-German- 
American  circles  of  the  city.  When  Edwin  w'as  four  years  of  age  his 
father  died,  and  thus  the  burden  of  family  management  and  support  was 
largely  thrown  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  widow.  The  other  children  of 
the  family,  several  of  whom  are  residents  of  America,  are  mentioned  as 
follows :  Oscar  Kersten,  who  lives  in  his  native  citv  of  Germany  ;  Julius 
Kersten,  a  prominent  merchant  in  Saginaw,  since  1879;  Clara,  wife  of 
John  Galstrer,  who  is  a  prosperous  farmer  at  Frankenmuth,  in  Saginaw 
county;  Lena,  wife  of  Oliver  Goldsmith,  of  Detroit:  Hattie,  wife  of 
Charles  McKniglit,  who  for  thirtv  years  has  served  as  messenger  for  the 
R.  I.  Railroad  Company. 

AMien  eight  years  old  Edwin  Kersten  entered  the  Gymnasiiun  at  Culm, 
but  his  ambition  to  secure  a  college  education  was  made  impossible  of 
attainment  owing  to  the  financial  straits  of  the  widowed  mother.  -  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  therefore  he  decided  to  leave  college  in  order  to  lighten  his 
mother's  burden  and  in  1877  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  postoffice 
at  Danzig,  his  native  town.  From  there  he  was  transferred  as  assistant 
postmaster  to  the  city  of  Thorn,  and  in  1883  had  become  one  of  the 
proficient  employes  in  the  postal  service.  However,  in  that  year  he  se- 
cured a  leave  of  absence  in  order  to  visit  his  mother  and  other  members 
of  the  family  who  had  imigrated  to  the  United  States  several  years  previ- 
ously, and  had  found  homes  in  Saginaw.  This  visit  proved  so  pleasant 
and  lirought  him  into  such  agreeable  associations  that  he  sought  and 
obtained  his  resignation  from  the  state  service  of  Prussia  in  1884,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  a  prominent  resident  of  Saginaw.  His  early 
education  and  experience  enabled  him  to  get  work  in  clerical  capacities, 
and  he  filled  every  office  with  credit. 

His  early  experiences  led  him  into  the  insurance  field,  and  since  1S93 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1897 

Mr.  Kersten  has  been  independently  engaged  in  general  insurance  and  also 
in  real  estate.  His  business  gradually  expanded,  and  at  the  present  time 
he  represents  seventeen  of  the  leading  companies  as  agent.  These  com- 
panies include  some  of  the  best  known  tire  companies,  also  plate  glass, 
employers  liability,  indemnity  bonds,  life,  automobile  and  tornado  and 
wind  storm  companies. 

In  191 1,  Mr.  Kersten  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  German 
American  State  Bank  of  Saginaw,  and  has  since  held  the  office  of  vice 
president.  His  business  offices  are  in  the  German  American  State  Bank 
Building,  at  the  corner  of  Hamilton  and  Hancock  streets.  ]\Ir.  Kersten 
is  also  a  director  in  the  Banner  Brewing  Company  of  Saginaw,  and  a  di- 
rector and  secretary  of  the  Saginaw  Cigar  Companv,  an  industry  of  much 
importance  locally. 

For  many  years,  much  of  his  time  and  interests  have  been  absorbed  in 
secret  and  benevolent  society  work,  and  also  in  public  affairs.  For  four 
years  he  has  been  a  Master  Mason  of  Germania  Lodge  No.  79,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  is  a  trustee  of  the  Knights  of  Honor;  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor ;  has  membership  in  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees ;  has  the  honor  of  holding  the  only  life  membership  card 
in  the  Saginaw  Branch  of  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  being  founder  of 
Lodge  No.  82  of  that  order,  and  a  past  dictator ;  also  belongs  to  the 
Teutonia  Society,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In 
1888  Mr.  Kersten  joined  the  Allgemeiner  Arbeiter  Bund  of  Michigan,  a 
German  Benevolent  Organization,  better  known  as  the  Arbeiter-Unter- 
stutzungs-\'erein.  In  1890  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  association,  in 
1893,  pi'esidcnt  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  in  1S93  '''so  president  of  the 
association,  and  in  1898  president  of  the  association  for  the  entire  state 
of  Michigan,  holding  that  office  two  years.  In  1895,  Mr.  Kersten  was 
made  treasurer  of  the  association  for  the  state  of  Michigan,  and  exercised 
such  caie  and  energy  and  business  prudence  in  the  administration  of  that 
office  as  to  call  out  the  following  tribute  from  its  president,  "Allow  me 
to  congratulate  you  for  your  prompt  handling  of  the  business  entrusted 
to  you  in  the  capacity  of  treasurer.  That  is  what  I  call  efficiency.  To 
my  own  knowledge  the  orders  have  never  been  so  punctually  paid  as  un- 
der your  direction.  C)ne  who  had  sb  thorough  a  knowledge  of  the  office 
has  many  opportunities  for  excellent  service  in  this  way." 

Mr.  Kersten  although  always  active  in  behalf  of  the  Democratic  party 
has  never  sought  office,  but  has  been  nominated  and  elected  at  different 
times  to  places  of  responsibilities,  while  other  nominations  have  been  de- 
clined owing  to  his  absorption  in  his  varied  business  aft'airs.  In  1892  he 
filled  an  unexpired  term  as  alderman  from  the  twelfth  ward,  and  was  re- 
elected serving  from  1892  to  1894.  In  1897  he  was  made  deputy  county 
treasurer  of  Saginaw  county,  and  was  recently  Democratic  candidate  for 
city  treasurer  of  Saginaw.  Besides  his  extensive  business  in  insurance 
and  banking,  he  also  transacts  a  valuable  service  for  his  clients  as  a  notary 
public  and  title  abstract  work,  and  is  agent  for  several  of  the  leading 
steamship  lines. 

C)n  Januarv  22,  1888,  Edwin  Kersten  married  J\liss  Johanna  Rogner. 
of  Saginaw  county,  a  daughter  of  Alichael  and  Margaretha  ( Schnell ) 
Rogner.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  eight  children:  Emma,  liv- 
ing with  her  parents;  Herman;  Edwin  Jr.,  assistant  to  his  father;  Rose, 
wife  of  Ernest  Grunow,  of  Saginaw;  Ernest,  a  student  in  the  Lutheran 
Seminary  and  preparing  for  the  ministery ;  Norman ;  Ida :  and  \'era. 
Mr.  Kersten  lives  at  415  North  Webster  Street.  His  only  recreations 
are  his  outing  trips  to  Mackinac  Island  during  the  summer  season.  His 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


1898  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

John  L.  A.  Galster.  Than  the  lives  of  those  who  have  risen  from 
the  ranks  and  b}'  unswerving  integrity  and  consecutive  effort  have  con- 
quered fate,  there  is  nothing  more  interesting,  more  elevating  or  more 
encouraging.  The  sternest  opposition,  bitter  trials,  difficulties  apparently 
insurmountable,  sink  into  mere  shadows  before  energy,  self-reliance, 
application  and  earnest  perseverance  of  character.  Success  may  long 
elude,  but  it  is  certain  of  attainment  eventually  by  those  who  persistently 
and  perseveringly  strive.  These  facts  the  life  of  John  L.  A.  Galster  will 
illustrate. 

John  L.  A.  Galster  was  born  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  May 
II,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Louise  (Dauer)  Galster,  the  former 
a  native  of  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Alsace  Lorraine.  They 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  during  the  early  'seventies,  and  first  set- 
tled in  Ijuft'alo,  but  in  1870  removed  to  Boyne  Falls,  and  after  a  short 
stay  returned  to  Buft'alci.  Mr.  Galster  was  engaged  in  a  successful  busi- 
ness venture  there  until  the  year  1881,  at  which  time  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  and  again  went  to  Boyne  Falls,  where  for  the  past  thirty-three 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  prosperous  mercantile  pursuits.  Mr.  Gal- 
ster is  one  of  his  community's  foremost  and  most  successful  business 
men,  and  his  name  is  identified  with  a  variety  of  interests,  all  connected 
with  the  industrial  and  commercial  activities  of  his  adopted  place.  Al- 
though he  is  a  very  busy  man,  his  extensive  operations  making  large  de- 
mands upon  his  attention,  he  has  found  the  opportunity  and  the  inclina- 
tion to  serve  his  city,  his  county  and  his  state  in  various  official  capaci- 
ties, and  since  1914  has  been  postmaster  at  Boyne  Falls.  Although  a 
self-educated  man,  keen  observation  and  broad  experience  have  given 
him  a  great  fund  of  general  information  and  few  have  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  the  real  issues  of  the  day.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Galster,  as  follows :  Louise,  born  in  Buft'alo,  now  the  wife 
of  Benjamin  E.  Rine,  of  Detroit ;  John  L.  A. ;  Clara,  born  at  Buft'alo, 
who  resides  with  her  parents :  Elizabeth  and  Anna,  also  living  at  home ; 
Charles,  who  is  interested  with  John  L.  A.  in  the  L'nioii  Cigar  Cooper- 
ative Store,  and  Henry,  who  is  associated  in  the  insurance  business  with 
his  brother,  John  L.  A.,  at  Petoskey. 

John  L.  A.  Galster  received  his  early  educational  training  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Boyne  Falls,  to  which  place  he  was  taken  as  a  child,  and 
when  seventeen  years  of  age  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
his  first  position  l^eing  in  the  capacity  of  solicitor  for  the  Michigan  Acci- 
dent Insurance  Association,  of  Kalamazoo.  This  company  did  not  suc- 
ceed, and  seven  months  after  Mr.  Galster  began  his  connection  with  it 
the  concern  closed  its  doors,  he  at  that  time  finding  employment  with  the 
LTnited  States  Health  and  Accident  Company  of  Saginaw.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  so  excellent  had  been  his  work  that  he  was  made  district 
manager  for  the  Michigan  Home  and'  Hospital  Insurance  Company,  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  remained  with  that  company  seven  vears,  resigning 
his  position,  in  which  he  had  shown  his  aljility  and  worth  to  the  insur- 
ance world,  to  accept  the  state  agency  for  the  National  Casualty  Com- 
pany of  Detroit,  his  headquarters  and  offices  being  at  Petoskey,  where 
he  made  a  fine  record  for  his  company.  In  1905  Mr.  Galster  purchased 
the  interest  of  E.  Barnum,  of  the  firm  of  Wachtel  &  Barnum,  prominent 
in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  trade  in  this  city,  with  which  he  was 
identified  until  it  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Galster's  partner, 
Philip  E.  \\'achtel,  November  16,  1913.  On  January  i,  1914,  Mr.  Gal- 
ster purchased  Mr.  Wachtel's  interest  from  the  members  of  his  estate 
and  since  that  time  has  continued  in  business  alone.  From  191 1  to  1913 
he  was  president  of  the  Michigan  Association  of  Insurance  Agents.  Air. 
Galster  has  always  been  greatly  interested  in  real  estate  matters,  handling 
large   tracts   of    farming  property  and  city   realty,   residences,   business 


^THI  NEW  mt 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1899 

blocks,  etc..  and  has  met  with  much  success  in  his  various  ventures.  The 
greater  part  of  his  attention, 'however,  has  been  given  to  the  insurance 
business,  for  success  in  w'hich  he  possesses  the  pecuHar  quahties  so 
necessary  to  the  man  who  would  attain  prosperity  in  this  tield.  He  has 
large  and  well  equipped  offices,  modern  in  every  appointment,  where  he 
employs  several  stenographers.  Other  lines  of  endeavor  have  had  the 
benefit  of  Mr.  Galster"s  good  management  and  business  acumen,  he  being 
one-half  owner  of  the  Royal  Cigar  Company,  and  Union  Cigar  Company, 
two  leading  retail  businesses  of  Petoskey,  was  one  of  the  organizers  and 
one-half  owner  of  the  Northern  Automobile  Company,  of  Petoskey,  and 
its  president  for  its  organization  October  I,  1912,  until  he  recently  dis- 
posed of  his  holdings  :  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Petoskey 
Construction  Company,  which  built  three  miles  of  stone  road  in  Emmett 
county.  A  lover  of  all  things  beautiful,  he  has  been  able  as  chairman  of 
the  park  board  to  contribute  to  the  appearance  of  Petoskey,  and  in  vari- 
ous other  w-ays  has  advanced  its  welfare.  He  is  also  president  of  Petos- 
key Automobile  Association.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Galster  is  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  political  views  are 
those  of  the  Republican  party. 

On  November  7,  1903,  Mr.  Galster  was  married  at  Petoskey,  to  Miss 
Rena  Buell,  a  native  of  Union  City,  Michigan,  and  daughter  of  David 
and  Eliza  (Dean)  Buell.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  has  been  well  known  for  her  helpful  .work  as  a  member  of 
the  Ladies  Aid  Society  and  in  various  charitable  movements.  Mr.  Gal- 
ster has  the  happy  faculty  of  making  friends,  and  the  still  more  rare 
and  desirable  accomplishment  of  keeping  them.  Among  his  acquaint- 
ances and  admirers  are  to  be  found  men  who  are  prominent  in  all  parts 
of  the  state.  He  seldom  takes  a  vacation,  but  when  he  does  indulge 
himself  in  a  rest  from  the  activities  and  worries  of  business  life  gener- 
ally takes  his  rod  or  gun  and  haunts  the  fields  and  stream  in  search  of 
game.  He  is  also  a  dyed-in-the-wool  baseball  fan.  and  may  frequently 
be  found  attending  the  national  pastime.  A  self-made  man  in  every 
sense,  while  he  has  been  rising  to  success  he  has  not  failed  to  help  others 
in  their  struggles.  His  pleasant  home  at  Petoskey,  which  is  but  one  of 
his  many  properties,  is  one  of  the  commodious  residences  of  the  city, 
and  is  frequently  the  scene  of  social  gatherings. 

Albert  Elwood  Snow.  I'resent  city  attorney  of  Saginaw,  Mr.  Snow 
is  one  of  the  prominent  younger  members  of  the  Saginaw  bar,  and  he  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Judge  Byron  A.  Snow,  who  for  a  long  period  of  years 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  and  jurists  of  northeastern 
Michigan. 

Bvron  Albert  Snow  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  grew  up 
in  modest  circumstances,  used  his  talents  to  fit  himself  for  the  work  of 
education,  and  for  -more  than  three  years  followed  teaching  1)oth  in  his 
home  state  and  in  Kansas.  While  a  teacher  he  took  up  the  study  of  law. 
was  admitted  to  practice,  and  gained  recognition  as  one  of  the  ablest  law- 
yers of  the  Saginaw  county  bar,  having  begun  his  practice  in  that  county 
in  1883.  In  1896  came  liis  election  to  the  circuit  bench  of  the  Tenth 
Judicial  district,  In  1899  he  was  reelected  and  again  in  1905,  he  was 
honored  with  that  high  dignity.  Judge  Snow  was  for  years  one  of  the 
leading  Democrats  of  Saginaw  county,  before  his  election  to  the  bench 
was  on  the  stump  in  his  district  in  nearly  every  campaign.  As  an  orator 
he  had  a  reputation  of  one  of  the  most  effective  in  the  state,  and  exer- 
cised an  important  influence  in  public  affairs.  In  1903  he  had  the  in- 
dorsement of  all  the  opposing  parties  for  his  reelection  to  the  bench.  Dur- 
ing the  eighties  from   1880  to  1889,  he  represented  Saginaw  county  in 


1900  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  state  legislature.  The  record  of  his  judicial  career  was  one  of  the 
most  scrupulous  impartiality  of  tine  learning  and  profound  judgment,  and 
he  will  be  remembered  with  esteem  by  the  members  of  the  Saginaw  bar 
as  long  as  one  remains  who  ever  practiced  in  his  court.  His  death  oc- 
curred one  month  after  his  reelection  on  May  5,  IQ05.  Seldom  has  the 
passing  of  a  lawyer  in  the  Saginaw  bar  produced  more  profound  sorrow 
than  the  death  of  Judge  Snow,  and  the  county. bar  association  drew  up 
resolutions  which  went  beyond  the  formal  tone  of  such  tributes,  and  in- 
dicated the  sincere  esteem  which  members  of  the  bar  as  a  whole  felt  for 
the  distinguished  judge  who  had  just  passed  away.  The  widow  of  Judge 
Snow  now  lives  in  Jackson,  Michigan.  There  were  three  children,  as 
follows:  Dr.  Arthur  B.  Snow,  who  is  now  established  in  the  practice  of 
dentistry  at  Saginaw;  Albert  E.  Snow,  and  Alice  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
\\'alter  R.  Snow,  of  Jackson,  Michigan. 

Albert  Elwood  Snow  was  born  in  Jackson,  Jackson  countv.  Michi- 
gan, July  16,  1878,  a  son  of  Judge  Byron  Albert  and  Annie  (Stevens) 
Snow.  Both  his  parents  were  born  in  Jackson  county.  Mr.  Snow  has 
spent  practically  all  his  career  in  Saginaw  county,  and  was  reared  in  the 
village  of  Chesaning,  being  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  that  \illage 
in  1897.  Entering  the  State  University  in  18915.  he  was  graduated  in 
law  with  the  class  of  1902,  and  began  his  practice  in  the  city  of  Saginaw, 
where  his  father  and  family  had  taken  up  their  residence  in  1897.  Air. 
Snow  has  been  successful  from  the  start  of  his  practice  and  now  has  a 
well  established  name  and  reputation  in  the  local  bar.  On  January,  191 1, 
came  his  first  appointment  as  city  attorney  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and 
his  efficient  administration  of  that  office  brought  about  his  reappointment 
in  January,  1913,  for  another  two  year  term.  Judge  Snow,  as  alreadv 
mentioned,  was  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  of  Michigan.  The  son, 
however,  has  taken  an  equally  strong  stand  in  the  Republican  ranks,  and 
is  fre<iuently  engaged  in  the  campaigns  through  his  district.  Mr.  Snow 
is  a  member  of  the  County  Bar  Association,  is  attorney  and  director  for 
the  Saginaw  Building  &  Loan  Association,  and  outside  of  his  profession 
finds  only  occasional  opportunities  for  diversion  or  other  pursuits.  Now 
and  then  he  takes  hunting  trips  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  usually 
accompanied  by  his  w-ife  and  daughter.  Mr.  Snow  was  married  August 
23.  1905,  to  Miss  Zella  Berst.  wdio  was  born  in  Leesburg,  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Mary  (  \\'ood  )  Berst.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Mary  Snow.  Mr.  Snow  is  a  Royal  .Arch  Mason  and  also  belongs  to  the 
Elks  Lodge  in  Saginaw. 

Erxst  W'e.vzel,  a  substantial  business  man  of  Detroit,  contracting  in 
plumbing,  heating  appliances  and  electrical  work  at  Xo.  636  AIcDougal 
avenue,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Pommern,  Germany,  May  4.  i8fifi,  and 
is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Theresa  (Burau)  W'enzel.  His  father,  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and  grandfather,  adopted  the  calling  of 
blacksmith,  and  was  so  engaged  until  the  time  of  his  death.  Ten  years 
later  the  mother  brought  her  four  sons  and  one  daughter  to  the  L'nited 
.States,  locating  at  once  in  Detroit,  her  death  occurring  in  191 1,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-one  years,  at  the  daughter's  home  on  the  East  Side. 

Ernst  Wenzel  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and 
his  educational  training  was  mainly  confined  to  the  German  schools.  Mr. 
AA'enzel  was  fourteen  vears  of  age  when  he  started  to-  work  in  Detroit, 
and  for  a  time  was  employed  at  the  Casket  Works  and  the  shops  of  the 
Alichigan  Central  Railroad.  In  1893  Mr.  Wenzel  joined  his  brother.  Paul, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  plumbing  business,  and  while  his  work  was 
largelv  of  a  clerical  nature,  Mr.  Wenzel  so  thoroughly  learned  the  busi- 
ness that  he  felt  himself  prepared  to  become  the  proprietor  of  an  estab- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  11301 

lishment  and  in  1901  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Biirau  &  W'enzel. 
This  firm  opened  a  store  on  Gratiot  avenue  and  the  partnership  continued 
for  about  one  year,  when  Mr.  Wenzel  went  into  business  under  his  own 
name  at  Nos.  879-881  Gratiot  avenue,  there  continuing  ten  years.  Air. 
Wenzel's  present  place  of  business,  modern  in  ever}'  respect,  was  erected 
by  him  in  1912,  at  No.  636  McDougal  avenue. 

Mr.  Wenzel  is  a  member  of  the  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange  and 
of  the  Master  Plumbers  Association,  of  which  latter  he  has  been  an  ofifi- 
cial.  His  religious  connection  is  with  Salem  congregation  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Wenzel  married  Miss  Man,-  Schroeder,  a  native  of  De- 
troit, who  died  January  i,  1904,  having  been  the  mother  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, and  the  five  living  are:  Ernst,  Jr.,  a  school  teacher  of  Marysville, 
Ohio ;  Clara ;  Walter,  who  is  engaged  in  business  with  his  father ;  Helen 
and  David  at  a  Lutheran  high  school.  Mr.  Wenzel  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Miss  Julia  Wickley,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  they  have 
had  one  daughter,  Julia. 

Clarence  AIerrill  Browne.  A  practicing  lawyer  and  member  of 
the  Saginaw  bar  since  1899,  Clarence  Merrill  Browne,  has  gained  a  num- 
ber of  distinctive  successes  both  in  his  profession  and  in  the  related  field 
of  politics. 

Clarence  Merrill  Browne  was  born  in  the  city  of  Saginaw,  March  26, 
1876,  and  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Wisewell)  Browne. 
Both  parents  were  born  in  the  state  of  Maine,  and  were  married  during 
the  epoch  of  the  Civil  war.  They  settled  in  Saginaw,  in  1866,  and  the 
father  was  employed  by  lumbering  firms.  The  parents  are  now  living,  a 
well  known  old  couple  in  Saginaw.  During  the  war  William  II.  Browne 
enlisted  from  his  native  state  in  Company  I  of  the  Sixth  Maine  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  His  sen-ice  was  in  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  under  General  McClelland.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated were  those  of  Gettysburg,  the  \\'ilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Fred- 
ericksburg, Warren  Hill,  Chancellorsville,  Lookout  Mountain,  and  Kene- 
saw  Mountain.  Though  a  Union  soldier,  he  has  always  espoused  the 
party  of  Jefferson  and  Jackson. 

Clarence  Merrill  Browne,  the  only  son  of  his  parents,  was  educated  in 
the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  Saginaw,  and  took  up  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Benton  Hanchett,  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  distinguished 
members  of  the  Michigan  Bar.  He  also  studied  in  the  offices  of  the  late 
Judge  Barron  A.  Snow.  On  October  13,  1899,  Mr.  Browne  successfully 
"stood  the  examination  before  the  State  Bar  Association,  and  started  in 
practice  at  Saginaw  with  Frank  A.  Rockwith  as  associate.  In  1901  came 
his  appointment  as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  under  John  F.  O'Keefe. 
His  term  of  service  in  that  capacity  continued  four  years,  and  for  two 
years  he  was  assistant  prosecutor  with  his  former  associate,  F.  A.  Rock- 
with. In  1907  Mr.  Browne  was  regularly  elected  to  the  office  of  prosecut- 
ing attorney  of  Saginaw  county,  and  gave  an  administration  of  that  office 
with  a  fidelity  and  efficiency  seldom  equalled  up  to  January,  1913.  Mr. 
Browne  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  County  Bar  Association,  and  has 
served  as  vice  president  of  the  local  association.  Fraternally  he  is  affi- 
liated with  the  Roval  Arch  Masons,  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  His 
politics  is  Republican,  a  fact  which  indicates  his  complete  independence 
of  family  traditions.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  state  and 
countv  politics,  and  it  is  said  that  no  man  in  the  city  of  Saginaw  is  better 
posted  on  the  political  complexion  of  the  various  wards  and  precints  of 
city  and  county.  Although  he  has  not  distinguished  himself  as  an  orator, 
yet  his  thorough  knowledge  and  quiet  effective  methods  have  been  very 
beneficial  to  his  party.  He  has  always  proved  that  success  regularly  at- 
Voi.  IV— 10 


1902  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tends  the  candidate  whose  cause  he  takes  up.  He  is  a  man  whose  course 
has  been  devoid  of  trickery  or  chicanery,  and  this  fact  alone  has  given  him 
a  large  body  of  friends  and  supporters.  He  counts  many  men  of  promi- 
nence among  his  personal  friends,  men  who  hold  the  highest  offices  in 
state  and  national  politics. 

On  August  19,  1903,  Mr.  Browne  was  united  in  marriage  with  Aliss 
Rosamond  F.  Savage,  who  was  born  in  Saginaw,  a  daughter  of  George 
W.  Savage  of  this  city.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Dorothy  Jane 
Browne.  Mr.  Browne  has  his  offices  as  a  lawyer  in  the  Hamilton  Square 
Building  in  West  Saginaw. 

Ai.oxzo  \'iNCENT.  One  of  the  best  known  men  of  Southwestern 
Michigan  is  Alonzo  Vincent,  of  St.  Joseph,  Berrien  county,  who  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  St.  Joseph  and  Benton  Harbor 
and  of  the  state  for  many  years.  As  a  hotel  man  he  has  won  much  more 
than  local  reputation,  and  his  magnificent  Hotel  W'hitcomb,  and  the  baths 
in  connection  therewith,  are  known  all  over  the  West.  Mr.  \'incent  is  a 
native  of  New  York  state,  born  at  Clayton,  Jefferson  county,  January 
ift,  18-14,  a  son  of  Albert  and  Harriet  (Slater)  \'incent,  also  natives  of 
the  Empire  state. 

The  \^incent  family  came  to  Michigan  in  1845  ^"d  located  first  at 
Marshall,  where  they  resided  for  a  period  of  three  years,  in  184S  remov- 
ing to  Berrien  county  and  settling  on  a  farm  in  this  then  undeveloped 
region,  where  they  contributed  largely  to  the  early  development  of  the 
section  and  won  success  in  agricultural  lines.  There  thev  resided  until 
1880,  in  which  year  they  removed  to  Benton  Harbor,  and  in  that  city 
Albert  \"incent  passed  away  five  years  later.  He  was  at  all  times  known 
as  a  good,  energetic  and  industrious  business  man,  and  as  a  public-spirited 
citizen  took  part  in  the  movements  which  made  for  advancement  and 
progress. 

Alonzo  Vincent  was  an  infant  of  one  year  when  brought  to  Michigan 
bv  his  parents.  He  was  reared  in  the  rural  community  of  Berrien  county, 
was  brought  up  to  the  pursuits  of  the  farm,  and  secured  his  education 
in  the  schools  which  the  young  yet  growing  locality  furnished  its  youth 
Mr.  A'incent  was  but  a  lad  of  seventeen  years  when  the  Civil  War  swept 
the  country,  yet  he  was  patriotic  and  zealous  and  in  1861  was  accepted  as 
a  soldier  in  Company  D,  Sixty-sixth  Regiment,  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
which  won  widespread  fame  and  glory  as  the  "Western  Sharpshooters." 
This  regiment  of  sharpshooters  was  recruited  from  practically  every  west- 
ern state,  and  after  its  organization,  in  order  to  give  it  a  name  and  rank, 
a  census  of  its  members  was  taken,  with  the  understanding  that  the  state 
furnishing  the  largest  number  of  men  would  have  the  honor  of  naming 
the  organization.  It  therefore  became  the  Sixty-sixth  Illinois,  that  state 
furnishing  the  greatest  number  of  its  members,  but  throughout  the  war 
was  known  by  its  more  suggestive  and  decorative  title.  Air.  \^incent 
saw  service  in  some  of  the  most  important  and  hotly-contested'  battles  of 
the  great  struggle  between  the  North  and  the  South,  including  the  battles 
of  Fort  Donelson.  Shiloh  and  luka.  the  siege  and  battle  of  Corinth,  and 
many  others  of  a  smaller  order.  Later,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Fif- 
teenth Army  Corps,  Gen.  John  A.  Logan  commanding,  and  was  with 
his  regiment  on  Sherman's  famous  March  to  the  Sea.  thence  up  through 
the  Carolinas  and  \'irginia  and  on  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  Grand  Review  before  President  Lincoln  at  the  national 
capital.  Mr.  \'incent  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, in  July,  1865,  with  an  excellent  record  as  a  soldier.  He  had  left  his 
home  some  four  years  before  a  mere  boy.  but  he  returned  a  full-grown 
man,  with  all  of  man's  experience  and  hardened  by  numerous  campaigns. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1903 

Returning  to  Berrien  county,  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  ColcDnia 
and  continued  there  until  he  removed  to  Benton  Harbor  and  took  charge 
of  the  American  House.  In  July,  1890,  Mr.  Vincent  became  proprietor 
of  the  Hotel  Benton,  at  Benton  Harbor,  which  he  succeeded  in  building 
up  to  what  was  considered  one  of  the  best  commercial  hostolrics  in 
Southwestern  Michigan.  In  1895  ^^  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that 
property  and,  removing  to  St.  Joseph,  took  charge  of  the  Hotel  Whit- 
comb.  Two  years  later  he  bought  the  property,  and  has  since  owtied  and 
conducted  it.  This  hotel  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable  ven- 
tures in  the  state,  and  has  been  so  conducted  by  Mr.  Vincent  that  it  has 
grown  and  developed  with  each  year,  while  the  hotel  mineral  bath  annex 
is  one  of  the  largest  bath  houses  in  Michigan  and  is  doing  a  flourishing 
business.  Mr.  Vincent  is  an  ideal  host,  fully  conversant  with  the  needs, 
desires  and  privileges  of  his  guests,  and  with  a  commendable  desire  to 
furnish  them  with  all  possible  comforts.  His  long  connection  with  hotel 
atfairs  has  brought  him  a  wide  acquaintance,  not  onlv  among  hotel  men, 
but  among  the  traveling  public  in  general,  and  there  are  few  proprietors 
who  have  so  many  warm  friends  as  he. 

Mr.  Vincent  has  been  prominent  in  republican  politics  in  Ber'Men 
county  and  the  state  for  many  years,  and  while  he  has  never  .sought  pub- 
lic office,  has  been  honored  by  the  state.  In  1901  he  was  appointed 
warden  of  the  Michigan  State  Prison  at  Jackson,  a  position  filled  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  state  until  1905,  his 
term  extending  a  little  more  than  four  years.  Mr.  \'incent  is  a  memijer 
of  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  Grand  Amiy  of  the  Republic,  and  of  Lake 
Shore  Lodge  No.  298,  F.  &  A.  M. 

In  1866  Mr.  Vincent  married  Elmira  E.  Enos,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Lucy  (Young)  Enos,  of  Bainbridge  township,  Berrien  county,  Michi- 
gan, where  the  family  were  pioneers.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  namely :  Maude  E.,  who  married  Clarence  E.  Blake,  iden- 
tified with  the  management  of  the  Hotel  W'hitcomb,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren— Eugenia,  Alonzo,  Clara  E.  and  Mary ;  and  Gertrude  Marie,  v.  ho 
married  W.  S.  Bastur,  of  Benton  Harbor. 

Judge  Arthur  William  Ganschow.  Judge  of  probate  to  Saginaw 
county,  an  office  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1912,  following  ten  years  of 
.service  as  judge  of  the  recorder's  court.  Arthur  William  Ganschow  is  a 
lawyer  by  profession  and  a  member  of  the  Saginaw  county  bar  since  1899. 
He  is  in  no  sense  a  professional  politician,  and  it  was  only  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  his  friends  that  he  consented  to  enter  the  political  arena,  and  accept 
the  burdens  of  public  office. 

Arthur  William  Ganschow  was  born  May  8,  1878,  a  son  of  Frank  R. 
and  Augusta  C.  ( Wurtzel )  Ganschow.  His  parents  were  both  born  in 
Germany.  Grandfather  Frederick  Ganschow,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  this  family,  came  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  Saginaw  when  his 
son  Frank  was  a  boy.  Grandfather  Frederick  Ganschow  was  a  pattern 
maker  by  trade,  having  learned  the  art  in  Germany,  and  for  many  years 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  F.  Bartlett  Foundry  Company  of  Saginaw. 
Frank  R.  Ganschow  on  the  other  hand  was  a  printer  by  trade,  having 
learned  that  art  in  Cincinnati.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army, 
and  went  through  the  struggle  from  beginning  to  end.  At  the  conclusion 
of  hostilities  he  returned  to  Michigan  and  located  in  Saginaw  for  several 
years,  where  his  name  and  enterprise  were  identified  with  the  ownership 
and  editorial  management  of  the  Sagimm'an,  a  publication  which  is  still 
in  existence.  This  enterprise  was  conducted  with  considerable  success  by 
the  late  Mr.  Ganschow.  He  possessed  a  large  following  of  friends,  and 
his  intellectual  ability  and  personal  character  made  him  in  every  sense  a 


1904  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

leader.  His  wife  died  January  2,  1907.  Of  the  eight  children  in  the 
family,  five  are  now  deceased.  Frank  W.  Ganschow  is  president  of  the 
Commercial  and  Society  Printing  Company,  and  a  well  known  Saginaw 
business  man ;  the  only  daughter  is  Augusta  Ganschow,  whose  home  is 
in  Pasadena,  California. 

Judge  Ganschow  grew  up  in  Saginaw,  attended  the  grammar  and 
high  schools,  and  in  the  class  of  1891)  was  graduated  LL.  B.  from  the 
University  of  Michigan.  His  first  work  was  as  an  assistant  in  the  office 
of  James  H.  Davitt,  a  prominent  Saginaw  attorney.  Six  months  later 
he  left  Saginaw,  and  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  northwestern  states, 
in  Washington,  Idaho  and  California,  and  was  variously  engaged  in 
newspaper  work,  mining  and  other  ventures.  On  his  return  to  this  city, 
in  the  summer  of  1902,  he  opened  law  offices  with  A.  Elwood  Snow, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Ganschow  &  Snow.  He  had  been  in  Saginaw 
but  a  few  months  when  the  importunities  of  his  friends  induced  him  to 
enter  politics,  and  he  was  a  successful  candidate  in  November,  1902,  for 
the  office  of  judge  of  the  Recorder's  courts.  His  name  was  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket,  and  he  was  again  and  again  returned  to  the  office  until  the 
fall  of  191 2.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  nominated,  and  in  November 
was  elected,  judge  of  prol^ate  for  Saginaw  County,  and  entered  upon  his 
official  duties  in  that  delicate  and  important  office  in  January,  1913. 

Judge  Ganschow  belongs  to  the  Saginaw  County  Bar  Association, 
has  taken  the  dift'erent  degrees  in  Masonry,  and  belongs  to  the  Mystic 
.Shrine,  is  past  exalted  ruler  of  the  Elks,  is  past  dictator  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Moose,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  the  Arbeiter  Society.  In  November,  1902,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Judge  Ganschow  to  Miss  Dorris  F.  Wells,  who  was  born  in 
Saginaw,  a  daughter  of  Julius  and  Adeline  Wells,  of  Saginaw,  Michigan. 
The  chief  characteristics  of  Judge  Ganschow  are  a  quick  and  brilliant 
mind,  and  active,  alert  disposition,  and  he  is  a  witty  and  genial  man 
whose  personality  has  brought  to  him  scores  of  stauncli  and  lasting 
friendships.  During  his  high  school  and  college  days  his  popularity  was 
already  well  established,  and  he  was  president  of  his  class  in  the  senior 
year  in  high  school.  He  was  also  distinguished  in  athletic  sports,  and 
is  still  an  enthusiast   for  all  clean  outdoor  sports. 

Homer  Sly.  As  secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Petoskev  Crushed  Stone  Company,  one  of  the  most  extensive  concerns 
of  its  kind  in  Northern  Michigan,  Mr.  Sly  is  known  as  an  influential  fig- 
ure in  industrial  and  civic  affairs  in  Emmet  county,  and  he  has  had  the 
distinction  of  serving  as  mayor  of  the  beautiful  city  which  is  now  his 
home.  He  is  a  scion  of  a  well  known  pioneer  family  of  this  section  of 
the  Wolverine  State  and  though  he  is  a  native  of  Illinois  he  has  been, 
save  for  a  few  years,  a  resident  of  Michigan  from  childhood.  Imbued 
with  distinctive  progressiveness  and  marked  civic  loyalty,  he  has  been 
influential  in  the  furtherance  of  enterprises  and  measures  that  have  con- 
served the  general  welfare  of  Petoskev,  and  he  is  specially  worthy  of 
recognition  in  this  publication. 

Mr.  Sly  was  born  at  Lockport,  Will  county,  Illinois,  on  the  ist  of 
October,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Eugene  R.  and  Emma  J.  (  Spicer)  Sly, 
both  of  whom  live  at  Bay  Shore,  Charlevoix  county,  Michigan.  Eugene 
R.  Sly  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  connection  with  the  lime  and  stone 
industry  at  Bay  Shore  and  Petoskey  and  is  now  living  virtually  retired, 
his  home  being  at  Bay  Shore.  Of  the  four  children  the  eldest  is  Elliott 
M.,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Kennewick,  Yakima  county,  Wa.shington ; 
Homer,  of  this  review,  was  the  next  in  order  of  birth:  Lora  is  the  wife 
of  Orville  C.  Atwood  and  they  reside  near  Benton  Harbor,  Alichigan ; 


THI  JdW  irj»« 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1905 

and  Ruth  is  the  wife  of  Eugene  D.  Pennell,  a  popular  teacher  iii  the 
schools  of  the  city  of  Minneapolis,  ^^linnesota.  Eugene  R.  Sly  has  long 
been  well  and  favorably  known  in  the  business  and  civic  activities  of 
Northern  Michigan  and  he  has  the  distinction  of  being  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  in  which  he  served  as  a  gallant  soldier  in  an  Illinois  regiment. 
He  participated  in  many  engagements  and  was  captured  at  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  after  which  he  was  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  for  eighteen 
months.  He  is  a  stalwart  Republican  in  politics  and  in  the  piping  times 
of  peace  he  has  ever  shown  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  that  impelled  him 
to  go  forth  in  defense  of  the  Union  when  the  integrity  of  the  nation  was 
in  jeopardy. 

To  the  public  schools  of  Petoskey  Homer  Sly,  former  mayor  of  the 
city,  is  indebted  for  his  early  educational  discipline,  which  was  supple- 
mented by  a  course  in  Ferris  Institute,  at  Big  Rapids.  There  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  until  he  had  attained  to  his  legal  majority,  in  1892, 
after  which  he  devoted  one  year  to  the  teaching  of  shorthand,  in  the  city 
of  ]\Iuskegon.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  Chicago  in  connection  with 
the  World's  Columbian  E.xposition,  after  which  he  went  to  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  assumed  the  position  of  stenographer  in  the 
offices  of  the  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manufacturing  Company,  a  post 
which  he  retained  until  1894,  after  which  he  was  in  charge  of  the  re- 
pair department  of  the  Westinghouse  Machine  Company,  in  the  same 
city,  until  1899.  In  these  connections  Mr.  Sly  gained  experience  which 
has  proved  of  inestimable  value  to  him  in  his  independent  career,  and  he 
ascribes  much  importance  to  the  close  association  which  he  had  with  that 
master  of  detail,  the  great  inventor,  George  Westinghouse,  with  whom 
he  came  in  daily  contact  and  whose  memory  he  greatly  honors. 

In  1899  Mr.  Sly  resigned  his  position  at  Pittsburgh  and  became  secre- 
tary and  manager  of  the  Bay  Shore  Lime  Company,'  at  Bay  Shore, 
Michigan,  his  father  having  been  at  the  time  the  executive  head  of  the 
company.  At  Bay  Shore  he  continued  to  be  closely  and  effectively  iden- 
tified with  the  management  of  the  business  of  this  corporation  until 
1905,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  manager  of  the  Elk  Cement  & 
Lime  Company,  at  Elk  Rapids,  Antrim  county.  He  had  much  influence 
in  the  development  of  the  business  of  this  company,  as  he  had  not  only 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  practical  details  of  the  enterprise  but  also  an 
admirable  administrative  ability.  In  1908  Mr.  Sly  became  actively 
identified  with  the  Northern  Lime  Company,  in  which  he  is  still  a  stock- 
holder, and  he  is  a  valued  executive  officer  of  this  corporation,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  important  of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the  State.  In 
191 1  Mr.  Sly  was  tendered  and  accepted  the  position  of  secretary,  treas- 
urer and  manager  of  the  Petoskey  Crushed  Stone  Company,  and  this  in- 
cumbencv  he  has  since  retained,  his  services  having  inured  greatly  to  the 
benefit  of  the  company,  which  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  largest 
shipper  from  Petoskey  over  the  line  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad,  its 
shipments  averaging  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  tons  of  crushed  stone 
each  month. 

As  a  Republican  ^Ir.  Sly  has  been  zealous  in  the  support  of  the  party 
cause  and  has  been  influential  in  local  politics.  During  1912-13  he  served 
as  mayor  of  Petoskey,  having  been  elected  by  a  gratifying  majority  and 
having  given  a  characteristically  eft'ective  and  business-like  administra- 
tion of  municipal  afifairs.  He  is  one  of  the  aggressi\e  business  men  and 
progressive  citizens  of  the  fair  city  of  which  he  was  formerly  chief  execu- 
tive, has  secure  place  in  popular  confidence  and  esteem  and  is  an  active 
and  valued  member  of  the  Petoskey  Board  of  Trade. 

In  the  Masonic  fraternity  Mr.  Sly  has  received  the  thirty-second 
degree  of  the  Ancient   Accepted   Scottish  Rite,  besides  being  affiliated 


1906  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

with  the  Ancient  Araliic  Order  of  the  Xobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
is  past  commander  of  the  Petoskey  camp  of  the  Sons  of  \'eterans,  is  pres- 
ent commander  of  the  local  commandery  of  the  Knights  Templars,  and 
is  affiliated  also  with  the  United  Commercial  Travelers.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  the  2ist  of  December,  1894,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Air. 
Sly  to  Miss  Edith  Doe,  daughter  of  Calvin  \V.  Doe,  a  prominent  real- 
estate  dealer  at  Big  Rapids,  Michigan,  of  which  city  he  was  formerly 
mayor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sly  have  one  daughter,  Helen,  who  was  born  in 
the  year  1902. 

Julius  William  Ippel.  The  leading  dry  goods  merchant  of  Sagi- 
naw, West  Side,  twenty-five  years  ago  was  clerk  in  one  of  the  Saginaw 
business  houses  at  his  present  location.  With  his  experience  and  on  the 
strength  of  his  large  acquaintance,  he  started  in  business  for  himself 
in  1 891.  He  had  a  well  selected  but  small  stock  of  goods,  had  only  five 
assistants,  and  with  courage  and  an  exceptional  degree  of  enterprise 
started  out  to  make  a  success,  in  a  field  where  statistics  proved  that 
ninety-five  per  cent  of  those  who  engage  fail.  Mr.  Ippel  long  since 
counted  himself  as  one  of  the  successful  five  per  cent,  and  has,  along 
with  the  ability  to  manage  a  successful  mercantile  enterprise,  taken  a 
leading  place  among  the  citizens  of  his  community. 

Julius  William  Ippel  was  born  August  30,  1861,  in  West  Bend,  Wis- 
consin, a  son  of  George  and  Agnes  (  Caste)  Ippel.  His  father  was  born 
at  Bingen,  Germany,  and  Switzerland  is  the  native  place  of  his  mother. 
The  father  came  to  the  United  States  unmarried,  located  in  West  Bend, 
Wisconsin,  where  his  marriage  took  place,  and  he  was  there  engaged  in 
merchandising.  It  was  a  pioneer  period  when  he  settled  there  and  the 
Indians  were  still  troublesome.  George  Ippel  raised  a  company  from 
among  the  settlers  to  act  as  home  guards  and  protect  the  community 
from  Indian  raids.  He  was  captain  of  that  company,  and  as  a  result 
of  that  experience,  when  the  Civil  war  came  on,  he  enlisted  and  became 
first  lieutenant  of  a  Wisconsin  company,  that  joined  the  troops  under 
General  Hooker,  and  served  until  his  honorable  discharge  in  1865.  On 
returning  from  his  military  experience  he  removed  his  family  to  Sagi- 
naw, where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  until  his  death  in  186S. 
His  death  was  the  direct  result  of  the  exposure  and  hardships  encoun- 
tered during  the  strenuous  days  of  the  early  sixties.  His  wife  survived 
him  a  number  of  years.  He  was  active  in  C)dd  Fellowship,  and  also  in 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Of  the  five  children  three  are  now 
deceased,  and  the  sister  of  Julius  W.  is  Anna,  wife  of  Andrew  \\'irth. 
and  their  residence  is  in  the  old  home  on  Fayette  Street,  between  Cleve- 
land and  ]\Ionroe  Streets  in  Saginaw,  West  Side. 

Julius  W.  Ippel  as  a  boy  grew  up  in  Saginaw,  where  the  family  lo- 
cated when  he  was  four  years  of  age.  His  education  was  chiefly  from 
the  grammar  and  high  schools,  and  also  from  a  business  college.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  started  out  for  himself.  His  first  position  was  as  a 
minor  clerk  in  the  Bauman  Dry  Goods  Store,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
biggest  store  in  Saginaw.  Thirteen  years  with  the  Bauman  Store  gave 
him  an  experience  covering  practically  every  detail  of  the  dry  goods 
trade,  and  in  that  firm  he  had  advanced  from  a  minor  position  and  office 
work,  until  for  the  last  eight  years  he  was  manager  and  buyer  for  the 
Bauman  Store.  In  October,  1891.  Mr.  Ippel  having  left  the  Bauman 
store,  made  a  modest  start  on  his  own  account.  His  first  stock  of  goods 
was  opened  at  412  Court  Street.  The  large  acquaintance  he  had  made 
while  in  the  Bauman  employ,  quickly  found  him  out,  and  he  was  soon 
enjoying  a  large  patronage  at  his  new  location.     Several  years  later  it 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1907 

became  necessary  to  increase  his  space,  owing  to  the  expansion  of  his 
business,  and  just  across  the  street  he  leased  a  double  store,  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  the  Saginaw  Dry  Goods  &  Carpet  Company.  Those  quarters 
furnished  space  for  the  business  for  six  years,  and  in  1905  he  secured 
the  large  building  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  and  Court  Street,  and  since 
that  time  the  Ippel  Store  has  ranked  as  foremost  in  its  line  in  Saginaw, 
West  Side.  Some  forty  or  more  persons  are  employed  in  the  different 
departments.  That  number,  when  contrasted  with  the  five  employees 
who  assisted  him  at  the  beginning,  furnishes  a  graphic  contrast  as  an  esti- 
mate of  his  rapid  progress.  His  store  has  sixteen  thousand,  eight  hun- 
dred square  feet  of  floor  space,  more  than  half  of  the  first  or  ground  floor 
space  being  devoted  to  retail  trade.  Besides  the  large  dry  goods  store, 
Mr.  Ippel  operates  what  is  known  as  the  Ippels  Five  and  Ten  Stores 
Company,  a  very  successful  enterprise  of  itself.  Mr.  Ippel  is  a  man  of 
pleasing  and  genial  nature,  and  well  deserves  the  high  esteem  and  confi- 
dence paid  him  by  the  entire  community. 

Mr.  Ippel  is  a  director  of  the  Saginaw  Hotel  Company,  operating  the 
Hotel  Fordney,  built  and  financed  by  West  Side  merchants.  He  has  taken 
thirty-two  degrees  of  Scottish  Rite  Masonry,  and  is  a  member  of  St. 
Bernard  Commandery  and  Elf  Khurafeh  Shrine.  He  is  a  life  member 
of  the  Elks  and  was  twice  elected  exalted  ruler  of  his  lodge.  He  is  a 
past  chancellor  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  for  the  past  several  years 
has  been  president  of  the  Teutonia  Society,  an  organization  with  whose 
success  he  has  been  very  closely  identified,  and  for  which  as  president  he 
took  the  lead  in  securing  the  splendid  quarters  now  occupied  by  the 
society  in  Saginaw.  Mr.  Ippel  is  also  a  member  of  the  Arbeiter  \'erein, 
and  the  Saginaw  Canoe  Club. 

His  marriage  on  April  21,  1891,  gave  him.  as  a  wife,  Miss  Anna 
Ringler,  who  was  born  in  Saginaw,  a  daughter  of  Eugene  Ringler,  who 
is  now  ninety  years  of  age  and  lives  in  Saginaw,  on  the  West  Side.  To 
their  marriage  were  born  three  sons,  as  follows :  Eugene  William  Ippel, 
aged  twentv-one,  a  graduate  of  the  Arthur  Hill  High  School;  Julius  A., 
aged  nineteen,  also  a  graduate  of  the  Arthur  Hill  High  School,  and  both 
now  engaged  with  their  father  in  the  dry  goods  business ;  and  Arthur  G.. 
aged  seventeen,  a  student  in  the  Arthur  Hill  High  School.  Aside  from 
his  pleasant  home  at  311  South  Webster  Street,  Mr.  Ippel  owns  and  en- 
jovs  a  summer  cottage  at  Point  Lookout,  Lake  Huron,  where  he  and  his 
family  enjoy  a  large  portion  of  the  summer  season.  Mr.  Ippel  took  con- 
siderable time  in  planning  and  upbuilding  the  well  known  summer  resort 
of  Point  Lookout,  which  is  located  sixty  miles  from  Saginaw.  He  is 
one  of  a  company  that  bought  a  tract  of  land  on  the  point,  and  induced 
many  of  his  friends  to  build  cottages,  the  colony  being  now  very  suc- 
cessful. 

Austin  Frederick  Burdick,  A.  B.,  M.  D.  The  medical  jirofession 
of  ^Michigan  is  worthily  and  capably  represented  at  Landing  by  Dr._/\ustin 
Frederick  Burdick,  whose  comprehensive  training,  inherent  ability  and 
high  achievements  have  placed  him  in  a  foremost  position  among  the 
men  of  his  honored  calling  in  this  state.  Doctor  Burdick  is  a  native 
son  of  Lansing,  born  March  23,  1878,  and  is  descended  from  two  Michi- 
gan pioneer  families.  His  father,  Ichabod  Burdick,  was  born  at  Allen's 
Prairie,  Michigan,  November  15,  1833,  a  son  of  Aml^rose  S.  Burdick,  a 
native  of  New  York  state,  born  February  0,  1807.  The  grandfather  came 
to  Michigan  during  pioneer  days,  taking  up  government  land,  but  in 
later  Hfe" removed  to  Lansing.  His  wife,  Margaret  G.,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  New  York,  was  born  in  the  Empire  state.  December  19,  1808. 
The  mother  of  Doctor  Burdick  bore  the  maiden  name  of  ^Mary  Yeiter, 


1908  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  was  bom  in  Ohio,  February  17,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and 
Elizabeth  (Brock)  Yeiter,  natives  of  Germany,  the  former  born  July  i, 
181 1,  and  the  latter  May  5,  1817.  They  were  married  in  the  United  States, 
were  early  settlers  of  Ohio,  and  came  to  Lansing  in  about  the  year  1850. 
The  parents  of  Doctor  Burdick  were  married  at  Lansing,  ^larch  26,  1857, 
and  seven  years  ago  celebrated  their  fiftieth,  or  Golden,  anniversary,  and 
both  are  still  living  and  enjoying  the  best  of  physical  health  and  unim- 
paired mental  faculties.  The  father  learned  the  furniture  maker's  trade 
in  his  youth,  and  was  engaged  at  this  occupation  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War,  at  which  time  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Twentieth  Regiment, 
Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  saw  some  very  active  service  and 
at  one  time  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy  and  confined  for  five  months 
in  Salsbury  Prison.  At  the  close  of  hostilities  ]\Ir.  Burdick  returned  to 
the  peaceful  pursuits  of  his  trade,  was  very  successful  in  his  business  ven- 
tures, and  of  late  years  has  concentrated  his  energies  upon  looking  after 
his  property  interests. 

Dr.  Austin  F.  Burdick  secured  his  early  education  in  the  Lansing 
public  schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  here  in  1896. 
He  was  president  of  his  class  in  both  sophomore  and  senior  years,  and 
in  his  junior  year  was  chairman  of  the  Junior  Exhibition  Committee, 
which  committee  was  the  founder  o{  the  plan  to  hold  the  junier  exhi- 
bition in  the  opera  house,  and  which  has  since  become  an  annual  event 
of  much  importance  to  the  students  and  interest  to  the  general  pub- 
lic. After  leaving  high  school  Doctor  Burdick  spent  one  year  in 
the  drug  store  of  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Turner,  at  Webberville,  Michi- 
gan, but  in  1897  resumed  his  studies  as  a  student  in  the  University  of 
Michigan,  taking  the  full  course  of  six  years  in  one  year  less  than  that 
time,  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1901,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  same  school  with  the  class  of  1902,  receiving  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine,  and  at  once  entered  practice  at  Webberville.  there  spend- 
ing one  year.  Following  this  he  was  located  at  Perry,  Michigan,  for 
three  months,  and  next  went  to  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  a  special  practice  in  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  imtil 
May,  1912,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Lansing.  Here  he  has 
firmly  established  himself  in  his  profession  as  a  specialist.  Doctor  Bur- 
dick has  never  ceased  to  be  a  close  and  assiduous  student.  He  has  taken 
post-graduate  work  at  the  New  York  City  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  at 
the  Chicago  Polyclinic,  at  the  Royal  London  Ophthalmic  Hospital  and  at 
the  Central  London  Nose  and  Throat  Hospital,  London,  England.  At 
this  writing  (June  20,  1914),  he  is  preparing  to  attend  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  American  Medical  Association,  at  Atlantic  City,  New  Jersey,  fol- 
lowing which  he  will  go  abroad  to  London,  England,  to  pass  the  balance 
of  the  summer  at  the  two  institutions  above  named.  It  is  his  intention 
also  to  attend  the  clinical  congress  of  North  American  Surgeons,  to  be 
held  in  London. 

Doctor  Burdick  is  a  member  of  the  Ingham  County  ^ledical  Society, 
the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. His  fraternal  connections  include  membership  in  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  On  June  10,  1903,  Doctor  Burdick  married  Jessie 
Stabler,  who  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Carrie  (Goodrich)  Stabler,  and  they  have  two  children:  Arlene 
Adell  and  Elgeva  June,  aged  respectively,  nine  and  four  years. 

H.\MiLTnN  Watson.  Outside  of  the  largest  cities,  there  exist  few 
exclusive  china  and  glassware  estaljlishments.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  "Oueensware"  is  one  of  the  most  available  stocks  to  be  included  in 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1909 

a  department  store,  and  china  and  glass  dealers  everywhere  have  to  con- 
tend against  the  keen  competition  of  these  general  stores.  For  this 
reason,  where  a  successful  individual  business  of  this  kind  is  found,  its 
very  existence  and  prosperity  are  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  energy  and 
commercial  judgment  of  its  proprietor. 

One  such  concern,  and  one  of  the  largest  in  Michigan,  is  the  H. 
Watson  &  Company,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  china  and  glassware, 
at  Saginaw.  The  president  is  Hamilton  \\'atson,  who  has  been  identified 
with  this  line  of  trade  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  com- 
pany is  the  largest  importers  and  dealers  in  the  state.  The  companv 
was  incorporated  under  its  present  form  in  1904.  In  their  storerooms 
at  Saginaw  more  than  twelve  thousand  square  feet  are  devoted  to  the 
stock,  and  show  rooms,  besides  large  warehouses,  for  the  surplus  and 
wholesale  goods.  Steady  employment  is  afforded  to  fifteen  or  more  peo- 
ple, and,  as  already  stated,  it  is  the  only  exclusive  china  and  glass  retail 
store  in  Saginaw. 

Mr.  Watson  was  bom  in  Port  Huron.  Alichigan.  ]\Iay  24,  1856,  a 
son  of  George  and  Ann  (Coleman)  Watson,  both  parents  natives  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  Michigan  when  children  with  their  respective  parents, 
and  settled  in  the  Saginaw  \'alley  during  the  decade  of  the  fifties,  when 
all  this  section  of  Michigan  was  new  and  wild,  and  where  the  father 
as  a  farmer  endured  all  the  hardships  of  pioneering.  There  were  four 
children,  of  whom  Hamilton  was  the  oldest,  the  others  being:  George 
and  James,  both  prominent  farmers  of  Saginaw  county,  and  Thomas 
Watson,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  \\'atson  Company. 

Hamilton  Watson  attended  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  Sagi- 
naw. When  sixteen  years  of  age  the  firm  of  Aiken  &  Company,  prede- 
cessors of  the  present  house  of  H.  Watson  &  Companv.  took  him  in  as 
clerk  in  their  establishment.  In  that  house  he  had  the  rigid  training 
which  fitted  him  for  the  larger  responsibilities  of  independent  business 
management,  and  he  continued  as  one  of  the  trusted  assistants  of  Aiken 
&•  Company  until  1878.  The  business  afterwards  was  reorganized  and 
became  known  as  Daudt.  Watson  &  Company.  Air.  Watson  having  bought 
an  equal  interest  in  the  house.  This  firm  continued  its  successful  career 
until  the  last  change  was  made  in  1904.  when  Mr.  Daudt  sold  his  interest 
to  the  Watson  brothers.  The  retail  establishment  is  located  at  420-422 
Genesee  Street.  That  store  would  be  a  credit  to  any  city  in  the  country, 
and  is  one  of  the  distinctive  landmarks  of  the  shopping  district  of 
Saginaw. 

Mr.  Watson  is  a  Democrat,  is  affiliated  with  Alasonic  circles,  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has  long  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  \\'arren  Avenue,  his  wife  being  also  a  member  of  the  denomi- 
nation. In  1892  ^Ir.  ^^'atson  married  Aliss  Aha  Trowbridge,  who  was 
born  in  New  York  State,  a  daughter  of  Mortimer  Trowbridge.  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Watson  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  social  life  of  Saginaw.  Airs. 
Watson,  who  is  of  English  ancestry,  traces  her  genealogy  back  to  the 
sixteenth  century.  She  is  one  of  the  ctiltured  women  of  Saginaw,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  its  social  and  intellectual  life. 

Frank  Foster  Rogers,  one  of  the  leading  civil-engineers  of  Michigan 
and  the  present  state  highway  commissioner,  is  widely  known  in  the  ranks 
of  his  calling,  but  has  been  particularly  brought  into  public  favor  by  his 
fine  W'ork  in  connection  with  the  organization  and  development  of  the 
highway  department  of  the  state.  Air.  Rogers  is  a  native  of  Alichigan  and 
is  descended  from  one  of  the  pioneer  families  which  was  found  here  in 
the  territorial  davs.  This  branch  of  the  Rogers  family  runs  directly  back 
to  the  Alavflower,  on  which  historic  vessel  came  Thomas  Rogers,  who 


1910  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

was  the  immigrant  by  this  name,  who  settled  in  the  ^Massachusetts  colony. 
The  great-grandfather  of  Frank  F.  Rogers  was  Elkaney  Rogers,  of  the 
fifth  generation  from  the  original  ancestor,  and  his  son,  Obediah  Rogers, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  brought  the  family  to  Michigan  in  1832,  five 
years  before  Michigan  was  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  state.  The  grand- 
father took  up  government  land,  paying  a  dollar  and  a  (|uarter  an  acre, 
and  this  farm,  which  is  still  in  the  family,  is  now  located  in  Raisin  town- 
ship, Lenawee  county.  Samuel  R.  Rogers,  the  father  of  Frank  Foster 
Rogers,  was  boni  in  Massachusetts  in  1830,  and  was  in  his  second  year 
when  brought  to  Michigan.  .Succeeding  to  the  farm  of  which  his  father 
had  been  the  purchaser,  his  life  was  passed  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture, 
and  his  death  occurred  after  a  long,  successful  and  honorable  career,  in 
1898.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Charlotte  Foster,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  and  she  died. in  1864.  One  of  her  brothers  went  from  New 
York  to  Kansas  at  an  early  day,  there  became  a  prominent  lawyer,  and 
finally  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  as  United  States  district  judge. 

Frank  Foster  Rogers  was  born  on  the  old  family  homestead  in 
Lenawee  county,  Michigan,  August  30,  1858.  Reared  on  the  home  farm, 
his  education  was  secured  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Raisin  \'alley 
Seminary,  following  which  he  became  a  student  in  the  Michigan  •■\gri- 
cultural  College,  from  which  institution  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science  in  1883  and  later  that  of  Civil  Engineer.  In  the  year  of  his 
graduation  he  located  at  Marlette,  Sanilac  county,  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  subsequently  ser\-ing  two  years  in  the  office 
of  county  surveyor.  His  reputation  having  extended  beyond  the  limits 
of  that  community,  in  i8c>o  ^Ir.  Rogers  went  to  Port  Huron  and  in  the 
following  year  was  appointed  city  engineer  of  that  city,  an  office  which 
he  held  for  eight  consecutive  years  or  until  his  private  practice  had 
reached  such  proportions  that  he  was  compelled  to  give  all  his  time  and 
attention  to  it.  This  occupied  his  energies  during  the  following  six  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  with  the  creation  of  the  department  of  state 
highways  in  IQ05,  he  was  appointed  deputy  commissioner  and  assisted  in 
organizing  the  department.  Mr.  Rogers  continued  as  deputy  until  1913. 
in  which  year  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  the  department  for  a  term 
of  four  years.  He  has  been  a  potent  force  in  the  development  of  the 
department  from  its  inception,  when  its  force  embodied  the  commissioner, 
deputy  and  stenographer,  to  the  present,  when  forty  employes,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  commissioners  and  deputies,  are  necessary  to  manage  its 
afifairs.  During  his  administration  of  one  year  the  department  has  grown 
in  usefulness  and  importance  until  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  effi- 
cient branches  of  the  state  government.  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  member  and  a 
former  president  of  the  Michigan  Engineering  Society  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Road  Builders  Association.  His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the 
Mas(^ns,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Woodmen,  and  in  his 
political  views  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Rogers  married  Miss  Ada  Lee,  of  Marlette,  Michigan,  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  S.  P.  Lee,  a  Methodist  minister,  and  they  have  the  following 
four  children :  iVtabel,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Michigan  Agricul- 
tural College,  class  of  1910,  and  is  now  a  teacher  of  domestic  science  at 
Alma :  Clara,  who  graduated  from  the  same  institution  in  the  class  of 
1914,  and  is  now  teaching  at  Owosso,  Michigan;  Fannie,  who  graduated 
from  the  Lansing  high  school,  class  of  1914,  and  is  now  attending  the 
Michigan  Agricultural  College;  and  Frederick,  who  is  attending  the  Lans- 
ing high  school. 

Albert  FR.\^'CIS  Cosend.m.  The  Cosendai  Dye  Works,  established 
at  Saginaw  in  1877,  is  both  the  oldest  and  largest  establishment  of  the 


<sll^. 


'^^Hr  I 


€^'Z^c^^^ 


'^^^^ 


€yCt^^~^.^^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1911 

kind  in  the  Saginaw  \'alley.  The  prosperity  of  this  concern  is  based 
upon  "good  service," — abihty  to  do  good  work  having  been  the  primary 
capital  with  which  the  business  was  launched  a  generation  ago,  and  the 
same  quality  having  run  like  a  strong  thread  through  all  the  subsequent 
career  of  the  institution,  giving  it  both  continuitv  and  prosperity. 

Albert  Francis  Cosendai,  who  succeeded  his  father,  now  deceased,  in 
the  management  of  this  concern,  was  born  in  Saginaw  August  4,  1880, 
the  son  of  John  Francis  and  Emma  Cosendai.  The  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Switzerland,  and  the  father  came  to  Saginaw  in  1875.  At  that 
time  his  entire  possession  comprised  no  cash  capital,  but  only  a  thorough 
knowledge  and  proficiency  in  the  dyeing  trade,  a  business  he  had  learned 
m  all  its  details  in  his  native  land.  He  was  an  expert,  so  much  so,  that 
he  might  be  called  an  artist,  and  was  certainly  an  authority  in  all  the 
departments  of  dyeing.  In  a  little  room,  a  portion  of  his  dwelling,  in  a 
very  modest  way,  he  began  plying  his  industry,  doing  all  his  work  alone 
at  first,  and  gradually  established  himself  in  a  very  successful  manner. 
In  later  years  he  built  a  modern  factory  and  dye  plant,  and  at  his  death 
left  a  large  and  prosperous  business  concern,  the  good  will  of  which 
alone  was  worth  a  considerable  sum.  The  death  of  the  senior  Cosendai 
was  the  result  of  an  explosion  in  the  dye  works.  At  that  time  he  had 
in  his  employ  twenty  or  more  people,  that  number  representing  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  business  since  he  started  alone  in  a  small  shop. 

Albert  F.  Cosendai,  after  getting  a  good  schooling,  entered  his  father's 
employ,  and  learned  the  art  of  dyeing  in  every  phase.  Since  his  father's 
death  he  has  assumed  command  of  the  splendid  establishment,  and  has 
enlarged  it  and  expanded  its  activities  in  various  ways.  His  progressive 
ideas  have  enabled  him  to  establish  branch  houses  in  many  of  the  more 
prominent  centers  of  northeastern  Michigan,  and  these  all  contribute 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  Central  concern.  At  the  present  time  more  than 
sixty  people  find  steady  and  remunerative  employment  in  the  works. 

Mr.  Cosendai  is  an  Independent  in  politics,  and  is  strictly  a  home 
man,  his  only  social  and  fraternal  relations  being  with  the  Masonic  Or- 
der, in  which  he  has  taken  a  Knight  Templar  and  Shriner  degree. 

Louis  J.  Pelletier,  M.  D.  In  composing  a  brief  sketch  of  the  career 
of  one  who  has  impressed  himself  by  his  gifts  and  talents  upon  the 
passing  generation,  one  is  pleased  to  find  the  all  too  rare  union  of  high 
philanthropic  ends  with  such  practical  qualities  as  have  made  him  a 
successful  practitioner  of  medicine  and  surgery.  However  rare  may  be 
such  a  combination  of  qualities,  that  they  are  not  altogether  incompatible 
is  illustrated  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Louis  J.  Pelletier,  of  Ludington.  As  a 
resident  of  this  city  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  has  been 
devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  his  beloved  calling,  in  which  he  has 
not  alone  attained  distinction  as  a  man  of  Inroad  learning  and  high 
attainments,  but  as  a  sympathizer  with  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  whose 
friend  he  has  ever  been. 

Doctor  Pelletier  was  born  in  Canada,  May  19,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  Baptiste  and  Adele  Gagnon  Pelletier.  The  father,  born  in  Province  • 
of  Quebec  in  1831,  there  engaged  in  farming,  becoming  through  his 
energy,  thrift  and  perseverance  the  owner  of  a  large  and  valuable  prop- 
erty. He  died  in  1909,  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church,  of  which  he 
and  Mrs.  Pelletier  were  lifelong  members.  Mr.  Pelletier  was  a  con- 
servative in  politics.  Of  his  eight  children,  Louis  J.  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth. 

Louis  J.  Pelletier  attended  a  classical  college  at  Rimouski  for  ten 
years,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,    following   which    he    entered    Laval    University,    Canada,    and    in 


1912  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

1888  received  his  medical  degree.  He  began  practice  at  Ludington  in 
1889,  and  this  has  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  his  labors  and  successes, 
his  large  practice  being  confined  principally  to  this  city.  He  has  never 
ceased  being  a  student,  for  each  two  or  three  years  he  has  taken  a  post- 
graduate course,  and  at  various  times  has  attended  colleges  in  London, 
Paris,  Xew  York,  Chicago  and  A'ienna,  and  whenever  he  can  find  the 
spare  time  he  devotes  it  to  study,  research  and  investigation.  Doctor 
Pelletier  is  widely  known  for  his  work  among  the  poor,  to  whom  he 
gives  his  services  freely.  It  is  his  belief  that  the  medical  profession  is 
for  mankind  and  that  its  greatest  problem  is  to  secure  honest  and 
faithful  performance  of  professional  obligation ;  also  that  physicians  are 
a  body  of  organized  men  laboring  for  the  good  of  humanity.  He  has 
not  merely  stated  these  as  his  opinions,  but  has  practically  gone  forth  to 
illustrate  that  he  believes  in  them  and  is  willing  to  prove  his  assertions 
practically. 

Doctor  Pelletier  was  married  in  1893  to  ]\Irs.  Dr.  Shortz.  widow  of 
a  former  prominent  physician  of  Ludington,  who  assists  him  greatly  in 
his  medical,  as  well  as  his  philanthropical  work.  They  are  consistent 
members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  aside  from  the  organizations  of 
his  profession.  Doctor  Pelletier  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
He  is  a  Republican,  but  has  found  no  time  to  engage  in  politics,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his  calling. 

\\'n.Li.\M  John  !McCrox.  Proprietor  of  the  Saginaw  Publishing  and 
Printing  Company,  !Mr.  [NlcCron  has  had  forty  years'  active  experience  in 
the  printing  and  publishing  business,  began  his  apprenticeship  when  a 
boy  in  London.  Ontario,  was  an  expert  at  the  trade  of  printer  in  the  old 
days  before  the  introduction  of  such  modern  machinery  as  linotypes, 
duplex  presses  and  other  facilities,  and  has  succeeded  because  he  has 
never  stood  still,  has  always  been  ready  to  adopt  modern  devices  and 
adapt  himself  to  them,  and  by  careful  management  and  shrewd  control 
of  his  resources,  has  acquired  the  sole  ownership  of  a  business  hardly 
second  to  any  of  its  kind  in  northeast  ^Michigan. 

William  John  jMcCron  was  born  in  Ontario  county,  Ontario,  March 
24,  1856,  a  son  of  John  and  Lydia  (Grant)  McCron.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  Scotland.  The  father  came  to  Ontario  when  a  young  unmar- 
ried man,  and  having  been  thoroughly  trained  to  the  trade  of  machinist, 
secured  the  position  of  master  mechanic  with  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad. 
That  was  his  position  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  during  which  time  his 
home  was  in  London,  and  he  still  resides  in  that  city  surrounded  by  man}- 
friends  and  enjoying  the  comforts  of  a  long  and  prosperous  career,  benig 
now  ninety  years  of  age.  His  wife  is  deceased.  The  elder  McCron, 
during  his  early  life  in  Scotland,  was  active  in  the  Liberal  party,  and  now 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  Reform  party  of  Ontario.  There  were  ten 
children,  and  William  J.  was  the  third. 

Educated  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  London,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  entered  a  printing  shop  and  began  learning  the  trade.  His 
•  employment  for  a  number  of  years  was  in  the  office  of  the  London  Ad- 
vcrtiscr.  and  for  a  total  period  of  twenty  years  he  was  connected  with 
that  firm,  for  nine  years  holding  the  position  of  assistant  manager.  Mr. 
]McCron  came  to  Saginaw  in  1891  to  accept  the  place  of  manager  for  the 
Saginaw  Printing  and  Publishing  Company.  He  was  elected  trea.surer 
of  the  company,  and  continued  in  that  office  during  the  life  of  the  com- 
pany. At  the  beginning  there  were  twenty-two  stockholders  in  the  con- 
cern, but  all  of  tliese  have  since  sold  their  stock  to  Mr.  McCron,  who 
is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the  flourishing  business.  During  his  early  years 
in  connection  with  the  Saginaw  Company,  Mr.  McCron  had  only  four 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1913 

workmen  under  his  supervision,  but  under  his  energetic  administration. 
the  business  has  increased  many  fold,  and  he  now  employs  eighteen  or 
more  persons  about  the  various  departments  of  the  business.  The  plant 
occupies  forty -five  hundred  feet  of  floor  space,  and  the  establishment  is 
equipped  with  the  latest  machinery  for  rapid  and  efficient  press  work. 
with  a  large  and  varied  assortment  of  material  for  the  job  work,  and  lino- 
types also  take  care  of  a  large  mass  of  general  composition.  The  busi- 
ness is  largely  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  blank  books,  linotype  com- 
position, general  book  publishing  and  job  printing  of  the  finer  kind. 

jMr.  McCron  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Washington  .\venue  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Saginaw,  being  choir  leader  and  an  elder  in  the  church. 
He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  belongs  to  the  Consistory,  has  taken  thirty- 
two  degrees,  and  also  to  the  Shrine.  His  other  fraternal  affiliations  are 
with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  also  prominent 
in  the  St.  Andrew  Scottish  Society,  having  served  as  president  during 
1893-97.  Mr.  McCron  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  often  taken 
an  active  part  in  campaigns,  as  member  of  committees,  and  a  vigorous 
party  worker.    His  pleasant  home  is  located  at  602  South  \\'arren  Street. 

Reuben  Goodrich.  The  Goodrich  family  was  founded  in  ^Michigan 
in  the  year  preceding  the  admission  of  the  State  to  the  Union,  and  in  the 
first  and  all  succeeding  generations  in  this  commonwealth  those  who  have 
borne  the  name  have  stood  exponent  of  the  best  in  character  and  achieve- 
ment. Members  of  this  old  and  honored  family  have  played  a  large  part 
in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  Wolverine  State,  and  in  earlier 
generations  the  same  fine  spirit  was  exemplified  in  older  settled  sections 
of  our  great  repulilic.  for  the  family  name  has  been  identified  with  the 
annals  of  American  history  since  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
Hon.  Reuben  Goodrich  was  a  man  who  left  a  benignant  and  enduring  im- 
pression upon  the  history  of  Michigan,  and  consistency  demands  that  in 
this  publication  be  entered  a  brief  tribute  to  his  memory  and  a  review  of 
his  career,  the  following  record  being  gained  largely  from  an  appreciative 
newspaper  article  that  was  published  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  his  home,  on  Elmwood  avenue,  in  Traverse  City,  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  January  8.  1899.  when  he  was  in  his  eightieth  year.  From  an 
excellent  genealogical  record  of  the  Goodrich  family,  prepared  by  S.  V. 
Talcott,  it  is  shown  that  the  lineage  traces  back  in  America  to  John  and 
Ensign  William  Goodrich,  brothers  who  came  from  Bury  .St.  Edmond's, 
England,  and  who.  it  is  supposed,  first  settled  at  ^^'atertown.  Massa- 
chusetts, whence  removal  was  made  to  Wethersfield.  Connecticut,  where 
John  held  lands  in  1644  and  Will  held  lands  in  1666,  as  shown  in  the 
archives  of  that  State.  There  is  a  tradition  that  John  and  William  were 
orphans  and  came  to  this  country  with  their  mother's  brother.  W'illiam 
Stillman.  this  tradition  also  predicating  that  they  settled  first  in  the  New 
Haven  colony.  Within  the  limitations  of  a  sketch  of  this  order  it  is,  of 
course,  impossible  to  enter  data  concerning  the  various  generations  of 
the  family,  but  there  are  salient  points  that  must  be  touched  u|)on  in 
noting  the  family  association  with  Michigan  history. 

Reuben  Goodrich  was  born  in  Clarence,  Erie  coimty.  New  York,  on 
the  28th  of  June,  1819.  He  came  of  New  England  lineage,  his  English 
ancestors  having  settled  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  prior  to  1650. 
In  England  the  authentic  records  of  the  family  extend  back  for  nearly 
900  years,  man_v  members  of  the  family  having  been  prominent  in  English 
history.  Goodrich  Castle,  the  old  feudal  home  of  the  Goodrich  race,  still 
exists,  though  but  a  gray  and  ancient  ruin,  in  the  county  of  Ilereford, 
near  the  border  of  Wales.  Its  origin  may  be  traced  to  the  times  of  the 
Norman  conquest,  when  the   Saxon  Goodriches  were  a  numerous  and 


lyu  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

influential  family  who,  loyal  to  England  and  England's  king,  fought  long 
and  bravelv  for  a  hopeless  cause  and  who,  when  the  Norman  conquest 
was  effected,  suft'ered  forfeiture  and  confiscation  of  lands  and  home.  As 
for  Castle  Goodrich  itself,  it  is  authentically  told  that  in  1204  it  was  given 
by  King  John  to  William  Earl  Marshall  to  hold,  and  for  the  next  400 
years  was  held  by  a  long  line  of  nobility.  In  the  civil  war  between 
Charles  I  and  parliament,  in  1642,  its  possession  was  hotly  contested  by 
rival  factions,  and  in  1647  '^  was  ordered  that  "Goodrich  Castle  be  totally 
disgarrisoned  and  abandoned,"  which  order  was  executed,  and  the  castle 
left  in  ruins,  as  they  now  appear,  unchanged  save  through  the  ravages  of 
time  and  decay. 

In  1802  the  father  of  Reuben  Goodrich  married  and  settled  in  what 
was  then  the  western  wilderness  of  central  New  York,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Genesee  county,  that  State.  In  1835  his  father  and  brothers 
jnirchased  a  tract  of  more  than  1,100  acres  of  land  in  Genesee  county, 
Michigan,  and  as  pioneers  they  established  their  homes  in  the  untram- 
meled  wilderness  of  a  territory  that  was  soon  thereafter  to  attain  to 
the  dignity  of  Statehood.  The  early  development  of  Genesee  county 
owed  much  to  this  family  of  six  stalwart  sons,  and  the  New  England 
father  and  mother  endured  all  the  hardships  of  the  pioneer  life  of  those 
early  days.  In  1845  Reuben  and  his  elder  brother,  Enos,  founded  the 
village  of  Goodrich  and  built  up  a  large  mercantile  and  milling  business. 
The  name  of  the  Goodrich  Brothers  was  known  throughout  all  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  and  their  efforts  had  much  to  do  with  shaping  its 
whole  future.  In  an  historical  sketch  written  by  Enos  Goodrich  and  read 
at  the  family  reunion  held  in  May,  1886,  are  found  many  interesting  data, 
and  from  the  article  are  taken  the  following  statements,  with  but  slight 
paraphrase :  "I  will  point  to  the  general  fact  that  the  natural  home  of  the 
Goodrichs  is  on  the  farm.  Generally  they  have  not  shrunk  from  labor, 
however  arduous.  One  peculiarity  of  the  family,  wherever  found,  is 
that  they  are  home-makers.  Rarely  if  ever  was  a  descendant  of  Levi  H. 
Goodrich  known  to  live  even  for  a  single  day  in  a  rented  house.  Turn 
one  of  them  loose  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  wilderness,  come  back 
in  three  vears,  and  what  do  you  iind?  No  ruined  and  deserted  cabin, 
with  rough  boards  over  the  shattered  windows  and  with  pathways  choked 
with  weeds  higher  than  the  door  caps,  but  a  home  surrounded  with  the 
comforts  of  life.  Their  larders  and  cellars  and  granaries  are  stored  with 
the  necessities  and  comforts  of  life;  their  cattle  are  grazing  in  the  val- 
leys; and  their  harvest  fields  are  waving  on  the  hillsides.  'Home,  sweet 
home'  is  a  sentiment  which  they  appreciate  for  themselves  and  transmit 
to  their  offspring.  It  is  not  strange  that  their  isolated  position,  their  self- 
reliance  and  their  communion  with  nature  begot  an  original  way  of  think- 
ing and  an  independence  of  spirit  which  so  emphatically  constitutes  and 
dignifies  the  man.  *  *  *  Some  of  us  have  digressed  from  the  pur- 
suits of  the  farm  long  enough  to  build  and  operate  mills  and  to  take  a 
hand  in  the  affairs  of  the  political  world.  One  flouring  mill  and  five  saw 
mills  have  owed  their  existence  to  the  efforts  of  my  brother  Reuben  and 
myself.  In  remembering  these  enterprises  we  have  this  consolation  to- 
dav, — that  if  they  have  not  made  us  very  rich  they  have  materially  as- 
sisted in  the  upbuilding  and  improvement  of  the  country.  *  *  * 
Time  rolled  on,  the  country  grew  ;  slowly  but  steadily  did  the  wilderness 
become  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  earth,  in  response  to  the  pioneers'  toil, 
began  to  give  up  her  treasures  with  a  bounteous  hand.  Long  before  the 
era  of  railroad  construction  in  our  section  of  Michigan  Reuben  and  I 
had  combined  our  limited  means,  our  energies  and  our  credits,  and  had 
built  the  Goodrich  flouring  mill.  Reuben  was  the  youngest  of  the  six 
brothers  and  was  thus  about  seventeen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1915 

family  removal  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan.  Our  milling  enterprise 
was  a  gigantic  undertaking  for  two  such  chaps  as  Reuben  and  mvself, 
and  nothing  but  the  rashness  of  youth  could  have  tolerated  such  a  scheme. 
How  we  toiled  in  mill  and  store,  on  farm  and  in  workshop.  I  have  not 
time  to  tell.  How  we  managed  to  establish  a  credit  which  was  'A  Xo.  i' 
from  Detroit  to  New  York  and  Boston,  is  a  problem  which  I  can  not 
solve  today.  But  when  upon  our  books  were  found  the  names  of  thou- 
sands of  customers  whose  wants  we  were  making  superhuman  efforts  to 
supply,  there  came  an  evil  day,  a  day  never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  com- 
mercial history  of  our  country.  It  was  the  crisis  of  1857.  Strong  men 
bowed  before  the  storm  and  old  established  houses  crumbled  before  its 
breath.  The  earnings  of  twenty  years  of  such  toil  of  body  and  mind  as 
no  man  can  duplicate  in  a  lifetime,  were  ruthlessly  and  irretrievably 
swept  away.  It  was  thus  that  the  firm  of  E.  (S:  R.  Goodrich  was  dis- 
solved, and  consigned  Reuben  to  Grand  Traverse  and  me  to  the  wilds  of 
Tuscola  county." 

In  1845  Enos  and  Reuben  Goodrich  founded  the  village  of  Goodrich, 
Genesee  county,  as  previously  stated,  and  they  were  the  most  influential 
citizens  and  business  men  of  the  town  up  to  the  time  of  the  financial  panic 
mentioned.  In  1854  Reuben  Goodrich  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
senate,  in  which  he  served,  with  marked  efficiency,  for  two  years,  as  con- 
temporary of  such  well  known  citizens  as  Austin  Blair,  George  Jerome 
and  O.  D.  Conger.  The  next  two  years  he  represented  the  First  district 
of  Genesee  county  in  the  house  of  representatives,  incidentally  taking  an 
active  part  in  electing  Zachariah  Chandler  to  his  first  term  in  the  United 
States  senate.  In  public  affairs  Mr.  Goodrich  exercised  the  same  energy 
and  discrimination  that  characterized  his  supervision  of  his  own  affairs. 
In  those  early  days  he  had  a  great  share  in  the  battle  over  the  disposal 
of  the  State  swamp  lands  and  aided  largelv  in  winning  the  victory  for 
the  new  counties,  as  against  the  older  settled  counties  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State.  In  the  organization  of  new  townships,  the  establish- 
ment of  State  roads,  the  disposal  of  the  great  grants  of  land  which  Con- 
gress had  made  to  the  State  for  railroad  purposes,  Mr.  Goodrich  was 
always  on  the  side  of  the  frontier  settlers. 

For  twelve  years  Mr.  Goodrich  held  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Good- 
rich, besides  being  called  to  manv  local  offices  of  public  trust.  In  i860 
he  removed  with  his  familv  to  Traverse  City,  and  the  following  year  he 
was  appointed,  by  President  Lincoln,  receiver  of  the  United  States  land 
office,  but  later  was  removed  bv  President  Johnson,  for  political  reasons. 
Later  he  was  reappointed,  bv  President  Grant,  and  he  served  in  this 
office  for  a  total  of  nine  years.  He  was  one  of  the  three  members  of 
the  State  highway  commission  selected  by  the  governor  to  prepare  an 
amendment  to  the  ^lichigan  State  constitution  pro\'iding  for  a  county 
road  system,  this  amendment  being  adopted  by  the  State  legislature  and 
also  by  popular  vote  at  the  State  election  in  189.V  For  twenty-three  years 
Mr.  Goodrich  was  highwav  commissioner  of  the  township  of  Traverse; 
he  served  long  and  effectively  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  was 
continuously  retained  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  of  Traverse 
City,  as  was  he  of  the  council  after  the  incorporation  as  a  city.  In  the 
later  years  of  his  life  he  gave  his  attention  largely  to  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  lumbering,  and  he  platted  several  additions  to  Traverse  City. 
-Advancing  vears  did  not  seem  to  dull  his  business  capacities,  and  he  was 
active  in  the  supervision  of  his  multitudinous  aff'airs  until  his  final  illness, 
which  was  of  about  four  weeks'  duration.  The  entire  community  mani- 
fested a  deep  sense  of  personal  loss  and  bereavement  when  this  noble 
and  venerable  citizen  passed  from  the  stage  of  life's  mortal  endeavors. 


1916  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  he  left  to  the  world  the  priceless  heritage  of  a  good  name  as  well  as 
a  record  of  worthy  achievement  and  kindly  deeds. 

On  New  Year's  day  of  the  year  1857  was  solemnized  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Goodrich  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Eastman,  who  likewise  represented 
fine  old  New  England  stock  and  who  proved  his  devoted  companion  and 
helpmeet  for  nearly  half  a  century,  the  gracious  bonds  being  severed  only 
when  the  husband  had  been  called  to  the  life  eternal.  Of  this  union  were 
born  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  the  loving  mother  having 
continued  to  reside  in  Traverse  City  until  her  death.  The  survi\ing  chil- 
dren are:  Clara  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Atwood,  a  prominent 
insurance  man  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  and  Frank  R.,  who  resides 
in  Traverse  City,  and  who  is  individually  mentioned  on  other  pages  of 
this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  B.  Atwood  liave  two  children, — Clar- 
ence, who  was  graduated  in  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  University  and  also 
in  the  law  school  of  Yale  University,  he  being  now  a  representative  mem- 
ber of  the  bar  of  San  Francisco,  California ;  and  Mary  Emily,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Earl  Josef  Brank,  an  architect  by  profession  and  a  resident  of 
Monrovia,  California.  Mary  E.  Goodrich,  younger  daughter  of  Reuben 
and  Elizabeth  J.  Goodrich,  was  for  many  years  an  attache  of  the  otifice 
of  the  auditor  general  of  Michigan,  in  the  city  of  Lansing,  and  her  death 
resulted  from  an  attack  of  pneumonia.  Charles  E.  Goodrich  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  connected  with  the  United  States 
mail  service  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Frank  R.  Goodrich.  A  scion  of  a  family  whose  name  has  lieen 
prominentlv  and  worthily  linked  with  the  history  of  Michigan  since  the 
territorial  days.  Frank  R.  Goodrich  is  one  of  the  representative  citizens 
of  Traverse  City  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Reuben  Goodrich,  to 
whom  a  memoir  is  dedicated  on  other  pages  of  this  publication,  so  that 
further  review  of  the  family  history  is  not  demanded  at  this  juncture. 

Frank  R.  Goodrich  was  born  at  Goodrich,  Genesee  county,  Michigan, 
a  town  of  which  his  father  was  one  of  the  founders,  and  the  date  of  his 
nativity  was  August  16,  1857.  so  that  he  was  about  three  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  family  removal  to  Traverse  City.  He  has  had  a  wide 
and  varied  experience  in  connection  with  the  industrial  and  civic  develop- 
ment of  this  section  of  the  State,  and  achieved  special  prowess  and  re])u- 
tation  in  connection  with  his  activities  as  a  lumberman,  his  venerable 
uncle,  the  late  Enos  Goodrich,  having  uttered  the  following  pertinent 
statement  at  a  noteworthy  family  reunion  held  in  1885 :  "Did  space 
permit  the  insertion  of  the  rough-and-tumble  experiences  of  Frank  Good- 
rich in  IVIuskegon  log  driving  and  lumber-camp  life,  the  recital  would 
rival  in  interest  the  adventures  of  Daniel  Boone,  of  Kentucky,  or  David 
Crockett  on  the  head  of  the  Cumberland."  Reared  under  the  conditions 
that  obtained  at  the  height  of  the  great  lumber  industry  of  Northern 
Michigan.  JMr.  Goodrich  naturally  became  inspired  with  the  spirit  that 
was  much  in  evidence,  and  preferred  life  in  the  woods  to  the  prosecution 
of  a  collegiate  course,  his  early  educational  training  having  been  obtained 
in  the  primitive  schools  of  the  pioneer  days  in  Grand  Traverse  county, 
and  this  having  been  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Benzonia  Business 
College,  at  Benzonia.  Benzie  county.  He  initiated  his  independent  career 
in  the  sturdv  and  hazardous  role  of  a  "lumber  jack."  and  he  continued 
to  be  identified  with  the  operations  of  the  great  logging  camps  of  North- 
ern Michigan  until  the  supply  of  timber  had  been  virtually  exhausted  and 
the  stirring  labors  and  incidents  of  the  early  days  had  become  but  memo- 
ries. Of  fine  physique  and  great  muscular  power,  matured  through  his 
herculean  labors  in  connection  with  lumbering  operations.  Mr.  Goodrich 
was  given  charge  of  the  work  of  a  corps  of  forty  men  in  one  of  his 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1917 

father's  lumber  camps  when  he  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  was  the  "walking  boss"  of  a  force  of  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  in  the  employ  of  the  Corning  Canal  Com- 
pany, in  the  service  of  w^iich  corporation  he  continued  for  eleven  years, 
within  which  period  he  had  charge  of  the  breaking  of  roadways  and 
gained  familiarity  with  all  other  details  of  the  logging  industry  and  the 
manufacturing  of  lumber.  It  may  consistently  be  said  that  he  blazed  a 
trail  across  and  up  and  down  tlie  great  lumber  forests  of  Northern 
Michigan,  and  he  incidentally  gained  reputation  as  one  of  the  ablest 
managers  of  large  forces  of  men  that  the  lumber  industry  could  claim 
in  the  days  of  its  greatest  activities  in  this  section  of  the  State.  He 
commanded  the  rough  but  sincere  affection  of  his  men,  maintained  strict 
discipline  but  was  always  considerate  and  generous,  wnth  deep  apprecia- 
tion of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  character  often  concealed  under  coarse 
exteriors,  and  his  splendid  physical  powers,  coupled  with  courage  and 
daring,  made  him  a  favorite  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  lumber  camps  and 
the  perils  of  the  river  drives  of  logs.  Only  those  who  have  had  similar 
experience  can  fully  understand  the  finesse  and  resourcefulness  de- 
manded in  the  directing  of  the  labors  of  men  of  the  staunch  type  of  the 
old-time  lumber  camps. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  distinguished  and  honored  father,  in  1899,  Mr. 
Goodrich  became  the  administrator  of  the  large  family  estate,  a  part  of 
which  is  the  fine  Goodrich  farm,  a  considerable  portion  of  which  is  now 
within  the  city  limits  of  Traverse  City.  He  has  shown  much  ability  in 
his  real  estate  operations,  and,  handling  the  property  of  his  father's 
estate,  he  has  wielded  potent  influence  in  the  development  and  upbuilding 
of  the  western  part  of  Traverse  City,  where  he  has  platted  several  sub- 
divisions and  successfully  carried  forward  the  constructive  enterprise 
initiated  by  his  father.  For  four  years  Mr.  Goodrich  served  as  mayor 
pro  tern  of  Traverse  City,  and  he  has  also  given  eft'ective  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  municipal  board  of  public  works,  the  while  showing  a  loyal 
interest  in  all  that  touches  the  civic  and  material  welfare  of  the  city  and 
county  that  have  so  long  represented  his  home  and  in  which  his  circle  of 
friends  is  coincident  with  that  of  his  acquaintances. 

The  political  proclivities  of  Mr.  Goodrich  are  indicated  by  the  allegi- 
ance which  he  accords  to  the  Republican  party,  and  in  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity he  has  received  the  Knights  Templar  degree,  besides  being 
affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  .the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  attends  and  gives  generous  support  to  the  Congregational 
church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  devoted  member,  besides  which  she  is  a 
member  of  the  Ladies'  Library  Club,  past  matron  of  the  local  chapter  of 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  which  she  has  represented  in  the  grand 
chapter  of  the  State,  and  is  a  leader  in  the  best  social  activities  of  her 
home  city.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  affiliated  also  with  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  with  the  lodge  and  uni- 
formed rank  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1902,  Mr.  Goodrich  wedded,  at  Boyne 
Falls,  Charlevoix  county,  iliss  Myrtie  Thompson,  who  was  born  at 
Millington,  Tuscola  couiity,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  George  C.  and 
Carrie  (Van  Wormer )  Thompson.  Her  father,  who  is  now  deceased, 
served  as  postmaster  at  Millington,  under  the  administration  of  President 
Cleveland,  and  for  eight  years  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervis- 
ors of  Tuscola  county,  where  he  was  a  citizen  of  prominence  and  influ- 
ence. He  was  a  Knight  Templar  Mason.  Mrs.  Thompson,  who  is  also 
deceased,  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  leading  pioneer  families  of 
Tuscola  county. 


1918  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

August  Celestine  Mel:ee.  Many  years  ago  ]Mr.  Melze  was  in  the 
real  estate  business.  He  and  Charles  V.  Johnson  owned  the  tract  of 
land  on  which  the  town  of  Merrill  was  platted  by  them,  and  jointly  they 
supervised  all  the  work  connected  with  the  clearing  out  of  the  streets, 
and  he  was  also  a  merchant  in  that  community.  For  twenty  years  Atr. 
Melze  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  larger  mercantile  enter- 
prise of  the  city  of  Saginaw,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Melze-Alder- 
ton  Shoe  Company,  wholesale  jobbers  in  shoes  and  rubbers,  and  one  of 
the  largest  wholesale  shoe  companies  in  the  state  of  Michigan. 

August  Celestine  Melze  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  six  miles 
from  President  McKinley's  home  in  Canton.  The  date  of  his  birth  was 
October  12,  1851.  His  parents,  Pierre  and  Louise  (Prenot)  Melze,  were 
natives  of  France,  and  early  in  the  forties  settled  in  Stark  county,  Ohio. 
The  father  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  manufactured  barrels  and  did  an  ex- 
tensive business  in  that  line'at  Louisville,  in  Stark  county,  Ohio.  In  1866 
he  brought  the  family  to  ^Michigan,  locating  near  St.  Johns,  but  one 
vear  later  moved  to  Chesaning,  Michigan,  wdiere  he  and  his  son,_  August, 
"worked  in  a  hoop  factory.  There  the  father  continued  until  his  retire- 
ment, and  the  last  vears  of  his  life  were  spent  at  ease  and  in  comfort  in 
the  village  of  :Merrill,  where  he  passed  away  when  eighty-one  years  of 
age.  His  wife  also  ended  her  davs  in  :\Ierrill,  and  both  lie  interred  in  the 
cemetery  at  Hemlock.  There  were  four  children,  the  other  three  beuig 
mentioned  as  follows:  Emil  Melze,  who  went  to  the  front  as  a  Union 
soldier,  was  lieutenant  of  a  company,  and  received  wounds  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  that  caused  his  death  four  days  later;  Dr.  Louis  Melze, 
for  som'e  years  practiced  medicine  in  Saginaw,  later  reached  a  promnient 
place  in  his  profession  in  Chicago,  where  he  died  in  1906,  after  a  long 
illness ;  Elise  is  the  wife  of  Peter  L.  Perkins  of  Merrill. 

August  C.  Melze  received  his  early  training  in  the  parochial  Catholic 
schools  of  Stark  countv,  Ohio.  He 'was  fourteen  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  to  Michigan.  Soon  afterwards  his  attention  was  directed 
to  the  real  estate  business,  and  he  became  owner  of  considerable  land  m 
Saginaw  countv,  including  the  site  upon  which  he  located  and  laid  out 
the'town  of  Merrill.  This  little  village  is  on  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad, 
on  the  Grand  Rapids  Division.  Mr.  Melze  established  the  first  store  in 
that  town,  cleared  off  the  woods  and  laid  out  the  streets,  was  instrumental 
in  organizing  the  first  bank,  and  more  than  any  other  individual  gave  hi.= 
efforts  in  a  public-spirited  manner  toward  the  upbuilding  of  that  com- 
munity. His  business  relations  and  residence  in  the  town  continued  until 
1892,  'in  which  year  he  moved  to  Saginaw  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
grocery  business.  Mr.  Melze  organized  the  firm  of  Melze,  Smart  &  Com- 
pany, 'but  in  1895  sold  out  his  interests  and  again  resumed  the  real 
estate  business.  In  1896,  Mr.  Melze  became  manager  of  the  Waldron, 
Alderton  Companv,  and  then  bought  the  Waldron  interests,  and  has  since 
been  active  head  'of  the  Melze,  Alderton  Shoe  Company.  This  business 
has  been  increased  materially  under  his  management,  and  at  the  present 
time  the  stock  requires  twenty  thousand  feet  of  floor  space  and  steady 
employment  is  given  to  seventeen  office  people  and  salesmen.  Their 
traveling  representatives  cover  the  entire  southern  peninsula  of  Michi- 

Mr.  Melze  is  a  director  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Saginaw. 
Since  1907,  the  year  in  which  it  was  organized,  he  has  been  an  active 
member  and  treasurer  of  the  Merchants  &  Manufacturers  Association  of 
Saginaw.  This  association  is  made  up  entirely  of  wholesale  merchants 
and  manufacturers,  and  has  been  very  active  and  influential  m  bringing 
in  new  industries  and  also  in  fostering  the  welfare  of  local  business  al- 
ready established,  and  the  general  interests  of  the  city. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1919 

In  the  fall  of  1875,  !Mr.  Melze  married  Miss  Margaret  Murph}-,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio.  They  have  one  child,  Nellie  Louise  Melze,  who  mar- 
ried Harr)'  P.  Baker  of  Saginaw.  Air.  Melze  enjoys  his  vacations  with 
his  wife  and  friends  in  extended  automobile  tours.  In  his  private  char- 
acter he  possesses  a  kindly,  genial  nature,  and  is  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
term,  a  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views. 

Nelson  Brothers  Company.  This  is  now  one  of  the  large  and  in- 
dustrial concerns  of  Saginaw,  and  the  output  of  gasoline  engines,  pump 
machinery,  and  feed  grinders  is  known  to  the  trade  not  only  in  this  coun- 
try, but  in  various  foreign  markets,  and  the  reputation  of  their  machin- 
ery has  been  held  up  to  the  strictest  standards,  and  has  stood  the  most 
rigid  tests  of  efficiency,  wherever  used.  The  Nelson  Brothers  co-part- 
nership has  been  a  very  prosperous  enterprise,  such  as  few  concerns  in 
the  state  of  Alichigan  can  equal.  A  few  years  ago  they  started  in  a  very 
small  way,  and  at  the  present  time  the  annual  volume  of  business  will 
run  between  a  quarter  and  a  third  of  a  million  dollars  a  year.  The  three 
partners  are  Clarence  A.,  Harry  B.  and  Clinton  J.  Nelson. 

These  are  all  sons  of  Clinton  and  Harriet  (Boughton)  Nelson.  Both 
parents  were  born  in  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  and  the  father,  who 
was  born  in  1852,  has  prospered  and  become  one  of  the  foremost  land 
owners  and  citizens  of  Gratiot  county,  where  he  owns  extensive  tracts  of 
land,  and  is  highly  regarded  as  a  citizen  and  business  man.  When  he 
was  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  started  on  his  own  account  as  a  farmer, 
moving  to  Gratiot  county,  and  as  he  gradually  got  ahead  in  this  world, 
all  his  profits  were  reinvested  in  land,  and  a  number  of  years  ago,  he 
ranked  as  one  of  the  largest  landed  proprietors  in  that  county.  During 
recent  years,  all  his  time  has  been  devoted  to  the  management  of  his  real 
estate  interests.    His  home  is  in  Alma  in  Gratiot  county. 

His  wife  died  several  years  ago.  There  were  thirteen  children  and 
two  of  these  are  deceased,  the  living  being  mentioned  as  follows :  Burton 
E.,  who  lives  at  Alma,  and  is  a  farmer  of  Gratiot  county ;  Clarence  A., 
Harry  B.,  and  Clinton  J.,  all  members  of  the  firm  of  Nelson  Brothers  at 
Saginaw :  Lulu  B.,  wife  of  William  Fowler,  of  Sumner,  Michigan ;  Ora 
D.,  wife  of  \\'illiam  Bacon,  of  St.  Johns,  Michigan ;  Floyd,  a  farmer  near 
Alma ;  Lyle  S.,  a  farmer  at  Alma ;  Ivan  J.,  a  student  in  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor:  Fern  A.  and.  Nellie  M.,  who  live  at  home 
with  their  father. 

Harry  B.  Nelson  was  the  first  of  the  sons  to  turn  from  farming  into 
manufacturing,  and  that  was  in  the  fall  of  1908.  He  bought  an  old  es- 
tablished machine  shop  at  Alma,  long  conducted  under  the  name  of  J.  M. 
Monhigal  &:  Company.  A  year  later  he  was  joined  by  his  brother, 
Clarence,  and  during  that  second  year  they  started  the  manufacture  of 
pumping  machinery.  It  was  a  very  small  output  at  first,  and  after  prov- 
ing themselves  successful  in  one  line  they  added  the  manufacture  of 
gasoline  engines.  They  soon  became  convinced  that  Saginaw  was  a  most 
eligible  place  for  their  business,  not  only  for  its  superior  railroad  facili- 
ties, but  for  the  general  industrial  situation.  In  191 1,  the  two  brothers 
were  joined  bv  their  brother,  Clinton,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
they  bought  several  acres  of  land  at  Morse  and  Owen  Streets,  upon  which 
they  built  a  modern  brick  plant,  up  to  date  in  every  respect  from  a  sani- 
tary and  factory  standpoint,  installed  the  latest  improved  machinery,  and 
there  their  business  has  been  steadily  prospering  from  its  inauguration. 
Five  mechanics  were  first  employed  in  their  factory,  only  three  or  four 
years  ago,  and  at  the  present  time  their  force  numbers  more  than  one 
hundred  workmen,  the  greater  number  of  whom  are  skilled  laborers.  Be- 
sides the  manufacture  of  gasoline  engines,  and  pumping  machinery,  they 


1920  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

put  out  a  general  line  of  feed  grinding  machines.  At  the  present  time  a 
greater  part  of  their  product  has  been  successfully  placed  on  the  foreign 
market,  and  various  parts  of  the  world.  Four  traveling  representatives 
cover  the  general  trade,  and  one  for  the  jobbing  trade.  The  states  of 
Ohio  and  Alichigan  are  exceptionally  well  covered  by  the  Xelson  ma- 
chines. A  few  thousand  dollars  would  have  covered  the  aggregate  of 
business  during  the  hrst  year,  and  in  19 13,  their  gross  sales  amounted  to 
between  two  hundred  and  lifty  thousand  dollars  and  three  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Clarence  Nelson,  the  oldest  of  the  three  partners,  was  born  Ajiril  2Ti, 
1880,  was  educated  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools,  and  also  in  a  com- 
mercial college,  and  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  Olive  Church,  a  native  of 
Gratiot  county  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  Church,  there  are  six  children, 
as  follows:  Thelma,  Irene,  Ronald,  Earl,  and  Helen  and  Hazel,  twins. 
Harry  B.  Xelson,  the  second  in  age,  was  born  Alay  9,  1882.  received  edu- 
cational advantages  similar  to  those  of  his  brother,  and  in  1902  married 
Miss  Cora  Rowley,  of  Gratiot  county,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Rowley. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Ruth  Nelson. 

Clinton  J.  Xelson,  the  youngest  of  the  firm,  was  born  October  11. 
1883,  and  is  a  lawyer  by  training,  having  graduated  11.  A.  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  in  the  class  of  1909,  and  having  taken  his  degree  in 
the  law  department  in  iqii.  Clinton  Xelson  married  Miss  Harriet 
Bailey,  who  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  ^lichigan,  a  (laughter  of 
James  Bailey.     To  this  marriage  has  been  born  one  daughter.  Myra. 

The  brothers  are  all  Progressive  Republicans  in  politics,  and  likewise 
most  progressive  business  men,  their  enterprise  in  this  industrial  held 
characterizing  their  relations  with  the  general  community. 

William  T.  Hoey.  A  life-long  resident  of  Michigan,  and  a  native 
of  Alpena,  where  his  business  interests  are  now  chiefly  centered,  William 
T.  Hoey  is  a  graduate  from  that  rugged  school  of  the  lumber  industry, 
and  since  his  earlier  experiences  under  some  of  the  most  capable  kings 
of  that  business  he  has  attained  an  independent  position  as  a  manufac- 
turer and  dealer.  The  people  of  Alpena  also  esteem  Mr.  Hoey  as  a  leader 
and  a  man  whose  career  and  influence  has  had  a  valuable  share  in  com- 
munity welfare. 

William  T.  Hoey  was  born  in  Alpena  September  3.  1875,  a  son  of 
William  J.  and  Constance  (Jermain)  Hoey.  There  were  four  children 
in  the  family.  The  father  came  to  Michigan  in  1864  and  enlisted  in  one 
of  the  ^lichigan  regiments  during  the  closing  months  of  the  war.  \\'illiam 
T.  Hoey  had  only  such  education  as  was  supplied  by  the  grammar  schools 
of  Alpena,  and  when  ready  to  take  up  the  serious  responsibilities  of  life 
found  employment  as  a  laborer  in  the  lumber  woods  and  in  the  saw  mills. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  took  employment  with  J.  A.  Widner,  and  sub- 
sequently became  a  manager  with  the  great  lumber  enterprise  conducted 
bv  Ed  Ayer  of  Chicago.  He  rose  to  responsibilities  of  an  executive 
office  with  that  firm,  and  after  some  years  engaged  in  business  with  W.  H. 
Sanborn,  and  was  subsequently  taken  into  partnership.  Later  Riebeneck, 
Sanborn  &  Hoev  organized  the  .American  Cedar  iS:  Lumber  Company. 
Mr.  Hoey  was  president  of  that  concern,  but  three  years  later  drew  out 
to  establish  himself  independently,  and  has  since  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  with  headquarters  at  Alpena  under  the  name  of  the  Western 
Cedar  &  Lumber  Company. 

William  T.  Hoey  was  married  to  Florence  ^Masters,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Amelia  (Bradford)  Masters.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  seven  daughters  and  one  son,  one  of  whom  is  now  deceased. 
Mrs.  Hoey  died  December  22,  1913.    Mr.  Hoey  is  a  member  of  the  Epis- 


C.U^>J-,r-^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1921 

copal  church,  has  fraternal  affiliations  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  in  politics  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. 

Richard  Jones.  Prominent  among  the  energetic  and  enterprising 
men  who  have  been  ini^uential  in  developing  and  advancing  the  extensive 
lumber  interests  of  Northern  Michigan  is  Richard  Jones,  of  Saint  Ignace, 
head  of  the  Jones  &  Kerry  Lumber  Company.  Beginning  life  for  him- 
self when  very  young,  and  under  adverse  circumstances,  his  father  having 
been  an  invalid  for  nineteen  years,  he  helped  support  the  family  with  his 
meagre  wages,  but  through  persevering  industry,  careful  management  and 
unfaltering  zeal,  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  until  now  he  is 
a  power  in  the  industrial  and  commercial  life  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives.  He  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1859,  but  was  reared  in 
Michigan.  His  father,  Alexander  Jones,  a  retired  farmer,  living  in  Flint, 
Michigan,  married  Maria  Hobbs,  whose  death  occurred  in  1901.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  have  passed  to  the  life 
beyond. 

The  second  child  in  succession  of  birth  of  the  parental  household, 
Richard  Jones  received  limited  educational  advantages,  attending  a  coun- 
try school  three  months,  only,  his  help  being  needed  on  the  home  farm, 
owing  to  the  illness  of  his  father.  He  was  a  great  reader,  however,  and 
through  home  study  in  the  evenings  he  obtained  a  practical  knowledge  of 
books".  Going  to  Sanilac  county  in  iS/S,  Mr.  Jones  was  there  employed 
in  a  sawmill  for  six  years,  during  which  time  he  saved  but  little  money, 
much  of  his  earnings  being  sent  to  his  parents.  In  1885.  shortly  after  his 
marriage,  Mr.  Jones  located  at  Gladstone,  Michigan,  then  known  as  San- 
der's Point,  becoming  a  pioneer  settler  of  that  place.  Clearing  a  tract  of 
timber,  he  erected  a  sawmill,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  lumber  on  a 
small  scale.  Unforeseen  difficulties  arising,  Mr.  Jones,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  migrated  with  his  family  to  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  to  begin  life 
for  himself  once  more,  and  there  for  a  year  filed  band  saws  for  the  French 
Broad  Lumber  Company.  Returning  then  to  Michigan,  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Bay  Citv,  accepting  a  position  as  traveling  salesman  for  Em- 
erson, Smith  &  Company,  of  Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania,  nianufacturers 
of  saws  and  mill  supplies,  being  an  old  and  well-known  firm,  his  t^erri- 
tory  embracing  all  of  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  between  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  Gulf.  As  a  salesman  he  was  very  successful  and  popular, 
earning  the  good  will  of  both  his  employers  and  his  customers. 

From  1896  until  1900  Mr.  Jones  spent  his  time  in  trying  to  promote 
patents  which  he  held.  In  1901  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Su- 
perior Corps  of  the  Clargue  Syndicate,  and  at  Soo  built  a  large  sawmill 
for  the  Algoma  Lumber  Company,  subsidiary  to  the  Lake  Superior  Corps. 
The  ensuing  four  years  Air.  Jones  had  the  management  of  the  Company's 
afifairs  at  that  place,  havii-^gin  his  employ  four  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
Going  to  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico,  in  1906,  he  became  general  manager 
of  the  American  Lumber  Company,  of  New  Jersey,  the  largest  lumber 
concern  in  the  Southwest  at  that  time,  in  his  work  giving  emplovment  to 
eleven  hundred  men,  and  specializing  in  Mexican  white  pine.  The  com- 
pany's mill  yards  covered  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  and  they  owned 
1 12^000  acres  of  timber  land,  with  an  estimated  cut  of  r. 500,000,000  feet. 
Mr.'  Tones  was  a  large  stockholder  in  that  firm,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year 
resigned  his  position'as  general  manager,  and  disposed  of  his  interests  in 

the  concern. 

Returning  to  Michigan,  Mr.  Jones  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  busniess 
at  Bay  City  for  about  a  vear,  and  then,  in  1907,  removed  to  Saint  Ignace. 
and  built  the  mill  which  he  now  owns.    He  subsequently  organized  a  stock 


1922  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

company,  capitalizing  it  at  $75,000,  under  the  name  of  tlie  Jones  &  Kern- 
Lumber  Company,  with  the  following  named  officers :  President,  Richard 
Jones ;  vice-president,  R.  Hanson ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Charles  T. 
Kerry.  This  plant  covers  an  area  of  sixty  acres,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
60,000  feet  of  lumber,  30,000  laths,  and  40,000  shingles,  and  employs  one 
hundred  and  twenty  men.  The  firm  has  large  holdings  of  lumber,  with 
twelve  years'  supply  back  of  them,  it  being  mostly  hardwood,  with  hem- 
lock, and  some  pine.  Mr.  Jones  is  general  manager  of  the  entire  business 
of  the  company,  and  is  also  a  director  of  the  Carp  River  Boom  Company. 
Fraternally  ]\Ir.  Jones  is  a  member  of  Bay  City  Lodge  No.  129,  An- 
cient Free  and  Accepted  Order  of  Masons ;  of  Sault  Ste  Marie  Chapter, 
No.  102,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  of  Cheboygan  Commandery  No.  50, 
Knights  Templar,  which  he  helped  organize ;  and  of  Saginaw  Temple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also 
afiiliated  with  other  fraternal  organizations,  in  each  of  which  he  takes 
much  interest. 

Otto  Harxisch.  Of  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  earliest  pioneer 
families  in  the  Saginaw  \'alley.  Otto  Harnisch  in  the  third  generation  of 
the  family  residence  has  increased  the  distinctions  of  the  name  by  his 
organization  of  the  Valley  Stove  &  Range  Company,  the  largest  jobbing 
concern  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  of  which  he  is  practically  the  founder 
and  leading  spirit.  The  career  of  Mr.  Harnisch  may  be  said  to  have 
begun  in  the  days  when  he  was  getting  three  dollars  at  the  end  of  a  six- 
day  ])eriod  of  hard  labor,  and  his  advancement  has  always  depended  upon 
his  ability  to  work  hard  and  effectively  rather  than  upon  any  influence  or 
fortunate  circumstance. 

Otto  Harnisch  was  born  in  Saginaw,  March  18,  1870.  His  parents 
were  Frederick  C.  and  Louise  (  Schade )  Harnisch.  They  were  both  born 
in  Germany.  Grandfather  Frederick  Schade  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
in  the  Saginaw  Valley,  having  located  there  before  even  the  village  days 
of  Saginaw  city.  He  was  the  first  harness  maker  to  establish  a  shop  in 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Saginaw.  His  little  place  of  business  was  a  build- 
ing set  up  on  piles  at  one  of  the  points  that  is  now  a  center  of  the  business 
district.  Grandfather  Harnisch  was  much  more  than  a  mere  tradesman, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  early  civic  activities  of  Saginaw.  His 
son,  Frederick,  served  as  the  first  fire  chief  of  the  Saginaw  \'olunteer  De- 
partment, and  in  recognition  of  his  efficient  services  in  their  behalf  the 
merchants  and  citizens,  a  number  of  years  ago,  presented  him  with  a 
beautiful  solid  silver  horn,  with  his  name  engraved  upon  it.  That  horn 
is  now  one  of  the  prized  possessions  of  Otto  Harnisch.  Frederick  C. 
Harnisch,  father  of  Otto,  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars  in  Saginaw,  and  for  a  number  of  years  had  the  largest 
factory  of  that  kind  in  the  city.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  Germania  society,  and  active  in  the  Arl:if  iter  Verein.  The  mother 
of  Otto  Harnisch  still  lives  in  the  old  homestead  in  Saginaw.  All  the 
family  have  been  members  of  the  Gemian  Lutheran  church,  from  the 
time  of  their  settlement  and  the  organization  of  that  denomination  in 
Saginaw.  There  were  two  children,  and  the  other  son  is  Frederick  Har- 
nisch, a  resident  of  Detroit. 

(  )ttii  Harnisch  grew  up  in  Saginaw,  was  a  student  of  the  public 
schools,  and  when  sixteen  years  old  entered  the  employ  of  the  Alorley 
Brothers  Hardware  Company,  they  being  the  leading  merchants  of  their 
line  in  the  city.  His  wages  at  the  start  were  hardly  sufficient  to  pay  his 
living  expenses.  He  possessed  certain  qualifications  which  soon  made 
him  valuable  to  the  concern  and  his  efficiency  may  be  best  judged  by  the 
fact  that  he  continued  with  Morley  Brothers  for  twenty-one  years,  and 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1923 

for  five  years  had  charge  of  their  stove  and  range  department  and  for 
eleven  years  was  a  travehng  representative,  specializing  in  the  distribu- 
tion and  sale  of  stoves  and  ranges  throughout  the  entire  state  of  Michi- 
gan. In  1907  Mr.  Harnisch  was  offered  as  manufacturer's  agent,  several 
of  the  leading  lines  which  he  had  sold  for  so  many  years,  and  accepted 
the  factory  output  as  a  jobber.  Thus  was  organized  and  came  into  suc- 
cessful existence  the  X'alley  Stove  &  Range  Company.  Mr.  Harnisch 
took  the  leading  and  controlling  interest  in  the  concern,  and  has  since 
built  up  the  largest  jobbing  concern  of  its  kind  in  Saginaw.  This  business 
is  in  many  ways  an  important  factor  in  the  general  prosperity  of  Saginaw, 
since  as  a  wholesale  distributing  concern,  it  has  linked  the  city  with  scores 
of  other  places  in  northern  Michigan,  and  there  are  hundreds  of  towns 
which  now  look  to  Saginaw  for  their  point  of  supply  for  the  hardware 
goods,  especially  stoves  and  ranges.  The  company's  plant  is  located  at 
the  intersection  of  River  and  Hess  Streets,  where  excellent  shipping  fa- 
cilities are  aft'orded.  They  handle  immense  quantities  of  stoves,  ranges, 
furnaces,  gas  and  gasoline  stoves,  and  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  of 
their  make  of  Model  ranges  and  Queen  heating  stoves  have  been  shipped 
from  the  Saginaw  Valley,  and  more  than  five  thousand  of  these  stoves 
are  in  use  in  Saginaw  homes.  Such  an  enterprise  is  a  splendid  tribute 
to  the  business  integrity  and  industry  of  Otto  Harnisch. 

Mr.  Harnisch  since  a  boy  of  eighteen  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Royal  League,  and  for  four  years  was  honored  with  the  office  of 
Prelate!  His  affiliation  is  also  found  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 

Marshall  R.  Morden,  M.  D.  A  worthy  representative  of  the  medi- 
cal profession  in  Michigan  is  Dr.  Marshall  R.  Morden,  who  began  practice 
at  Adrian  in  1875,  and  through  nearly  forty  years  of  successful  profes- 
sional work,  has  dignified  his  calling  by  his  earnest  life  and  labor,  and  has 
won  a  prestige  by  which  he  well  merits  recognition  among  the  representa- 
tives of  Michigan  medical  fraternity. 

Dr.  Morden  is  a  Canadian  by  birth,  and  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
come  to  Michigan,  though  he  was  subsequently  followed  by  two  brothers. 
He  was  born  at  Bay  Ouinte,  near  Belleville,  Ontario,  August  12,  1844. 
His  parents  were  John  H.  and  Mary  (Mason)  Morden,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Bay  Quinte,  the  father  born  in  1804,  and  died  in  1877, 
and  the  mother  bom  in  1813,  and  died  in  1893.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
and  fruit  grower,  and  did  fairly  well  in  a  business  way,  and  offered  his 
children  a  good  home  and  gave  them  fair  educational  opportunities. 
There  were  ten  children,  named  as  follows:  Mahala,  Carolina,  Lucy, 
Benson,  Lucretia,  Marshall  R.,  Lenora,  Samuel,  Edwin,  and  Walter. 

Dr.  Morden  grew  up  in  his  native  locality,  attended  the  schools  of 
Belleville,  and  later  Albert  College.  Some  years  after  attaining  to  man's 
estate,  he  determined  upon  the  medical  profession  as  his  future  work, 
and  bent  all  his  efforts  toward  his  proper  equipment  for  that  calling.  In 
1871,  Dr.  Morden  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  then  Medical  School  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  and  immediately  after  graduating  located  for 
practice  at  Somerset,  in  Hillsdale  county.  Four  and  a  half-years  later 
he  moved  to  Adrian,  and  has  since  enjoyed  the  better  rewards  and  honors 
of  a  long  professional  career.  Dr.  Morden  is  a  Democrat,  a  memlier  of 
the  l.'nitarian  church,  and  lias  very  strong  views  on  the  temperance  ques- 
tion. For  recreation^  he  enjoys  gardening,  calls  himself  a  crank  on  the 
subject,  and  has  a  reputation  at  Adrian  as  being  one  of  the  most  successful 
producers  of  the  varied  crops  of  the  garden,  and  it  is  not  only  a  pleasure 
ijut  a  source  of  domestic  food  supply. 

At  Bay  Ouinte,  Ontario,  July  15,  1871,  Dr.  Morden  married  Sarah 


1924  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Jane  Terrill,  a  daughter  of  Esli  Terrill,  a  farmer  of  Bay  Ouinte  neigh- 
borhood. Dr.  ]\Iorden  and  wife  have  two  children.  Esli  T.  and  Edwin  J. 
Edwin  T.  Morden  is  a  musician  at  Adrian,  and  by  his  marriage  to  Wini- 
fred Teachout  has  one  child,  Gwendolyn. 

Esli  T.  Morden,  son  of  Dr.  Marshall,  has  followed  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father,  and  is  now  one  of  the  best  specialists  and  general  practitioners 
in  Lenawee  county.  He  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  Michigan  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  Detroit,  in  1901,  spent  a  part  of  the 
following  year  in  post-graduate  work  at  the  Chicago  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and 
Throat  College,  and  in  1902  entered  active  practice  at  Adrian,  being  now 
associated  with  his  father.  He  belongs  to  the  Lenawee  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has  been  secretary  of  the  Adrian 
Society  for  the  study  and  prevention  of  tuberculosis.  He  was  also  secre- 
tary for  one  year  of  the  Northern  Tri-State  Medical  Society.  Fraternally 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  with  his  family  attends  the  jMethodist  Protestant  church.  Dr. 
Esli  T.  Morden  married  at  Adrian  October  18,  1905,  ]\Iiss  Florence  Swift, 
a  daughter  of  I.  W.  Swift,  an  Adrian  grocer. 

Cii.ARLES  Carleton  Jenks.  Now  president  of  the  Michigan  Savings 
Bank  and  president  of  the  Security  Trust  Company  of  Detroit,  and  identi- 
fied with  other  financial  and  industrial  concerns,  Mr.  Jenks  began  his 
career  forty  years  ago  as  a  bookkeeper,  was  for  some  years  connected  with 
the  iron  manufacturing  and  hardware  trade  and  has  made  a  reputation  as 
one  of  the  successful  business  men  of  the  state. 

Charles  Carleton  Jenks  was  born  at  St.  Clair,  Michigan,  August  24, 
1S54.  His  father  was  an  early  Michigan  settler,  prominent  in  educational 
affairs  and  also  as  a  merchant,  lumberman  and  citizen.  His  father  was 
the  late  Hon.  Bela  W.  Jenks,  who  was  born  at  Crown  Point,  Essex  county, 
New  York,  June  6,  1824,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  W.  and  Hester  Jenks.  Bela 
\\'.  Jenks  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Crown  Point,  in  the 
Ferrisburg  Academy  and  in  the  Shelburn  Academy  in  Vermont,  and  also 
at  the  New  York  State  Normal  School  in  Albany.  Possessing  unusual 
scholarship  and  thorough  training  in  educational  affairs,  he  came  to 
Michigan  in  1848,  settling  in  St.  Clair  county,  and  establishing  a  select 
school  which  he  personally  conducted  for  a  number  of  years,  and  which 
furnished  superior  advantages  to  hundreds  of  the  youth  of  that  time.  In 
1853  he  joined  his  younger  brother,  Robert  H.,  in  merchandising  at  St. 
Clair,  a  partnership  that  existed  about  ten  years.  In  1867  they  invested 
in  timber  tracts  along  the  Saginaw  valley,  and  for  many  years  were  con- 
spicuous operators  in  the  lumber  industry  of  that  section.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  lenks  invested  largely  in  St.  Clair  county  real  estate  and  also  became 
the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  property  in  the  city  of  St.  Clair.  In  1869 
he  was  elected  on  "the  Republican  ticket  to  the  Michigan  State  Senate  for 
the  Twenty-fourth  District,  and  by  reelection  in  1871  served  two  terms. 
\\'hile  his  public  service  was  of  a  varied  and  public  spirited  character  in 
all  its  relations,  he  was  particularly  interested  in  the  cause  of  education, 
and  was  the  first  director  of  the  Union  School  in  St.  Clair  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  a  member  of  the  city  board  of  education.  In  1881  Governor 
Jerome  appointed  him  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  Michigan  State  Board  of 
Education,  and  in  1882  he  was  regularly  elected  member  of  that  board  for 
the  term  of  six  years.  On  November  3,  1853,  Bela  W.  Jenks  married 
Sarah  Carleton  of  Granville,  New  York. 

Charles  C.  Jenks  spent  most  of  his  vouth  in  St.  Clair,  attended  the 
grammar  and  high  schools  of  that  city  and  finished  his  education  in  the 
Fort  Edward  Academy  of  New  York.     Locating  in  Detroit  in  1875,  he 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1925 

found  work  as  bookkeeper  with  the  old  Wyandotte  RoUing  ]Mills,  and 
later  that  company  made  him  salesman  for  its  products.  He  continued 
representing  the  firm  under  its  original  title  and  also  under  its  successors, 
the  Eureka  Iron  Company.  In  1887,  after  twelve  years  of  active  experi- 
ence in  the  iron  industry,  Mr.  Jenks  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Fletcher,  Jenks  &  Company,  wholesale  hardware  merchants,  and  was  in 
that  business  five  years.  Mr.  Jenks  in  1904  became  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  manufacturing  firm  of  Jenks  &  Muir,  under  the  name  Jenks  &  Muir 
Manufacturing  Company.  He  is  still  president  of  that  important  concern. 
IMr.  Jenks  is  president  of  the  Xewland  Hat  Company,  president  of  the 
Michigan  Savings  Bank  and  the  Security  Trust  Company,  and  president 
of  the  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  of  St.  Clair,  his  old  home. 

He  has  membership  in  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  and  the  follow- 
ing clubs:  Detroit,  Detroit  Country  and  Detroit  Athletic.  On  November 
5,  1879,  occurred  his  marriage  in  Detroit  to  Miss  Christena  Strachan,  and 
their  two  children  are  Irene  S.  and  Eloise  C. 

George  Wayne  Syme.s.  For  a  period  of  thirty-five  years  the  Symes 
family  has  been  closely  identified  with  those  activities  which  constitute 
the  business  and  civic  life  of  a  community,  and  which  in  the  aggregate 
have  made  Shiawassee  one  of  the  most  progressive  counties  of  central 
Michigan.  The  late  Edward  Svmes,  whose  remarkable  enterprise  in  busi- 
ness affairs  is  now  continued  by  his  two  sons,  was  the  pioneer  lumber  man 
of  Bancroft,  and  may  be  justly  called  one  of  the  builders  of  that  prosper- 
ous little  city.  He  located  there  when  it  was  nothing  more  than  a  country 
settlement,  and  gave  his  influence  and  energy  to  every  subsequent  phase 
of  its  improvements. 

Edward  Symes  was  born  in  Milan,  Ohio,  and  his  wife  whose  maiden 
name  was  ]\Iarv  Kline,  was  a  native  of  the  same  vicinity.  Edward  Symes 
came  to  Michigan  in  early  life,  located  at  St.  Charles  in  Saginaw  county, 
where  he  became  identified  with  lumbering.  Two  years  later  he  returned 
to  Ohio  to  get  married,  and  then  brought  his  young  bride  to  St.  Charles, 
and  thenceforward  for  a  number  of  years  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  busi- 
ness afifairs  at  that  place.  He  fonned  a  co-partnership  with  his  brothers. 
Frank  J.  and  George  B.  Symes,  and  Symes  Brothers  Lumber  Company 
was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  extensi^•e  in  its  operation  in  the  Saginaw 
\"allev.  In  1878  the  companv  established  lumber  yards  at  Bancroft  and 
Durand.  The  brother  George  was  the  first  to  retire  from  the  firm  and  the 
two  remaining  brothers  then  established  saw  mills  at  McP)ain,  and  con- 
tinued actively  in  business  until  the  partnership  was  dissol\-ed  by  mutual 
consent. 

Edward  Symes  retained  the  lumber  yard  while  Frank  directed  the 
operation  of  the  mills.  In  1904  Edward  Symes  sold  out  the  lumber 
vards  in  Durand.  and  thereafter  devoted  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
the  lumber  and  coal  business  at  Bancroft.  In  the  death  of  Edward  Symes, 
which  occurred  at  Bancroft,  March  26,  1911,  the  community  lost  one  of 
its  ablest  business  leaders  and  citizens.  Bancroft  had  been  only  recently 
established  when  his  firm  opened  a  lumber  yard  there  in  1878,  and  from 
that  time  until  his  death,  his  name  was  always  associated  with  prac- 
tically every  movement  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  locality.  His  large  es- 
tate at  the  time  of  his  death  included  two  fine  farms  in  Saginaw  county 
close  to  the  village  of  St.  Charles,  besides  a  pleasant  home  and  valuable 
business  property  in  Bancroft.  His  widow  now  occupies  the  old  home  in 
Bancroft.  Edward  Svmes  and  wife  had  two  sons,  the  older  being  Louis 
Kline  Symes. 

George  W.  Symes,  the  vounger  son  was  born  in  Ivancroft,  Michigan. 
August  10,  1887.'    His  training  for  life  was  unusually  thorough  both  as 


1026  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

to  school  equipment  and  early  associations  and  experience  in  practical 
affairs.  From  the  grammar  and  high  scliools  of  Bancroft,  he  was  for  two 
years  a  student  in  the  agricultural  college  of  Lansing.  During  his  school 
da_ys,  and  afterwards  he  was  closely  associated  with  his  father,  and  thus 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  lumber  and  coal  business,  so  that  he 
was  thoroughly  equipped  to  take  charge  of  the  business  and  estate  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death. 

Mr.  George  W.  Symes  in  October,  1910,  married  Miss  Mildred  Con- 
ley  of  Oakland  county,  Michigan.  They  occupv  one  of  the  pleasant  homes 
of  Bancroft,  and  fraternally  Air.  Symes  is  at¥il'iated  with  the  Masonic  Or- 
der, the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  His  recreations  are  chiefly  hunting  and  fishing.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican  voter. 

Amos  O.  White.  A  position  of  world-won  leadership  in  business 
and  civic  affairs  is  that  of  Amos  O.  White  of  Fremont.  Mr.  White  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Walker  township,  Kent  county,  Alichigan,  on  lanuarv 
8th,  1848.  His  great-grandfather,  Henry  White,  was  a  soldier  under 
Washmgton  for  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  grandfather, 
Samuel  White,  was  born  in  Kinderhook,  near  Tarrytow^n,  New  York,  on 
April  1st,  1787.  He  lived  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  and  moved  from 
there  to  Canada,  where  he  operated  a  flouring  mill.  In  1836  he  emigrated 
to  Walker  township,  Kent  county,  where  he  took  up  land  which  is 
now  a  part  of  the  City  of  Grand  Rapids,  and  lived  there  till  his  death  on 
March  4th,  1873.  One  of  his  sons,  Charles,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
War,  and  the  youngest  son,  Samuel,  served  as  a  captain  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  The  latter  is  still  living  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four.  Abel  Ford,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Amos  O. 
White,  came  from  his  birthplace  of  \'ergennes,  \ermont.  to  Kent  county 
as  one  of  the  early  pioneers,  and  died  near  Grand  Rapids  at  an  advanced 
age. 

The  parents  of  Amos  O.  White  were  Milo  and  Mercy  (Ford)  White, 
the  former  being  born  at  Preble,  Otsego  county.  New  York,  lanuary  i, 
1816.  and  the  latter  in  Vergennes,  \'ermont,  August  24,  1815.  They  were 
married  in  Canada  on  January  31,  1838,  and  shortly  afterwards  came  to 
Michigan,  where  they  located  in  the  wilderness  of  Walker  township, 
Kent  county,  and  cleared  and  developed  a  farm  on  which  thev  lived  till 
January.  18(15.  In  that  year  they  moved  to  .Ashland  township,"  Newavgo 
county,  and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres,  wliich 
had  been  awarded  to  his  brother,  Charles,  for  services  iii  the  Mexican 
War.  Part  of  this  tract  with  its  original  forest  is  now  owned  by  A  O 
White. 

There  were  nine  children  in  the  family  of  the  parents,  Amos  O.  be- 
ing fifth  in  order  of  birth.  Three  are  still  living,  viz.:  Sophronia  M., 
who  married  Albert  L.  Russell  and  resides  at  Long  Beach,  California; 
and  Violetta  P.,  who  married  George  Rosewarne  and  lives  at  Grant, 
Michigan.  The  parents  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  the 
father  took  a  considerable  interest  in  Republican  politics  and  in  local 
affairs,  and  served  as  supervisor  of  Walker  township  in  Kent  county 
for  fourteen  years  when  that  locality  was  overwhelmingly  Democratic. 

Amos  O.  White  attended  the  c"bmmon  schools  of  Grand  Rapids  and 
nnished  his  education  in  the  high  school  of  that  city  and  in  Newaygo. 
At  the  beginning  of  his  successful  career  he  taught  school  for  four  years 
in  Newaygo  and  Aluskegon  counties. 

In  the  fall  of  1878,  soon  after  his  marriage,  he  located  at  Fremont, 
Michigan,  where  he  has  since  continuously  resided.  Here  he  opened  an 
office  as  representative  of  tire  and  life  insurance  companies,  and  in  that 


<,^ 


■"^'v^-^, 

'""< 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1927 

field  his  success  has  been  pre-eminent.  He  solicited  the  majority  of  the 
capital  stock  of  the  Patron's  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Ne- 
waygo, IMuskegon  and  Oceana  counties,  a  farmers'  mutual,  and  has  had 
charge  of  the  company  since  1879,  and  the  success  of  the  company  has 
chiefly  been  due  to  his  efforts.  He  is  secretary-treasurer  of  the  company, 
which  has  grown  under  his  management  from  $100,000  of  insurance  at 
risk  to  over  $9,000,000  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  White  has  also  been 
president  of  the  State  Association  of  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Companies 
for  several  years,  having  previously  served  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
that  organization. 

Since  coming  to  Fremont,  Mr.  White  has  held  various  township  and 
village  offices,  among  them  being  township  clerk,  treasurer  and  justice  of 
the  peace,  which  latter  office  he  held  for  twenty-four  years  continuously. 
He  also  served  as  village  trustee  and  village  president. 

In  the  field  of  education,  Mr.  White  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest, and  for  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  at  Fremont. 
He  was  largely  instrumental  in  bringing  the  Fremont  schools  to  their 
present  high  standard. 

In  addition  to  his  other  interests,  Mr.  White  is  president  of  the  Fre- 
mont State  Bank  and  assisted  in  its  organization.  He  also  organized  and 
is  a  director  in  the  Grant  State  Bank,  at  Grant,  Michigan. 

Since  1880,  Mr.  White  has,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  served  as 
treasurer  for  the  different  Masonic  bodies  of  Fremont.  He  is  a  member 
of  Pilgrim  Lodge,  No.  180,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Fremont  Chapter  No.  131,  R.  A. 
M. ;  Fremont  Council  No.  76,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Muskegon  Commandery  No. 
22,  K.  T. ;  Dewitt  Clinton  Consistory,  thirty-second  degree,  A.  A.  S.  R.  M. 
with  its  subordinate  degrees;  Saladin  Temple  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S. ;  and 
Magnolia  Chapter  No.  70,  O.  E.  S. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  White  has  •ajitendea' every  national  con- 
vention of  his  party  for  the  last  twenty-four  years,  was  an  elector  on 
the  second  Bryan  ticket,  and  has  been  a  delegate  or  an  alternate  at 
Democratic  conventions  for  the  past  sixteen  years.  Mr.  White,  through 
his  business  energ)'  and  success  for  a  number  of  years  enjoyed  liberal 
means,  and  has  used  it  for  extended  travel,  having  visited  nearly  all  the 
countries  of  the  world. 

On  October  ist,  1878,  he  was  married  to  Ida  M.,  daughter  of  Sulli- 
van and  Mary  C.  (Sheldon)  Armstrong,  who  were  early  pioneers  of 
Michigan.  The  father  was  born  in  Riga,  Monroe  county.  New  York, 
March  3rd,  1821.  When  six  years  old  he  came  with  his  parents  and 
settled  at  Wall  Lake,  ^Michigan.  His  father  dying  the  next  year,  the 
mother  returned  to  New  York,  where  Sullivan  lived  until  of  age.  He 
then  came  to  Kent  county,  Michigan,  and  took  up  land  in  Wright  town- 
ship. On  December  4th,' 1844,  he  married  ]Mary  C-,  daughter  of  George 
and  Sarah  M.  (Davis)  Sheldon,  who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
of  Grand  Rapids,  coming  from  Wilson,  N.  Y.,  in  1837,  where  Mary  C. 
was  born  on  October  ist,  1827.  After  living  eight  years  in  Wright  and 
Walker  townships  in  Kent  county,  Mr.  Armstrong  moved  his  family  to 
Ashland  township,  Newaygo  county,  in  the  fall  of  1852.  He  was  the 
third  settler  in  this  township,  which  was  then  a  dense  wilderness.  Mr. 
Armstrong  lived  to  see  it  all  cleared  and  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 
Six  vears  before  his  death  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  Fremont,  where 
he  died  January  30th,  1890.    Mrs.  Armstrong  died  January  12th,  191 1. 

Mrs."  Ida  M.\Vhite  was  born  in  Ashland  March  22d,  1856,  from  a 
long  line  of  Puritan  ancestors  on  both  sides,  being  a  direct  descendant 
of  William  Brewster  of  the  Mayflower  on  her  maternal  side. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Milo  A.,  born 
December  6th,  1879,  who  graduated  from  the  Ferris  Institute  and  also 


1928  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

from  the  literary  and  law  courses  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  has 
been  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Fremont,  ^Michigan,  since  1904,  enjoying 
a  successful  position  in  the  local  bar ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Kappa 
Psi  fraternity  and  also  a  member  of  the  same  Masonic  bodies  as  his 
father;  Annie  L.,  born  February  21st,  1882,  the  second  child,  graduated 
from  the  Musical  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  was  a 
member  of  the  Kappa  Alpha  Theta  sorority,  and  married  Warren  E. 
Emley,  who  is  employed  in  the  government  Bureau  of  Standards  at 
Pittsburgh;  Mary  L.,  born  November  28,  1886,  was  a  student  at  Yi)si- 
lanti  Normal  and  graduated  from  the  Literary  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  and  married  George  H.  Brown,  who  is  also 
employed  in  the  government  Bureau  of  Standards  at  Pittsburgh. 

John  Wendell  Anderson.  One  of  Detroit's  prominent  lawyers  is 
John  Wendell  Anderson,  who  for  over  twenty  years  has  practiced  his 
profession  in  the  Moffatt  Building,  and  who  as  an 'individual  and  in  asso- 
ciation with  other  well  known  members  of  the  local  bar  has  enjoyed  some 
of  the  best  distinctions  and  rewards  of  the  profession. 

A  Wisconsin  man  by  birth,  John  W.  Anderson  was  born  at  Pa 
Crosse,  September  25,  1868,  the  son  of  Hon.  Wendel  A.  Anderson,  M. 
D.,  and  Susan  M.  ( Small )  Anderson.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  ward  and  high  public  schools  of  La  Crosse  and  then  entered 
Cornell  University.  Here  he  took  a  special  course  in  history  and  po- 
litical economy  complemented  by  a  course  of  lectures  at  McGill  Uni- 
versity in  Montreal,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan  from  which,  with  the  degree  of  LL. 
B.,  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1890.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
same  year  he  forthwith  began  his  practice  in  Detroit.  The  first  three 
years  he  was  associated  with  the  firm  of  Bowen,  Douglas  ^-  Whiting. 
From  October,  1893.  to  January',  1896,  he  was  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Anderson  &  Codd.  The  junior  member  was  Hon.  George  P.  Codd, 
former  city  attorney,  former  mayor  of  Detroit,  and  now  on  the  circuit 
bench.  In  1896  Mr.  Anderson  formed  a  partnership  with  Horace  H. 
Rackham,  under  the  firm  name  of  Anderson  (S;  Rackham,  and  later  as 
Anderson,  Rackham  &  Wilcox.  Since  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Rackham  in 
1913  the  firm  name  has  been  Anderson  &  Wilco.x.  Mr.  Anderson  was 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Ford  Motor  Company,  in  which 
he  owns  a  substantial  interest.  He  is  also  a  tlirector  in  the  Plighland 
Park  State  Bank. 

I\Ir.  Anderson  has  meml^ership  in  the  Detroit  Bar  Association  and 
the  Michigan  State  Bar  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chi  Psi 
College  Fraternity ;  of  the  Masonic  Order ;  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Com- 
merce and  of  the  New  England  Society.  His  clubs  are:  Detroit,  Old, 
Yondotega,  Detroit  Athletic,  Detroit  Boat,  Players,  Bankers,  Green  Bag, 
Countrv  and  University,  of  which  last  he  was  president  in  1902-03,  and 
a  member  of  its  first  board  of  governors. 

On  June  19,  1895.  Mr.  Anderson  married  Gustava  D.  Doeltz,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Hon.  William  l~)oelt7  of  Detroit.  Their  two  children  are 
Wendell  W.  and  Suzanne  M. 

Clement  McDon.ald  Siinii,  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit  of 
Michigan,  is  the  son  of  David  W.  Smith  and  Leonora  (McDonald)  Smith. 
The  father  was  a  man  of  English  descent  and  a  native  of  Orleans  county. 
New  York,  while  the  mother,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  Judge  Smith  was  born  December  4,  1844,  near  Fort  Wayne,  In- 
diana, and  was  brought  to  Michigan  in  infancy  by  his  parents,  who  set- 
tled near  Nashville,  Barrv  countv,  on  the  farm  on  which  they  now  live. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1929 

The  early  years  of  Judge  Smith  were  spent  at  work  on  the  farm  and 
in  attendance  upon  the  district  school.     At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered 
the  Academy  at  \'ermontville,  where  he  spent  a  year  in  qualifying  him- 
self for  teaching.    From  that  time  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  spent  the  winters  in  teaching  and  the  summers  in  fami  work.    In  1865- 
66  he  attended  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  ^Michigan  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of  1868.     In  early  boyhood  he  had 
not  expected  to  be  a  lawyer,  but  an  incident  that  transpired  when  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  determined  the  choice  of  a  profession  as  his  life 
work.    He  was  then  a  teacher  in  the  country  schools  and  happened  to  be 
a  witness  to  a  collision  between  two  vehicles,  in  one  of  which  he  was  rid- 
ing with  the  owner  upon  the  highw-ay.     The  accident  led  to  litigation. 
During  the  course  of  the  trial  he  was  fascinated  with  the  application  of 
law  to  the  rights  of  the  parties  and  especially  by  the  arguments  of  the 
counsel  before  the  jury.     From  that  moment  his  decision  to  become  a 
lawyer  was  fixed  and  irrevocable.     His  course  of  study  was  chosen  with 
that  end  in  view.    After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  opened  an  office  for 
practice  at  Nashville  in  the  spring  of  1868.    The  following  winter  he  was 
principal  of  the  first  union  school  organized  in  Nashville  after  its  incor- 
poration.    In  the  spring  of  1869  he  went  to  ^linnesota  and  engaged  for 
six  months  in  the  business  of  soliciting  for  a  fire  insurance  company,  and 
upon  returning  to  Barry  county  in  the  fall,  he  settled  at  Middleville  and 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Harvey  Wright,  which  was  continued  for 
about  six  months.    He  then  returned  to  Naslnille,  where  he  resumed  prac- 
tice, continuing  until  1876.    In  that  year  he  was  elected  Probate  Judge  of 
Barry  county  and  removed  to  Hastings  on  January  i,  1877.     This  office 
he  held  for  eight  years,  and  performed  its  duties  in  a  manner  entirely  sat- 
isfactory to  the  public.     During  his  term  of  office  he  continued  his  law 
practice  and  was  associated  for  about  two  years  with  Charles  AI.  Knoppen, 
devoting  such  time  as  he  could  spare  from  official  duties  to  the  law  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Smith  &  Knoppen.    In  the  fall  of  1880  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Hon.  Philip  T.  Colgrove,  which  was  continued  until 
Judge  Smith  was  called  to  the  bench.    The  firm  of  Smith  &  Colgrove  had 
the  largest  practice  in  the  county,  and  was  connected  as  counsel  with 
many  of  the  most  important  cases.     The  practice  of  the  firm  was  botli 
civil  and  criminal.     Among  the  cases  of  greatest  local  interest  and  im- 
portance  may   be   mentioned  The   People   vs.    Carpenter,   charged    with 
murder :  People  vs.   Carveth,  charged  with  wife  poisoning,  in  both  of 
which  Mr.  Smith  was  attorney  for  the  defendant ;  also  People  vs.  ^McKay, 
in  which  he  assisted  the  prosecuting  attorney.     He  was  counsel  for  the 
defense  in  the  celebrated  case  of  the  People  vs.  Strong,  and  secured  the 
acquittal  of  his  client.    Among  the  most  notable  civil  cases  were  Baldwin 
vs.  City  of  Hastings,  in  which  the  rights  of  the  city  to  tax  the  farmers 
for  a  system  of  waterworks  in  the  corporation  was  involved.     Another 
case  was  Mudge  vs.  Board  of  Education,  to  determine  the  right  of  women 
to  vote  at  school  elections  in  the  city,   in  which   he   was  employed   as 
counsel  for  the  plaintiff.    The  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  and 
led  to  legislation  securing  the  right  to  women  to  vote  at  school  elections. 
In    1890   he   was   appointed   prosecuting  attorney   to  fill  a   vacancy   oc- 
casioned by  the  death  of  C.  H.  \'an  Arman.    January  3,  1893,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Governor  Rich  as  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit.     This 
was  the  first  appointment  made  by  the  Governor.    At  the  election  follow- 
ino-  he  was  elected  for  the  unexpired  portion  of  the  term  and  also  for  the 
full  term  which  expired  December  31,  1899. 

Among  the  important  cases  tried  before  him  as  judge  are  the  Butcher 
murder  case,  from  Eaton  county ;  the  Teft  murder  case  from  Barry 
countv  ;  the  conspiracy  case  of  People  vs.  Rosen  et  al.  Eaton  county  ;  Peo- 


1930  HISTURY  OF  MICHIGAN 

pie  vs.  Scott,  manslaughter,  a  case  growing  out  of  the  wreck  on  the  Grand 
■  Trunk  Railroad  at  Battle  Creek  in  1893.  The  following  estimate  is  from 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Bar  of  Eaton  county : 

"Judge  Smith  has  much  ability  as  a  jurist  and  is  speedily  distinguish- 
ing himself  for  readiness  in  grasping  and  mastering  principles.  He  is 
extremely  courteous  and  kind  to  members  of  the  bar.  Xo  attorney  has 
ever  been  heard  to  complain  of  not  being  allowed  to  state  his  case  fully 
and  fairly  and  try  it  upon  his  own,  theory.  His  great  strength  is  seen 
in  his  quick  decisions  when  once  satisfied  of  the  right.  Many  a  harsh 
rule  of  law  is  set  aside  in  behalf  of  justice  and  conscience  in  his  Chancery 
Court.  He  is  apparently  the  most  interested  person  in  cases  tried  before 
him.  His  circuit  is  the  largest  in  the  state,  consuming  his  entire  time  on 
the  bench ;  but  the  facility  with  which  he  tries  cases  enables  him  to  keep 
well  up  with  the  business  of  the  docket,  although  the  amount  of  litigation 
brought  before  him  is  very  large.  He  has  already  taken  front  rank  as  a 
jurist  in  the  state.  Some  of  the  most  noted  criminal  cases  in  recent  years 
have  been  tried  in  his  court.  A  part  of  his  circuit  is  under  local  option 
law,  which  has  been  fruitful  of  much  litigation.  He  is  a  firm  adherent 
of  the  theor\-  that  all  laws  should  be  impartially  enforced  as  enacted,  and 
he  never  allows  his  personal  opinion  or  feeling  to  manifest  itself  in  the 
disposition  of  cases,  except  that  his  rulings  are  all  tempered  with  hu- 
manity and  sympathy  for  unfortunate  people.  The  good  advice  and  words 
of  encouragement  given  to  such  as  are  convicted  would,  if  followed,  lead 
to  reformation  and  good  citizenship.  Judge  Smith  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  the  members  of  the  bar,  and  is  well  spoken  of  throughotit  the  state." 

Judge  Smith  has  for  many  years  been  a  Mason,  with  membership  in 
the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  of  Hastings  and  the  Commandery  at  Char- 
lotte. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Uniformed 
Rank  of  that  Order. 

On  May  17,  1871,  Judge  Smith  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Frances  M. 
\Mieeler,  a  daughter  of  Milo  T.  Wheeler,  who  was  treasurer  of  Barry 
County.  Their  family  consists  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  elder 
son,  Shirley  W.,  is  a  graduate  in  the  Literar}-  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  class  of  1897,  and  at  present  is  the  secretary  of  the 
University  of  Alichigan.  The  daughter  received  her  eductaion  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  the  younger  son,  Donald  D.,  is  a  graduate  of 
the  same  university,  class  of  1905,  and  at  present  is  the  consulting  en- 
gineer for  the  Southern  Surety  Company  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where 
he  resides. 

Linn  M.  Cudworth,  M.  D.  Since  1896  Dr.  Cudworth  has  been  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  at  Perry,  in  Shiawassee  cotmty.  Dr. 
Cudworth  acquired  his  education  and  training  for  a  professional  career 
almost  entirely  from  the  means  earned  by  himself,  and  has  advanced  him- 
self to  a  place  of  leadership  in  the  local  medical  fraternity. 

Linn  M.  Cudworth  was  born  at  Bainbridge,  New  York,  February 
23,  1870,  the  only  son  of  John  W.  and  Catherine  Elosia  (]\Iaine)  Cud- 
worth. The  father,  a  native  of  Vermont,  moved  when  a  young  man  to 
Xew  York,  and  is  now  living  at  Cortland,  New  York,  a  jeweler  and  opti- 
cian, and  at  one  time  postmaster  of  the  village  of  Bainbridge.  He  is 
now  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
was  educated  and  married  in  New  York  State,  died  in  Oxford,  New  York, 
in  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight. 

Linn  M.  Cudworth  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  home  town,  fin- 
ished his  literary  course  in  the  Oxford  Academy,  in  1889,  and  took  three 
years  special  work  at  Colgate  University.  His  medical  studies  were  pur- 
sued in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  where  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1896.    In 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  l'J31 

the  same  year  he  came  west  and  located  at  Perry,  and  has  been  in  suc- 
cessful practice  for  the  past  seventeen  years.  In  his  profession  he  be- 
long to  the  County  and  State  Medical  Societies,  and  at  two  different  times 
has  served  his  village  as  president.  In  politics  the  doctor  is  a  Republican, 
is  a  chapter  Mason,  affiliating  with  Corunna  Chapter,  and  was  Master  of 
his  lodge  in  1910.  His  other  affiliations  are  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  his  church  is  the  Baptist,  and  he  stands  high  in  both 
social  and  civic  affairs  in  Perry.  Dr.  Cudworth  was  married  at  Perry 
in  1905  to  Miss  Lucy  B.  Snyder,  daughter  of  George  and  Ella  Snyder. 
They  have  a  comfortable  home  in  Perry. 

E.  A.  Robertson.  Now  ranking  as  one  of  the  leading  cities  and  trade 
industries  in  Michigan,  Saginaw  has  been  fortunate  in  the  possession  of 
a  fine  body  of  capable  business  builders  and  leaders,  including  men  of 
ability  and  integrity  to  direct  the  large  enterprises  which  have  given  this 
city  distinction  among  the  larger  centers  of  the  state.  During  the  past 
twenty  years  one  of  these  men  of  enterprise  has  been  Mr.  E.  A.  Robert- 
son, mention  of  whose  name  at  once  brings  up  the  E.  A.  Robertson  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  president,  and  which  is  the  largest  firm  of  its  kind 
in  the  state. 

The  position  of  the  E.  A.  Robertson  Company,  in  the  industrial 
activities  of  Saginaw,  and  what  the  firm  represents  in  its  contribution  to 
the  aggregate  of  ^Michigan's  manufacture,  is  well  described  in  a  handsome 
book  entiUed  "Greater  Industrial  and  Commercial  Saginaw,"  published  in 
1912.  The  descriptive  matter  in  that  article,  which  covers  the  ground 
practically  up  to  the  present  writing,  is  repeated  herewith :  "This  is  one 
of  the  most  uniformly  prosperous  of  the  many  important  industries  of 
which  Saginaw  boasts.  This  business  was  established  in  1897,  and  can 
therefore  point  with  pride  to  a  record  of  fifteen  years  of  profitable 
operation.  The  business  is  that  of  making  high-grade  costumes  and  waists 
for  women.  The  beginning  was  made  in  a  small  way,  when  only  ten  ma- 
chines were  used,  and  a  dozen  people  employed.  At  present  the  con- 
cern occupies  an  up-to-date  factory  building,  consisting  of  three  stories, 
and  affording  thirty-two  thousand  four  hundred  square  feet  of  floor 
space.  The  workrooms  are  sanitary,  light  and  convenient,  and  are  amply 
supplied  with  machines  of  the  latest  and  most  modern  patterns  for  the 
rapid  and  perfect  manufacture  of  this  special  line  of  work.  The  operators 
employed,  of  whom  there  are  three  hundred  and  fifty,  are  those  who  have 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  their  individual  tasks.  The  increasing  volume  of 
business  necessitates  the  services  of  six  expert  designers,  who  visit  the 
famous  fashion  centers  of  Europe  annually,  and  have  entree  to  the  estab- 
lishments of  the  leading  masters  of  fashion.  The  costumes,  dresses  and 
waists,  fashioned  by  this  house,  are  eagerly  sought  by  discriminating 
buyers  for  many  of  the  leading  women's  apparel  shops  of  the  best  ship- 
ping centers  of  the  country.  Each  model  produced  in  the  work  rooms 
of  this  concern  carries  the  unmistakable  stamp  of  style,  is  built  on  modish 
lines,  and  bears  a  chic  appearance  that  appeals  to  the  smartly  dressed 
woman  of  refined  tastes.  The  fabrics  used  embracing  silks  of  a  wide 
varietv.  chift'ons,  velvet  and  satins  are  the  choicest  offered  in  both  foreign 
and  domestic  markets.  The  trimmings  are  all  that  the  most  exacting 
could  desire,  and  include  many  importations,  giving  these  garments  an 
individuality  in  design  and  finish,  not  to  be  found  in  the  average  ready-to- 
wear  product.  The  quality  of  the  materials  used  and  the  high  grade  of 
workmanship  in  evidence  has  made  the  products  of  this  concern  widely 
and  most  favorably  known  to  the  trade  in  this  special  line  as  the  yearly 
increasing  volume  of  business  most  positively  testifies.  A  corps  of  seven 
competent  salesmen  represent  the  firm  in  every  state  in  the  Union,  and  in 


1932  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  principal  cities  of  Canada,  selling  exclusively  to  dealers  in  high-grade 
wear.  The  E.  A.  Robertson  Company  maintain  a  permanent  oflice  at 
1 182  Broadway,  New  York  City,  where  a  special  force  of  representatives 
meet  the  buyers.  The  otificers  of  the  company  are  E.  A.  Robertson,  presi- 
dent and  treasurer;  E.  L.  Hackstadt,  vice  president;  and  D.  P.  Toole,  sec- 
retary. The  officers  together  with  F.  B.  Gage  form  the  board  of 
directors." 

Edmund  .\rchibald  Robertson,  whose  energy  and  broad  experience  in 
general  clothing  lines  have  been  chiefly  responsible  for  the  up!)uilding  of 
the  Saginaw  industry,  was  born  at  Cupar,  Fife  county,  Scotland,  May  13, 
1866,  a  son  of  John'and  Mary  Anna  (Mitchell)  Robertson.  The  father, 
a  man  of  education,  and  for  many  years  an  office  holder  in  his  county  and 
a  leading  dry  goods  merchant,  retired  after  a  successful  career  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years,  and.  born  in  1832,  is  now  eighty-one  years  of  age,  and 
lives  at  the  town  of  his  birth  in  Scotland.  His  wife  is  also  alive,  and 
they  enjoy  the  peace  and  plenty  worthily  won  by  long  and  well  spent  years. 
Of  their  seven  children  two  "are  deceased,  and  the  others  are:  Jessie, 
wife  of  Alexander  Baird,  of  Winnipeg,  Canada ;  William  Robertson,  man- 
ager of  the  Rat  Portage  Lumber  Company  at  \'ancouver.  British  Colum- 
bia; Edmund  A.:  ^lary,  wife  of  Robert  Brown,  of  Winnipeg;  and  Edith 
Robertson,  who  lives  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Air.  E.  A.  Robertson  as  a  boy  was  trained  in  private  schools,  and 
though  he  passed  the  examinations  for  entrance  to  St.  .Andrews  Uni- 
versity, he  was  turned  aside  from  a  University  career  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  began  an  apprenticeship  at  Dundee,  Scotland,  in  a  large  mercantile 
and  export  linen  goods  business.  Those  who  know  how  systematic  is  the 
organization  and  conduct  of  a  Scottish  mercantile  house,  will  readily  un- 
derstand that  Mr.  Robertson's  business  training  was  exceedingly  thor- 
ough, and  when  he  completed  his  apprenticeship,  of  four  years,  he  was 
equipped  with  a  training  in  practically  every  detail.  Then  emigrating  to 
America,  he  located  at  Norwich,  Connecticut,  where  he  entered  the  estab- 
lishment of  Porteous  and  Mitchell,  a  leading  tirm  of  dry  goods  merchants. 

Archibald  Mitchell,  junior  member  of  the  firm,  was  a  first  cousin  of 
E.  .\.  Robertson.  Seven  years  were  spent  with  that  firm  and  in  that 
time  Mr.  Robertson  acquired  a  complete  familiarity  with  trade  conditions 
in  -America.  He  gained  a  broad  knowledge  of  the  technical  departments 
of  dress  goods  manufacture.  In  1S92  the  firm  bought  out  the  business 
of  Bauman  &  Company  at  Saginaw,  Michigan,  and  E.  .A..  Robertson  was 
sent  out  to  take  active  management  of  that  new  branch.  It  was  in  that  way 
he  became  identified  with  Michigan  and  with  Saginaw,  and  has  since  been 
a  permanent  resident  of  this  city.  The  business  when  Mr.  Robertson  came 
to  Saginaw  was  located  on  Michigan  and  Court  Street  West,  was  later 
moved  to  where  the  large  Tanner  Department  Store  stands  in  east  Sag- 
inaw, and  Mr.  Robertson  continued  in  active  charge  of  the  Saginaw  estab- 
lishment for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  ready  to  branch 
out  independently,  and  organized  a  company  to  engage  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  shirt  waists.  This  company  comprised  Mr.  Robertson,  Mr.  X. 
Brady,  Charles  Benjamin  and  Paul  Bernhardt.  Since  its  establishment 
the  firm  has  always  gone  under  the  name  of  E.  .\.  Robertson  Company. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  the  three  associates  just  named  have  with- 
drawn, and  the  company  has  been  incorporated  with  the  officers  as  already 
stated. 

Besides  his  position  as  president  of  the  E.  A.  Robertson  Company, 
Mr.  Robertson  has  many  other  large  and  distinctive  interests  in  the  city. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Saginaw,  and  of  the  Argo  Electric  \'e- 
hicle  Companv.  He  has  a  life  membership  card  in  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  his  politics  is  Republican.  On  October  23, 
1897,  Air.  Robertson  married  Miss  Fannie  Williams,  a  native  of  Saginaw, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1933 

and  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Gardner  W'ilhams, 
the  latter  having  been  the  original  saw  mill  owner  and  operator  of 
Saginaw,  and  a  pioneer  whose  career  was  closely  identified  with  the  early 
history  of  that  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson  have  two  children: 
Harriete  ]\Iitchell  Robertson  and  Anne  Robertson. 

Henry  A.  Haigh.  One  of  the  leading  personal  factors  in  the  held  of 
electric  railway  development  during  recent  years  has  been  Henry  A. 
Haigh  of  Detroit,  who  with  his  associates  has  built  and  operated  many 
miles  of  railway  in  the  state  of  ^lichigan,  and  in  other  localities  of  the 
Union.  From  1878  until  1899,  Mr.  Haigh  was  one  of  the  able  members 
of  the  Detroit  bar,  and  for  many  years  his  name  was  prominent  in 
affairs  of  the  Republican  party  in  Michigan.  Not  only  in  the  field  of  rail- 
way enterprise  has  Mr.  Haigh  contributed  to  the  development  of  the 
country,  but  he  is  also  a  contributor  to  the  literature  of  law,  and  at  least 
two  useful  works  bear  his  name. 

The  Haigh  family  have  been  prominent  in  Alichigan  for  nearly  sev- 
enty years.  In  the  old  "Haigh  Homestead"  at  Dearborn,  near  Detroit, 
Henry  Allyn  Haigh  was  born  March  13,  1854.  His  father  was  the  late 
Richard  Haigh,  Sr.,  who  was  born  at  Wakefield,  Yorkshire,  England, 
May  4,  181 1,  and  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  came  to  America,  and 
first  found  employment  in  a  small  shop  in  Xew  York  City,  engaged  in 
the  refinishing  of  woolen  cloth.  In  1827  the  elder  Haigh  was  employed 
by  John  Barrows  and  Son,  woolen  cloth  manufacturers  of  Xew  York 
City,  and  later  in  the  same  line  by  Peter  Schenk  of  Glenham,  Xew  York, 
and  by  Thomas  \\'illiams  &  Son  of  Poughkeepsie,  Xew  York.  In  1835 
he  removed  to  Rochester,  New  York,  and  engaged  with  the  firm  of  E.  & 
H.  Lyon.  In  1837  he  took  charge  of  the  buying  and  sorting  of  wools 
for  the  Waterloo  Woolen  ]\Iills,  at  Waterloo,  New  York.  At  the  same 
place  in  1842  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  linseed  oil,  and  built 
up  a  good  industry  and  one  that  was  profitable  until  the  repeal  of  the 
tariff  protecting  that  industry  in  1846.  His  brother  Henry  was  in  the 
drug  business  at  Detroit,  and  in  1852  Richard  Haigh,  Sr.,  moved  to 
Detroit,  and  bought  the  property  in  the  nearby  village  of  Dearborn,  which 
has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  "Haigh  Homestead."  There  he  lived 
until  his  death,  December  5,  1904.  He  developed  his  lands  and  became 
a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  His  farm  originally  comprised  three 
hundred  acres.  The  original  fann  house  has  been  improved  and  enlarged 
and  is  now  the  country  home  of  Henry  A.  Haigh,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  late  Richard  Haigh  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Christ 
Church  at  Dearborn,  serving  as  senior  warden  from  its  beginning  in  1866 
until  his  death.  Richard  Haigh,  Sr.,  married  in  1836  ^liss  Bessie  Wil- 
liams, who  died  in  1842,  and  in  1844  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Billings  Allyn 
of  Waterloo,  New  York. 

Henry  A.  Haigh,  who  was  a  child  of  his  father's  second  marriage, 
received  his  early  education  in  the  local  public  schools,  and  was  sent  east 
to  Waterloo,  Xew  York,  for  a  portion  of  his  education.  In  1874  he 
graduated  as  a  Bachelor  of  Science  from  the  Michigan  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. Entering  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  he 
graduated  LL.  B.  in  1878.  In  the  meantime  he  had  taken  up  the  practical 
duties  of  life,  and  in  1874  and  1875  taught  winter  school  in  Wayne 
county.  In  -March,  1875,  he  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  state 
board  of  health  at  Lansing,  and  served  until  September.  1876.  Soon  after 
his  graduation  in  law  and  admission  to  the  bar  in  Detroit,  he  became 
associated  with  an  old  classmate,  Hon.  William  L.  Carpenter,  who  later 
became  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Michigan.  In  1899  he  was 
taken  into  the  law  firm  of  the  late  Col.  John  Atkinson,  the  firm  name 
becoming  Atkinson,   Carpenter,   Brooke  &  Haigh.     In  the  fall  of   1893 


19.S4  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Mr.  Haigli  became  junior  member  in  the  firm  of  Atkinson  &  Haigh,  that 
relationship  being  continued  until  1896.  For  the  past  fifteen  years  Mr. 
Haigh  has  given  little  attention  to  his  law  practice,  devoting  his  time  and 
ability  to  electric  railway  construction,  to  banking  and  other  interests. 

In  1884  Mr.  Haigh  published  "Haigh's  Manual  of  Law,"  a  compila- 
tion of  laws,  applicable  to  farm  life  and  rural  districts.  This  work  met 
with  an  extended  sale  and  is  still  in  use. 

During  his  earlier  career  Mr.  Haigh  was  an  influential  figure  in  Michi- 
gan State  politics.  In  1887  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  political  organ- 
ization known  as  the  National  Republican  League,  and. in  1892-93  was  the 
Michigan  member  of  the  executive  committee.  In  1888-93  he  interested 
himself  keenly  in  the  afifairs  of  the  ^lichigan  Club,  at  that  time  the  most 
prominent  Republican  organization  of  the  state,  of  which  he  had  been  one 
of  the  founders,  and  of  which  he  was  the  first  secretary  and  later  presi- 
dent. In  1892  Mr.  Haigh  was  presidential  elector  from  Michigan,  and 
was  the  electoral  messenger  who  carried  the  vote  of  Michigan  to  Wash- 
ington. In  1896  he  was  president  of  the  McKinley  Club  and  was  the 
alternate  delegate  at  large  from  Michigan  to  the  national  convention 
in  St.  Louis.  Of  the  Michigan  State  Republican  League,  organized  in 
1888,  Mr.  Haigh  served  as  first  secretary.  Mr.  Haigh's  career  as  a 
promoter  and  builder  of  electric  railways  began  in  1898,  when  he  assisted 
Samuel  F.  Angus  and  James  D.  Hawks  in  securing  rights  for  the  Detroit, 
Ypsilanti,  Ann  Arbor  and  Jackson  Railway.  Later  he  and  Mr.  Angus 
promoted  the  Toledo,  Fremont,  and  Norwalk  Railway  in  Ohio.  He  was 
chosen  treasurer  and  general  ^ceunsel  for  the  company  formed  to  carry 
on  the  project.  The  successful  •completion  of  the  line  was  largely  due 
to  the  organization  of  the  Comstock-Haigh-Walker  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Haigh  later  became  president.  The  road,  sixty-five  miles  in  length, 
some  years  after  being  completed,  was  sold  to  the  Everett  System  of 
Cleveland,  and  is  now  a  part  of  the  Lake  Shore  Electric  Railway  between 
Cleveland  and  Toledo. 

In  1902  the  Comstock-Haigh-\\'aIker  Company  began  the  construction 
of  the  Rochester  and  Eastern  Railway,  an  electric  system  connecting 
Rochester,  Canandaigua  and  Geneva,  New  York.  In  1905,  after  the  line 
had  been  completed,  it  was  sold  to  the  New  York  Central  Company.  The 
company  next  ventured  into  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  where  it  constructed 
and  still  owns  and  opefates  the  Milwaukee  Northern  Railway,  a  system 
which  connects  and  serves  five  of  the  most  important  and  prosperous 
counties  in  Wisconsin.  For  fifty-eight  miles  the  road  runs  between  Mil- 
waukee and  Sheboygan,  and  another  division  of  forty-two  miles,  not  yet 
completed,  extends  to  F^ond  du  Lac.  Mr.  Haigh  in  1905  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Comstock-Haigh-Walker  Company,  following  the  death  of 
William  B.  Comstock,  and  about  the  same  time  became  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Milwaukee  Northern  Railway  Company,  a  position  still 
held  by  him.  In  1906  he  became  vice  president  and  a  director  in  the 
Detroit,  Ypsilanti,  Ann  Arbor  and  Jackson  Railway  Company,  continu- 
ing tho.se  relations  until  the  road  was  sold  to  the  Detroit  L^nited  Railways. 
With  the  death  of  Andrew  W.  Comstock,  in  April,  1908,  Mr.  Haigh  be- 
came president  and  director  of  the  Cincinnati,  Georgetown  .-tnd  Ports- 
mouth Railway  and  the  Felicity  and  Bethel  Railway,  a  combined  steam 
and  electric  system,  operating  about  seventy  miles  of  line  east  of  Cincin- 
nati.   At  the  present  time  he  is  a  director  in  the  Alpena  Power  Company. 

Among  other  interests  which  have  made  Mr.  Haigh  prominent  in 
financial  and  commercial  afifairs,  should  be  mentioned  the  following:  He 
was  one  of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  stock  of  the  Peninsular  Savings 
Bank  of  Detroit,  and  now  a  director  and  member  of  its  executive  com- 
mittee; he  is  president  of  the  Detroit  Sanitarium;  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Continental  Casualty  Company,  now  of  Chicago,  and  the 


fUSJTCIURAlTi 


aJjL^  yTTVV-& 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1935 

second  largest  insurance  company  of  its  kind  in  the  countr_v,  having  for 
some  years  been  one  of  its  directors  and  general  counsel  for  Michigan. 

On  January  i6,  1895,  Mr.  Haigh  married  Miss  Caroline  Comstock, 
daughter  of  the  late  Andrew  W.  Comstock,  a  prominent  lumberman, 
banker  and  vessel  owner  of  Alpena,  Michigan.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children :  Andrew  Comstock  Haigh,  a  student  in  the  University 
of  ]\Iichigan,  and  Richard  AUyn  Haigh,  a  student  at  the  Detroit  Univer- 
sity school.  The  home  of  the  family  in  Detroit  is  at  174  Seminole  Avenue. 
From  1901  to  1906  Mr.  Haigh  served  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State 
Board  of  Health,  and  also  a  member  of  the  American  Public  Health 
Association.  His  club  and  social  connections  include  membership  in  the 
Michigan  Pioneer  &  Historical  Society;  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce; 
the  Detroit  Club;  The  University  Club  of  Detroit;  the  Country  Club  of 
Grosse  P'ointe,  and  the  Long  Lake  Country  Club.  Mr.  Haigh  is  a 
Mason  and  has  his  membership  in  Oriental  Lodge. 

Charles  H.  Hackley.  Even  the  most  casual  visitor  is  accustomed 
to  associate  the  name  Hackley  with  the  city  of  Muskegon,  since  its 
most  familiar  and  prominent  institutions  bear  the  name  and  to  a  large 
degree  are  the  product  of  the  splendid  philanthropy  of  that  eminent 
lumberman  and  financier.  While  it  is  true  that  the  careers  of  many 
men  enter  into  the  foundation  and  superstructure  of  the  city  of  Mus- 
kegon, it  is  not  disparaging  the  work  of  any  one  to  say  that  the  late 
Charles  H.  Hackley  was  the  foremost  factor  and  influence  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  west  Michigan  industrial  and  civic  center.  During  the 
early  eighties  Muskegon  was  the  point  of  premier  production  in  the 
lumber  industry  of  the  United  States  and  no  one  man  contributed  more 
to  that  fame  than  Mr.  Hackley.  It  is  the  history  of  many  cities,  depend- 
ent upon  one  natural  resource  such  as  lumber,  mining,  etc.,  that  their 
glory  departs  with  the  exhaustion  of  the  material  which  aflrorded  them 
the  opportunity  to  rise.  It  is  the  distinction  of  Muskegon  that,  with 
the  decline  of  local  lumbering,  other  interests  were  substituted,  and  it 
has  since  gained  renown  as  a  city  of  diversified  industry,  of  splendid 
institutions  and  public  enterprise,  and  in  this  latter  field  to  even  a  greater 
degree  than  in  the  promotion  of  the  lumber  manufacturers  were  the 
business  spirit  and  wealth  of  Mr.  Hackley  displayed  for  the  permanent 
benefit  and  prosperity  of  Muskegon,  and  even  among  those  who  were 
closely  associated  with  and  aided  him  in  this  epoch  of  city  building,  his 
individual  efforts  are  conceded  to  have  accomplished  the  most  substantial 
things  in  assuring  Muskegon's  present  power  and  resources  as  a  city. 

Aside  from  the  great  material  benefit  that  accrued  from  his  career, 
the  life  of  the  late  Charles  H.  Hackley  should  prove  an  inspiration  to 
all  who  read  this  brief  biography.  This  noted  lumberman  and  philanthro- 
pist was  born  at  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  January  3,  1837,  and  died  at 
Muskegon,  February  10.  1905.  For  more  than  half  a  century  liis  life  had 
been  one  of  striking  activity  and  accomplishment.  While  his  birth  was 
unnoted  except  in  his  family  and  the  immediate  community,  his  death  was 
mourned  by  an  entire  city  and  distinguished  tributes  were  paid  him  from 
all  over  the  state.  His  father,  Joseph  H.  Hackley,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  at  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  but  when  Charles  was  a  child 
the  family  moved  to  old  Southport,  now  the  city  of  Kenosha,  Wisconsin, 
where  the  boy  received  such  education  as  could  be  obtained  from  public 
schools  in  that  place  and  at  that  time.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  school 
and  began  to  support  himself.  In  1856,  a  youth  of  about  nineteen,  he 
worked  his  passage  on  a  schooner  across  Lake  Michigar:  from  Kenosha 
to  Muskegon,  and  at  noon  on  the  day  of  his  arrival,  April  17th,  began 
work  as  a  common  laborer  for  Durkee,  Truesdell  &  Company,  lumber 


1936  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

manufacturers.  The  keen  eagerness  he  showed  in  mastering  the  details 
of  his  work  caused  the  tirm  to  send  him  out  to  the  woods  in  the  following 
fall  as  a  log  scaler,  and  in  the  next  spring  he  was  made  outside  foreman 
of  the  sawmill,  in  charge  of  lumber  sorting.  His  employers  recognized 
the  possibilities  of  the  future  in  this  young  man,  and  on  their  advice  he 
returned  to  Kenosha  in  the  fall  of  1857  and  spent  the  winter  at  a  com- 
mercial college  to  train  himself  in  the  commercial  as  well  as  the  technical 
side  of  lumbering. 

The  spring  of  1858  found  him  in  2\Iuskegon  again  as  bookkeeper 
for  Gideon  Truesdell,  successor  to  the  former  tirm  of  Durkee,  Truesdell 
&  Company.  By  1859  he  acquired  suiificient  experience  to  encourage  him 
to  enter  business  on  his  own  account.  In  the  meantime,  in  1855,  his 
father  had  moved  to  Muskegon,  and  in  1859  the  firm  of  J.  H.  Hackley 
&  Company  was  organized.  They  bought  a  sawmill,  a  year  later  added  an- 
other and  was  soon  among  the  successful  lumbermen  in  that  section  of  the 
state.  The  first  members  of  the  firm  were  J.  H.  Hackley,  Charles  H. 
Hackley  and  Gideon  Truesdell,  and  subsequently  two  other  sons  of  J.  H. 
Hackley  were  associated  with  the  concern,  Edwin  and  Porter  Hackley. 
In  1874  J.  H.  Hackley  died,  and  some  years  later  came  the  death  of  the 
sons  Edwin  and  Porter.  The  firm  of  J.  H.  -Hackley  &  Company  was 
succeeded  by  Hackley  &  Son,  and  that  in  turn  by  C.  H.  Hackley  &  Com- 
pany. 

From  this  independent  enterprise  the  name  of  Charles  H.  Hackley 
in  a  few  years  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  lumbermen  of 
western  ^lichigan.  In  1866  he  and  James  AIcGordon,  under  the  name 
Hackley  &  McGordon,  purchased  the  "Wing"  mill,  and  ran  it  until  it 
was  burned  some  years  later.  In  1881  Thomas  Hume  bought  the  Mc- 
Gordon  interest  in  the  firm  of  C.  H.  Hackley  &  Company  and  also  in 
the  firm  of  Hackley  &  McGordon  on  the  death  of  AIcGordon.  Thus 
was  founded  the  firm  of  Hackley  &  Hume,  one  destined  to  attain  a  first 
place  among  America's  lumber  manufacturers.  Hackley  &  Hume  con- 
tinued operations  on  the  Aluskegon  river  until  1894,  when  their  tracts 
of  timber  in  that  section  became  exhausted.  The  members  of  the  firm 
had  long  foreseen  the  extinction  of  the  lumber  forests  in  western  Mich- 
igan, and  as  early  as  1886  had  beg^m  buying  timber  in  other  states.  Their 
early  purchases  were  largely  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Louisiana, 
and  later  they  acquired  large  tracts  of  timber  land  in  Mississippi,  South 
Carolina,  Florida  and  British  Columbia.  Thus  Mr.  Hackley  continued 
a  large  factor  in  lumber  milling  after  the  IMuskegon  mills  had  been^  shut 
down  and  removed. 

In  1892  ^Ir.  Hackley  and  ]\Ir.  Hume  bought  the  interest  of  S.  B. 
Barker  in  the  Itasca  Lumber  Company  of  ^linneapolis,  which  com])anv 
in  1903  ac(|uired  the  property  and  business  of  H.  C.  Akeley  Lumlier 
Company,  a  concern  tliat  had  been  organized  in  1889  b_\-  Ilacklev  and 
Hume  and  H.  C.  Akeley  and  Freeman  S.  Farr  of  Alinneapolis.  Mr. 
Hackley  was  one  of  the  heaviest  stockholders  in  the  Itasca  Lumber 
Company.  It  would  take  considerable  space  to  simply  enumerate  the  vari- 
ous interests  of  the  late  Mr.  Hackley  in  the  lumber  and  manufacturing 
fields,  and  it  must  suffice  to  say  that  he  was  the  mainstay  of  a  number  of 
Muskegon's  industrial  concerns.  He  was  a  memljer  of  the  Gardner  & 
Lacey  Lumber  Company  of  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  of  the  J.  S. 
Bennett  Lumber  Comi)any  of  Sandusky.  Ohio,  and  of  the  Hackley  & 
Hume  Company,  Limited. 

Turning  from  his  achievements  in  the  commercial  and  industrial 
field,  it  will  be  especially  appropriate  to  speak  of  the  many  benefactions 
by  which  Mr.  Hackley  endeared  himself  to  the  people  of  Muskegon  for 
all  time.    It  was  in  that  city  that  he  rose  from  the  ranks  of  labor  to  his 


HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN  1937 

eminent  position  as  a  capitalist  and  organizer,  and  tliere  his  generosity 
and  philanthropy  have  left  their  most  conspicuous  monument.  His 
contributions  to  the  useful  institutions  and  civic  adornment  of  his  home 
city  include  one  of  the  most  beautiful  soldiers  and  sailors  monuments  to 
be  found  anywhere  in  the  United  States ;  a  public  square  embellished 
with  the  best  work  of  America's  sculptors  and  landscape  gardeners ;  a 
public  library  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  volumes ;  a  manual 
training  school  which  is  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  state;  statues  of 
Lincoln,  Grant,  Sherman,  Farragut,  Kearney  and  McKinley,  the  last 
having  been  the  first  statue  of  the  martyred  president  to  be  erected  in 
the  United  States :  and  also  a  modern  hospital.  While  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  measure  the  value  of  these  benefactions  to  Muskegon  and  her 
people  by  their  original  thought,  it  is  not  inappropriate  to  append  the 
following  summar)'  of  Mr.  Hackley's  various  gifts  made  during  his 
lifetime.  Individually  enumerated  they  were:  Hackley  Public  Library 
(i88S)  $155,000,  and  endowment  (1891)  $75,000;  Hackley  Manual 
Training  School  and  Gymnasium  (1895-1900)  $200,000,  endowment 
( ic)02)  $400,000,  and  additional  funds  for  the  maintenance  of  the  school 
from  its  opening  in  1896,  $50,000;  Hackley  Park  and  endowment  ( 1890) 
$60.000 ;  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Monument  ( 1889 )  $27.000 ;  statues  of 
Lincoln,  Grant,  Sherman  and  Farragut  (1898)  $26,000;,  statue  of  Phil 
Kearney  (  igot  )  $5,000;  statue  of  William  McKinley  (1902)  $15,000; 
Home  of  the  Friendless,  endowment  (1902)  $25,000;  Hackley  Hospital 
and  endowment  (1902)  $340,000;  Athletic  Field  for  High  School  (1902) 
$5,000;  First  Congregational  Church,  debt,  $6,525.  This  makes  a  grand 
total  of  $1,389,525. 

At  his  death  Mr.  Hackley  left  an  estate  estimated  at  $9,000,000,  and 
his  will  contained  additional  specific  beciuests  aggregating  $775,000;  these 
include  additional  endowment  for  the  Hackley  Manual  Training  School 
amounting  to  $210,000;  additional  endowment  for  the  Hackley  Hospital, 
$200,000;  additional  endowment  for  the  Hackley  Public  Library,  $200,- 
000;  fund  for  the  purchase  of  pictures  of  the  Hackley  Library,  $150,000; 
and  a  bequest  to  the  Muskegon  Humane  Union,  $15,000.  These  sums 
designated  in  the  will  increased  the  total  of  Mr.  Hackley's  direct  gifts 
to  the  people  of  Muskegon  to  the  splendid  sum  of  $2,164,525.  At  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Hackley  a  sum  aggregating  $2,000,000  became  a  trust  fund, 
income  to  be  applied  perpetually  to  the  maintenance  and  enlargement  of 
the  Hackley  Public  Library,  the  Hackley  Manual  Training  School  and 
to  other  charitable  purposes.  Thus,  speaking  in  terms  of  figures  and 
material  means  and  without  attempting  to  estimate  the  broad  and  lienefi- 
cent  results  that  have  already  issued  from  the  career  of  Mr.  Hackley  and 
will  continue  a  forceful  stream  of  benevolence  for  all  time,  the  total  sum 
that  has  so  far  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  Muskegon's  institutions  is 
more  than  four  milllions  of  dollars.  Many  thousands  of  people  who 
never  knew  Mr.  Hackley  in  his  lifetime,  have  proved  their  gratitude  to 
him  by  use  and  enjoyment  of  his  benevolences,  and  the  influence  of  his 
career  is  beyond  all  human  computation. 

The  late  iMr.  Hackley  was  married  in  1864  to  Julia  E.  IMoore  of 
Centreville,  New  York.  They  had  no  children  of  their  own.  but  adopted 
and  reared  two  in  their  home.  It  was  through  his  business  that  Air. 
Hackley  best  served  the  public,  yet  at  the  same  time  he  was  not  without 
a  share  in  the  public  distinction  which  naturally  comes  to  a  man  of  his 
standing,  though  he  was  always  averse  to  oflicial  preferment  and  accepted 
ofifice  only  from  a  sense  of  obligation  to  party  or  community.  He  was  an 
active  Republican,  and  in  T874  served  as  treasurer  of  Muskeeon  county, 
and  in  the  city  of  Muskegon  was  an  aldennan  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  public  works,  and  also  for  many  years  on  the  board  of  educa- 


1938  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tion,  having  been  its  president  from  1892  until  his  death  in  1905.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention  at  Minneapolis 
in  1892,  and  to  that  in  St.  Louis  in  1896.  In  1894  Mr.  Hackley  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
but  on  account  of  his  ill  health  resigned  on  the  day  his  term  of  office 
began. 

Thomas  Hume.  A  Michigan  lumberman  whose  name  is  one  of  the 
best  known  in  that  industry  in  the  state,  Thomas  Hume  was  an  Irish  boy 
who  sought  his  opportunities  in  America,  finding  work  in  the  lumber 
woods  of  western  Michigan,  and  in  a  few  years  rose  through  the  succes- 
sive grades  of  service  and  became  an  independent  operator. 

Thomas  Hume  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  June  15,  1848. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Bailie)  Hume,  farming  people 
who  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  were  sons.  Thomas 
Hume  was  the  oldest  son  and  the  second  child.  As  a  boy  he  attended 
the  Royal  Belfast  Academical  Institution  of  Belfast,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  was  apprenticed  to  the  wholesale  and  retail  firm  of  John  Steven- 
son, dealers  in  hardware  and  groceries  at  Dungannon.  This  apprentice- 
ship was  for  a  term  of  six  years,  and  no  salary  was  attached  to  it  except 
his  keep.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  put  in  the  office  of  cashier, 
and  later  became  buyer  and  stock  keeper.  When  his  apprenticeship  was 
finished  he  continued  with  the  finn  until  his  emigration  to  America,  his 
salary  ranging  from  $125  to  $300  a  year,  besides  board  and  lodging. 
Some  young  men  might  have  been  satisfied  with  the  prospects  ahead 
of  him,  but  Mr.  Hume  could  not  see  it  that  way.  In  May,  1870, 
he  took  passage  for  America,  and  was  landed  at  Quebec  on  the 
seventeenth  day  of  the  same  month.  Some  relatives  lived  in  Marshall, 
Michigan,  and  he  made  his  way  to  that  city.  Their  advice  and  in- 
formation that  men  were  needed  at  Muskegon  brought  him  to  the 
city  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home  and  business  headquarters. 
His  first  work  was  as  a  tallyman  for  George  R.  Selkirk.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  went  into  the  woods,  and  scaled  logs  for  O.  P. 
Pillsbury  and  Company.  The  next  summer  was  spent  with  the  firm  of 
Montague  and  Hamilton,  lumber  inspectors  of  Muskegon,  and  his  work 
was  that  of  inspector.  In  the  fall  of  1872,  he  entered  the  firm  of  Hackley 
and  IMcGordon  as  bookkeeper.  At  that  time  it  may  be  said  that  his  real 
upward  progress  began.  His  services  were  with  Hackley  &  McGordon 
for  nearly  nine  years,  until  June  1881.  At  that  time  he  and  C.  H.  Hack- 
ley  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  McGordon  in  the  two  fimis  of  Hackley 
&  McGordon  and  C.  H.  Hackley  &  Company.  The  firm  of  Hackley  & 
Hume  then  succeeded  the  first  named  firm  and  on  the  death  of  Porter 
Plackley  of  C.  H.  Hackley  &  Company,  the  business  of  both  houses 
was  consolidated  under  the  name  of  Hackley  &  Hume.  That  firm  name 
for  twenty-five  years  or  more  has  had  a  reputation  second  to  none  in 
the  country,  and  is  still  in  existence,  though  the  business  is  now  being 
closed  up.  Their  interests  at  one  time  embraced  the  ownership  of  three 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  southern  timber  land,  located  in  the  states 
of  Arkansas,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  South  Carolina,  in  addition 
to  the  large  manufacturing  plant  at  Muskegon.  They  are  also  large 
stock  holders  in  the  Itasca  Lumber  Company  of  Minneapolis.  In  this 
company  and  among  many  others,  Mr.  Hume  has  held  various  offices. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  president  of  the  Itasca  Lumber  Company,  is 
president  of  the  Amazon  Knitting  Company,  president  of  the  Chase- 
Hackley  Piano  Company,  treasurer  of  the  Standard  Malleable  Iron  Com- 
pany, president  of  the  Alaska  Refrigerator  Company,  president  of  the 
Sargent  ^Manufacturing  Company,  vice  president  of  the  Shaw  Electric 


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HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1939 

Crane  Company,  vice  president  of  the  National  Lumbermen's  Bank  and 
president  of  the  Hackley  National  Bank  of  Muskegon.  Mr.  Charles  H. 
Hackley,  his  partner,  died  February  lo,  1905,  and  Mr.  Hume  is  one  of 
the  e.xecutors  of  the  Hackley  estate,  and  is  still  engaged  in  winding  up 
the  business  of  the  firm  of  Hackley  &  Hume.  At  this  writing  Mr.  Hume 
is  also  president  of  the  Hume-Bennett  Lumber  Company,  whose  opera- 
tions are  carried  on  in  the  state  of  California,  where  they  have  large 
tracts  of  timber  in  Fresno  county.  His  sons,  Thomas  H.  and  George  A., 
are  both  associated  with  him  in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Thomas 
Hume  &  Company.  His  son  George  A.  Hume  and  George  Hefferan  of 
Grand  Rapids  are  also  associated  with  Thomas  Hume  under  the  name, 
Hume,  Hefferan  &  Company,  and  under  this  title  are  transacting  a  big 
business  in  timber  lands  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Hume  married  at  Marshall,  Michigan,  June  22,  1873,  Miss 
Margaret  A.  Banks,  a  daughter  of  Major  Banks  of  that  city.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children,  namely:  Margaret  B.;  Helen  M. ; 
Annie  E.,  deceased ;  George  Alexander ;  Florence  V. ;  Constance ;  and 
Thomas  Hackley.  Mr.  Hume  is  a  vestryman  in  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
church  at  Muskegon,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Albert  R.  Schneider.  The  building  trades  have  developed  many 
special  departments  of  labor,  and  some  of  the  business  organizations 
representing  the  highest  trained  efficiency,  equipment  and  working  staff 
and  capital  have  been  built  up  to  supply  a  service  for  each  one  of  these 
departments.  The  Schneider  Bros,  of  Detroit,  of  which  Albert  R. 
Schneider  is  the  head,  specialize  in  plastering  and  all  kinds  of  interior  and 
exterior  decorating  work,  and  as  contractors  in  this  line  are  one  of  the 
largest  firms  in  the  state  and  have  almost  unlimited  experience,  resources 
and  labor  to  perform  any  contract  of  any  magnitu'de  of  this  kind. 

Albert  R.  Schneider  is  a  native  of  Detroit,  born  February  28,  1877. 
His  parents  are  Charles  G.  and  Mary  L.  (Holsworth)  Schneider.  His 
father  a  native  of  2ilichigan  and  his  mother  in  Ohio.  The  business  of  his 
father  has  always  been  in  the  handling  and  expert  management  of  the 
horses  for  various  large  firms,  and  for  some  time  the  family  lived  in  the 
lumber  regions  of  [Michigan,  where  he  had  charge  of  all  the  horses  used 
by  the  lumber  company  in  its  various  departments.  Both  parents  are  still 
living  at  Detroit. 

Albert  R.  Schneider  after  leaving  Detroit  public  schools  began  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  plasterer's  trade,  and  altogether  spent  eleven  years  as 
apprentice,  journeyman  and  occasionally  an  independent  worker  in  differ- 
ent cities  of  the  country.  In  1905  Mr.  Schneider  began  contracting  under 
his  own  name  at  Detroit,  and  a  few  years  later  became  junior  member  of 
the  contracting  firm  of  .\ustin  &  Schneider.  Two  years  later  ^Ir.  Austin 
left  the  firm,  and  for  the  following  year  Mr.  Schneider  continued  the 
business  again  under  his  own  name,  and  then  established  Schneider  Bros, 
by  admitting  his  younger  brother.  C.  W.  Schneider. 

Schneider  Bros,  take  all  kinds  of  contracts  for  interior  and  exterior, 
plain  and  ornamental  plastering,  and  some  of  the  large  contracts  executed 
since  Mr.  Schneider  began  an  independent  business  are  the  following: 
Elliott,  Taylor  &  Wolfenden  Company's  department  store  on  Woodward 
avenue ;  the  Owen  building  at  Gratiot  and  Brush ;  the  Telegraph  building 
at  Congress  and  Shelby :  the  Dodge  Bros,  plant,  and  many  other  contracts 
worth  thousands  of  dollars  in  and  about  Detroit. 

Mr.  A.  R.  Schneider  is  a  member  and  for  1914  on  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange,  belongs  to  the 
National  Union,  is  a  member  of  the  Master  Plasterers  Association,  of 
which  he  is  treasurer  and  a  delegate  from  that  association,  and  a  member 


1940  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

of  the  executive  board  of  the  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange.  He  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  Detroit  Exchange  for  several  years. 
His  church  is  the  Presbyterian. 

At  one  time  ^Ir.  Schneider  was  a  member  of  the  old  Scott  Guards, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  captain  of  an  independent  military  company. 
He  was  in  a  volunteer  regiment  about  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  and  then  became  a  regular  as  member  of  Company  B  of 
the  Nineteenth  Regiment  of  United  States  Infantry,  enlisting  at  Fort 
Wayne  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  saw  service  on  the  islands  of 
Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  and  after  his  discharge  resumed  business  activities 
in  Detroit.  Mr.  Schneider  married  Mabel  Irene  Corston  of  Detroit, 
daughter  of  the  late  Charles  Corston,  a  painter  and  decorator.  Their 
children  are :    Gloria  and  Truman  Hendrie  Schneider. 

G.  G.  Goodrich.  One  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  business  men  of 
St.  Charles,  where  he  has  been  identitied  with  the  jewelry  trade  for 
nearly  forty  years  and  has  held  all  the  important  local  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibilities,  Mr.  Goodrich  is  a  successful  example  of  the  self- 
made  man.  When  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  and  was  employed  at  any  honest  labor  that  he  could  find  until 
he  could  get  his  real  start  in  life. 

His  birth  occurred  in  New  York  City,  October  i6,  1847,  and  he  is 
the  only  survivor  and  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eight  children  whose  par- 
ents were  E.  A.  and  Aiigeline  (Lloyd)  Goodrich.  The  father,  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  was  descended  from  a  family  that  came  from  Wales, 
and  one  of  his  ancestors  fought  on  the  American  side  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  father  .became  an  expert  cabinet  maker  and  furniture  manu- 
facturer, and  from  New  York  City  moved  to  Washington  county,  New 
York,  where  he  died  in  1856  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  The  mother, 
also  of  English  descent,  was  born  in  New  York  State,  and  died  in  New 
York  City  in  1847,  soon  after  the  birth  of  her  last  child,  the  St.  Charles 
business  man.  The  latter  was  able  to  attend  school  in  New  York  City 
only  until  he  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  and  then  went  to  work  in  a 
store.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  learning  the  jeweler's  trade,  and 
his  apprenticeship  was  interrupted  by  his  service  as  a  Union  soldier.  He 
went  out  in  1864  with  the  Twelfth  New  Jersey  Infantry,  in  Company  D 
and  was  a  fighter  in  the  ranks  for  fourteen  months.  After  his  honorable 
discharge  he  returned  home  and  finished  his  apprenticeship  at  the  jew- 
eler's and  watchmaker's  trade.  In  1875  ^^r.  Goodrich  located  at  St. 
Charles,  Michigan,  where  he  established  himself  in  business  and  his  jew- 
elry store  is  the  oldest  and  most  popular  establishment  of  its  kind  in  that 
village.  During  his  residence  there  his  fellow  citizens  have  honored  him 
with  many  positions  in  the  \illage,  and  he  has  served  as  president,  clerk, 
supervisor  and  many  other  positions.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  a  Mason  and  a 
I\Iaccabee,  and  in  religion  worships  with  the  Episcopal  faith. 

At  Bay  City,  Alichigan,  on  June  30,  1875,  occurred  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Dora  Bla'ckman.  She  died  at  St.  Charles  in  1901.  Her  father  was 
Horace  Blackman.  To  the  marriage  were  born  three  children  as  follows : 
!Mrs.  Lizzie  Rowley,  who  was  born  at  St.  Charles,  and  is  the  mother  of 
two  children,  Florence  and  William.  Fred  E.  Goodrich,  born  at  St. 
Charles,  and  now  in  partnership  with  his  father,  has  one  child,  John  B. 
Mrs.  Angle  McEwen,  born  at  St.  Charles,  where  she  still  lives,  has  one 
child,  Ellen  ^McEwen. 

Ch.vrles  Cl.vrk  HorKiNS.  Flaving  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
and  only  clerk  as  now  constituted  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan, 
Charles  Clark  Hopkins  has  also  the  remarkable  record  of  having  served 
in  this  capacity  for  a  period  of  more  than  thirty-two  years,  and  there  is, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1911 

probably,  no  better  known  figure  in  legal  circles  of  the  state  today.  Edu- 
cated for  the  legal  profession,  he  served  in  several  offices  until  his  appoint- 
ment to  his  present  position  in  1882,  and  since  that  time  has  devoted  him- 
self to  the  duties  of  his  office,  his  record  being  one  that  in  years  to  come 
will  be  found  hard  to  equal. 

Air.  Hopkins  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  White  Lake  town- 
ship, Oakland  county,  Michigan,  April  4,  1849,  ^^d  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Erastus  and  Climene  (Clark)  Hopkins,  early  Michigan  pioneers.  Mr. 
Hopkins'  ancestors  came  from  Coventry,  England,  where  the  family  was 
prominent,  one  member,  William  Hopkins,  Jr.,  having  been  mayor  of 
Coventry  in  1564,  while  his  brothers,  Richard  and  Nicholas,  were  sher- 
iffis  of  the  same  town  in  1554  and  1 56 1,  respectively.  Richard  had  two 
sons:  Sampson,  his  heir,  and  \\'illiam,  proprietor  of  the  lordship  of 
Shortley.  Sampson,  who  was  mayor  in  1609,  had  three  sons:  Sir  Rich- 
ard, Sir  William  and  Sampson,  the  last-named  of  whom  was  mayor  o£ 
Coventry  in  1640.  The  eldest  of  these  three  sons  became  eminent  at  the 
bar,  attained  the  rank  of  Sergeant  at  Law,  was  steward  of  Coventry,  and 
represented  the  city  in  the  Parliament  at  the  Restoration.  Their  estates, 
by  inter-marriage,  passed  to  General  Northey  in  1799.  and  he  assumed 
the  surname  of  Hopkins  and  arms  of  the  family  upon  inheriting  the  estates 
of  his  maternal  ancestor,  and  was  known  as  Northey  Hopkins,  of  Oving 
House. 

The  early  Hopkinses  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Connecticut 
colony.  One  of  this  family,  John  Hopkins,  progenitor  of  the  line  of 
Charles  Clark  Hopkins,  came  to  America  in  1634  and  settled  iirst  at 
Cambridge.  From  that  point  he  removed  to  the  new  colony  of  Hart- 
ford and  the  colonial  records  tell  of  John  Hopkins  being  the  original 
owner  of  lands  then  settled.  The  line  of  descent  from  John  Hopkins  to 
Erastus,  father  of  Charles  Clark  Hopkins,  is  as  follows:  John  Hop- 
kins, who  was  made  a  freeman  of  Cambridge,  March  4.,  1635,  removed  to 
Hartford  the  same  year  and  died  in  1654,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  Stephen,  born  in  1634,  married  Dorcas,  a  daughter  of 
John  Bronson.  He  died  in  October,  1689,  leaving  six  children.  His 
eldest  son,  John,  had  eight  children,  one  of  whom,  Samuel,  .was  a  graduate 
of  Yale  in  1718,  and  for  some  time  a  minister  of  West  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts. Another  son,  Timothy,  was  the  father  of  Samuel  Hopkins,  the 
celebrated  divine  who  founded  the  Hopkinsian  School  of  Theology  and 
was  the  author  of  several  well-known  works  and  a  prominent  character 
in  ?^Irs.  Stowe's  "Minister's  Wooing."  President  Alark  Hopkins,  of  Wil- 
liams College,  was  of  the  same  family.  Another  son  was  Consider,  who 
died  in  177V1,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children.  One  of  the  sons,  Con- 
sider, Jr.,  was  born  at  West  Hartford,  in  June,  1723,  served  in  the  Con- 
tinental armv,  and  died  in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  in  1795.  He  was 
the  father  of  Mark  Hopkins,  the  grandfather  of  Charles  Clark  Hopkins. 
Three  uncles  of  Mark  Hopkins  were  in  the  Continental  army.  One  was 
captured  liy  the  British  and  was  starved  to  death  on  the  Jersey  Prison 
Ship,  in  New  York  harbor,  and  another  was  killed  by  Tory  "Cow  Boys" 
while  home  on  furlough. 

Erastus  Hopkins,  the  father  of  Charles  Clark  Hopkins,  was  born  at 
Paris,  Oneida  county,  New  York,  August  16,  1804,  and  came  from  Steu- 
ben county.  New  York,  to  iVIichigan  in  1833,  located  land  in  Oakland 
county,  and  in  1834  brought  his  family  out,  making  the  entire  journey 
in  an' immigrant  wagon.  He  cleared  a  farm  in  the  wilderness  and  lived 
to  see  the  entire  countrv  around  settled,  remaining  upon  the  farm  until 
his  death  in  1876.  His  first  wife  was  Lydia  Parker,  whom  he  married  in 
Oneida  county.  New  York,  and  who  lived  only  a  year  and  one-half  after 
the  family  came  to  Michigan.  There  were  five  sons  born  to  this  marriage, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  the  remaining  three  were  William  \\'., 


1942  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Ralph  \\'.,  and  Dan  G.  \\  illiam  \V.,  and  Dan  G.,  served  in  the  Civil  war, 
the  last-named  being  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain, 
Maryland.  The  second  marriage  of  Erastus  Hopkins  was  to  Climene 
Clark,  who  died  in  1864,  leaving  three  children,  George  H.,  Lydia  C.  and 
Charles  Clark. 

Charles  Clark  Hopkins  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the 
district  schools  during  his  youth.  In  1867  he  entered  the  State  Normal 
school,  spending  a  portion  of  his  time  on  the  farm  and  a  part  in  teach- 
ing, and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1872,  at  once  becoming  principal  of  the 
Rockland  (Michigan)  Union  School,  where  he  remained  two  years.  The 
summer  vacation  of  1873  was  spent  in  surveying  a  section  of  the  United 
States  militarv  road  from  Fort  Howard,  Green  Bay,  to  Fort  W'ilkins, 
Copper  Harbor.  In  the  fall  of  1874  Air.  Hopkins  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  [Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876, 
and  during  the  legislative  session  of  1875  was  clerk  of  the  house  judiciary 
committee,  and  in  1877  clerk  of  the  senate  judiciary  committee.  In  1879 
and  again  in  1881  he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  senate.  In  the  mean- 
time, in  1876,  Mr.  Hopkins  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  calling  at  Detroit  until  January,  1882,  when, 
the  Supreme  Court  having  been  empowered  by  the  adoption  of  a  con- 
stitutional amendment  to  appoint  its  own  clerk,  Mr.  Hopkins  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  position,  which  he  has  continued  to  fill  to  the  present  time, 
as  before  stated. 

In  1880  Mr.  Hopkins  married  Clara  J.  Potter,  who  was  born  at  En- 
field, jMassachusetts,  daughter  of  Nathan  D.  and  Mary  (Clark)  Potter. 
Mrs.  Hopkins  was  graduated  from  Abbott  Academy,  Andover,  Massa- 
chusetts, class  of  1878.  To  Mr.  and  Airs.  Hopkins  the  following  children 
have  been  born:  Edward  Potter,  born  September  21,  1881,  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1903,  with  Bachelor  of  Arts 
degree,  now  holding  the  position  of  state  bank  examiner  of  Alichigan. 
with  residence  at  Charlotte;  George  Hayes,  born  September  11,  1884, 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Alichigan,  class  of  1907,  with  Bachelor 
of  Sciences  degree,  taking  special  work  in  marine  engineering:  Charles 
C,  Jr.  who  died  aged  one  and  one-half  years :  and  Carroll  Lyman,  born 
December  23,  1892,  graduated  from  Amherst  College  in  1913.  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Air.  Hopkins  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Delta 
Phj.  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and  of  the 
University  Club,  of  Detroit. 

Fred.  H.  Pr.\tt.  The  legal  profession  in  Grand  Traverse  county  has 
as  one  of  its  representative  members  Fred.  Howard  Pratt,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  successful  practice  at  Traverse  City,  the  judicial  center  and 
fair  metropolis  of  the  county,  and  whose  ability  and  personal  popularity 
is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  served  ten  consecutive  years  as  prosecuting 
attorney  of  the  county,  a  record  that  has  had  no  parallel  in  the  history 
of  the  county.  Further  interest  attaches  to  his  career  by  reason  of  his 
being  a  scion,  in  the  third  generation,  of  a  family  that  was  founded  in 
Alichigan  three  vears  prior  to  its  admission  to  statehood,  and  the  name 
has  thus  been  worthily  linked  with  the  annals  of  this  commonwealth  since 
the  territorial  davs.  In  addition  to  controlling  a  substantial  professional 
Inisiness  Air.  Pratt  has  wielded  much  influence  in  progressive  enterprise 
as  a  dealer  in  real  estate,  and  he  has  also  an  excellent  business  as  an  in- 
surance underwriter. 

Air.  Pratt  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm  of  his  father,  in  E|eer- 
field  township.  Livingston  countv.  Alichigan.  and  the  date  of  his  nativity 
was  Alav  18,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  James  Allen  Pratt  and  Elizabeth  ( AIc- 
Kane)  Pratt,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  this 
State,  on  the  isth  of  September,  1841,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 


HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN  1943 

in  Ireland,  on  the  i8th  of  February,  1843.  The  paternal  grandparents, 
James  and  Clarissa  (Thompson)  Pratt,  came  from  the  State  of  New 
York  to  Michigan  in  1834,  and  first  settled  on  a  tract  of  wild  land  in 
Washtenaw  county.  After  perfecting  his  title  to  this  property  James 
Pratt  sold  the  same  and  in  1837,  the  year  that  marked  the  admission  of 
Michigan  as  one  of  the  sovereign  States  of  the  Union,  he  entered  claim 
to  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Livingston  county,  where  he  reclaimed  from 
the  virgin  forest  a  productive  farm  and  where  both  he  and  his  wife  passed 
the  residue  of  their  lives,  honored  as  sterling  pioneers  of  the  State.  The 
subject  of  this  review  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm  of  his  grand- 
father, and  the  place  is  endeared  to  him  by  many  hallowed  memories  and 
associations.  James  A.  Pratt  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Livingston  county, 
under  the  conditions  and  influences  of  the  pioneer  days,  and  there  his  early 
educational  privileges  were  those  afforded  in  the  somewhat  primitive 
schools  of  the  period.  In  his  natixe  county  he  was  actively  identified 
with  the  great  basic  industry  of  agriculture  during  the  entire  course  of  his 
active  career,  and  on  his  farm  he  also  conducted  for  many  years  a  pop- 
ular wayside  tavern,  the  locality  Ijeing  known  as  Pratt's  Corners.  He 
became  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  influential  citizens  of  Living- 
ston county,  was  a  staunch  adherent  and  active  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  was  called  upon  to  serve  in  various  township  offices.  He 
passed  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  the  village  of  Fenton,  Livingston 
county,  where  he  died  on  the  9th  of  June,  1907,  and  where  his  memory  is 
held  in  lasting  honor  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  widow  now  resides  with 
her  only  daughter,  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  but,  though 
venerable  in  years,  she  comes  each  summer  to  Michigan,  to  pass  the  sea- 
son with  her  two  sons  and  to  renew  the  tender  associations  of  past  years, 
for  she  likewise  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  early  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  this  State.  Of  the  three  children  the  eldest  is  Edwin,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  East  Cohoctah, 
Livingston  county ;  Fred.  H.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  ;  and  Clara- 
bell  is  the  wife  of  John  Adams,  of  Los  Angeles.  California. 

Fred.  H.  Pratt  acquired  his  preliminary  educational  discipline  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  village  of  Fenton,  and  in  preparing  for  the  work  of 
his  chosen  profession  he  located  in  Traverse  City,  where  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  and  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  well  known 
and  prominent  firm  of  Pratt  &  Davis,  his  uncle,  the  late  Edwin  S.  Pratt 
having  been  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  and  Harry  C.  Davis  the 
junior  member.  Under  these  conditions  Mr.  Pratt  continued  his  tech- 
nical reading  until  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  in  which  he  was  graduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1895 
and  from  which  he  received  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He  was 
forthwith  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native  State  and  he  initiated  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  as  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Pratt  &-  Davis,  in 
Traverse  City,  his  honored  preceptors  continuing  their  alliance  with  him 
until  the  death  of  his  uncle,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  in  June,  191 1, 
since  which  time  he  has  conducted  an  individual  practice  of  representative 
order.  Mr.  Pratt  has  appeared  in  connection  with  much  important  litiga- 
tion in  Grand  Traverse  county,  both  in  private  practice  and  while  repre- 
senting the  county  as  its  prosecuting  attorney.  .\s  previously  stated,  he 
conducts  also  a  profitable  real-estate  and  insurance  business,  and  his  real- 
estate  dealings  are  largely  confined  to  the  handling  of  his  own  properties. 
He  is  the  owner  of  several  farms  in  Grand  Traverse  county,  as  well  as 
valuable  business  and  residence  property  in  Traverse  City,  where  his  own 
residence  is  one  of  the  attractive  homes  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Pratt  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Traverse  County  Bar  Associa- 
tion and  in  politics  he  has  given  veoman  service  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of 
the  Republican  party.    He  served  two  temis  as  circuit-court  commissioner 


1944  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

of  his  county  and  live  successive  terms  as  prosecuting  attorney,  tliis  de- 
cade of  consecutive  incumbency  of  this  important  office  having,  as  already 
intimated,  broken  all  records  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  posi- 
tion in  the  county,  both  before  and  since  his  retirement,  after  having 
made  a  record  that  indicated  fully  his  fine  professional  ability  and  that 
proved  of  great  benefit  to  the  county.  Mr.  Pratt  is  a  Knight  Templar 
-Mason  and  is  affiliated  also  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Knights  of  the  Modern  Maccabees  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  His  chief  diversion  is  in  the  driving 
of  standard-bred  horses,  and  h€  is  the  owner  of  several  fine  specimens  at 
the  present  time,  the  while  he  finds  special  pleasure  in  attending  the  well 
ordered  racing  events  in  his  home  county  and  other  parts  of  the  State. 

At  Fenton,  Livingston  county,  on  the  27th  of  June,  1900,  was  solem- 
nized the  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Pratt  to  Miss  Rose  U.  Leonard,  a  schoolmate 
and  friend  of  his  youth.  She  was  born  and  reared  at  Fenton  and  is  a 
woman  of  culture' and  most  gracious  personality — a  popular  factor  in 
the  leading  social  activities  of  Traverse  City,  where  she  is  a  popular  mem- 
ber of  the  Library  Club  and  the  Woman's  Club.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt 
have  one  son,  Leonard  Allen,  who  was  born  on  the  23rd  of  January, 
igo2. 

P.\UL  L.  GuGEL.  Every  communitv  has  its  men  of  leadership,  those 
who  have  won  the  honors  and  responsibilities  which  go  with  success.  In 
tlie  thriving  village  of  Frankenmuth  two  such  men  are  the  Gugel  brothers, 
George  Frederick  and  Paul  L.,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  dry  goods, 
clothing,  boots  and  shoes,  furniture,  hardware,  a  meat  market,  and  other 
lines.  Their  joint  business,  established  in  1888,  has  completed  its  quar- 
ter century  of  prosperous  existence,  is  the  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in 
Frankenmuth  and  vicinity,  and  is  distinctly  creditable  to  the  abihty  and 
enterprise  that  created  it. 

Paul  L.  Gugel  was  born  in  Frankenmuth  township  of  Saginaw  county, 
December  7.  1861.  a  son  of  John  M.,  Sr..  and  P.arbara  (Kernthal )  Gugel. 
The  father  was  born  in  Rossthal,  Germany,  and  the  mother  in  the  same 
place.  The  father  during  the  latter  forties  settled  in  Frankenmuth  town- 
ship of  Saginaw  county,  where  his  marriage  occurred.  A  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, he  started  out  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  John  G.  Hubinger,  and 
remained  for  twelve  years,  investing  his  earnings  in  the  rich  lands  of 
Frankenmuth  township,  and  for  a  number  of  years  combining  the  voca- 
tions of  clerk  and  farming.  He  was  a  Democrat,  very  prominent  in  his 
locality,  served  thirteen  years  as  supervisor,  many  years  as  school  director, 
and  al'wavs  bore  more  than  his  full  share  of  the  responsibilities  and  obli- 
gations of  community  life.  His  death  occurred  in  1891  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years.  Fle  was  three  times  married,  had  eight  children  by  the  first 
wife.'  two  by  the  second,  and  four  step-children  by  the  third. 

Paul  L.  Gugel,  who  was  the  fourth  among  the  children,  was  educated 
in  the  parochial  schools  of  Frankenmuth  township,  leaving  school  when 
fourteen  vears  of  age,  and  from  that  time  until  reaching  his  majority, 
faithfully' assisted  his  father  on  the  home  farm.  His  career  as  a  mer- 
chant may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  his  twenty-second  year,  when  he 
accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  Hubinger  Brothers  at  Frankenmuth. 
His  experience  with  that  firm  enabled  him  in  1888  to  start  for  himself. 
In  that  year  was  formed  the  partnership  with  his  older  brother  Fred, 
and  in  a  modest  way  they  began  dealing  in  a  general  stock  of  merchandise. 
Both  t)rothers  had  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  and  by  their  previous 
record  had  acquired  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community,  so 
that  almost  from  the  start  they  prospered,  discounted  their  bills  regularly, 
and  inside  of  ten  years  they  had  a  store  second  to  none  of  its  kind  outside 
of  the  city  of  Saginaw. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1945 

The  pleasant  partnership  relations  of  the  brothers  are  not  confined 
to  the  store,  and  both,  believing  in  the  future  growth  and  increasing 
values  of  the  country,  have  become  joint  owners  of  a  splendid  tract  of 
sixty  acres  of  fine  woodland  in  Saginaw  county  at  Birch  Run.  They  are 
also  jointly  interested  in  the  larger  flouring- mills  of  the  township,  the 
Star  of  the  West  Mills,  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  barrels  capacity. 
Paul  L.  is  treasurer  and  director  of  this  milling  company,  also  a  director 
in  the  State  Bank  of  Frankenmuth,  for  a  good  many  vears  treasurer  of 
School  District  No.  i,  village  of  Frankenmuth,  and  for  many  years  treas- 
urer of  the  Frankenmuth  Cheese  Manufacturing  Company.  The  Gugel 
Brothers'  store  gives  steady  employment  to  eight  clerks  and  assistants. 

Mr.  Gugel  and  family  are  active  members  of  the  St.  Lorenz  German 
Lutheran  church.  In  October,  1887,  occurred  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Anna  Barbara  Jordan,  who  was  born  in  Frankenmuth,  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  Jordan,  now  deceased,  but  who  was  a  pioneer  settler,  and  for 
many  years  one  of  the  leading  farmer  citizens  of  Frankenmuth  township: 
To  their  marriage  have  been  born  six  children:  Walter  Gugel.  now 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  is  a  clerk  in  the  employ  of  his  father  and  uncle ; 
Ernest  Gugel,  aged  twenty-three,  is  a  teacher  at  Harbor  Beach :  Louise, 
aged  twenty-two ;  Alma,  aged  twenty-one :  Martha,  aged  seventeen ; 
Lorenz,  aged  fourteen.  All  the  children  were  reared  in  a  cultured  home 
and  received  the  benefit  of  excellent  schooling  in  this  community. 

Geo.  F.  Gugel.  The  older  of  the  Gugel  brothers,  Geo.  F.  practically 
grew  up  at  Frankenmuth,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  learned  the 
carpenter  trade.  He  is  a  business  man  from  the  ground  up,  and  his  ex- 
perience and  ability  have  been  an  important  factor  in  the  success  of  the 
general  merchandise  house  of  the  brothers. 

Geo.  F.  Gugel  was  bom  in  Frankenmuth,  September  2"],  1859,  and 
the  principal  fact  concerning  his  family  and  its  pioneer  relations  with  the 
Saginaw  Valley  are  given  in  the  preceding  sketch  of  his  brother,  Paul  L. 
Educated  in  the  schools  of  Frankenmuth,  Geo.  F.  Gugel  remained  at 
home  and  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age.  His  first  training  was  for  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  that  was  pur- 
sued during  the  summer  months,  while  during  the  winter,  he  found  ready 
employment  at  the  door  and  sash  factory  of  the  Neuchterline  Brothers 
at  Frankenmuth.  He  thus  was  well  fortified  in  his  early  preparation, 
mastered  the  carpenter's  trade,  had  all  the  work  he  could  attend  to  in 
that  line,  and  at  the  same  time  was  getting  a  close  and  proficient  knowl- 
edge of  merchandising.  Thus  in  1888  he  was  ready  to  join  his  brotb.er, 
Paul,  and  take  into  the  firm  more  than  his  share  of  the  capital,  since  he 
thoroughly  understood  trade  conditions  in  this  vicinity,  and  was  prac- 
tically assured  of  a  large  patronage  among  his  former  customers  and 
friends.  For  the  past  twenty-five  years  the  brothers  have  worked  side 
by  side,  and  are  now  regarded  as  the  leading  business  men,  in  this 
locality. 

Geo.  F.  Gugel  and  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  at 
Frankenmuth.  He  was  married  in  1885  to  Miss  Johanna  Jordan,  who 
is  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Paul  L.  Gugel.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Otto  Gugel,  who  clerks  in  the  Gugel  Brothers'  store ;  Johanna ; 
Ludwig,  bookkeeper  in  the  Bank  of  Saginaw :  and  Rudolf  Gugel.  a 
student  in  the  Bliss-Alger  College  of  Saginaw.  These  children  have 
been  well  educated,  and  have  already  taken  or  arc  preparing  to  take 
creditable  positions  in  the  world. 

George  H.-\rgre.\ves,  Jr.  Prominent  among  the  manufacturers  of 
Detroit  is  found  George  Hargreaves,  Jr.,  who  is  closely  identified  with 


1946  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  industrial  interests  of  Michigan  as  superintendent  of  the  Detroit  plant 
of  the  Railway  Steel  Spring  Company.  Mr.  Hargreaves  is  a  native  of 
England,  having  been  born  in  Staffordshire,  Alarch  12,  1852,  a  son  of  the 
late  Thomas  and  Dinah  (Lawton)  Hargreaves,  well-known  citizens  of 
Detroit  for  a  number  of  years,  and  both  now  deceased. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Hargreaves  were  born  in  England,  and  the  family 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1872,  locating  immediately  in  Detroit,  where 
the  father  purchased  a  home  on  the  corner  of  Lafayette  avenue  and  Fif- 
teenth street.  He  was  an  iron  and  steel  worker  by  trade  and  worked  at 
that  vocation  in  Detroit  until  1876,  then  moving  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to 
which  city  the  son,  George,  had  previously  gone.  In  1884  the  parents  went 
to  San  Jose,  California,  where  they  spent  about  six  years,  then  returning 
to  Detroit.  During  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  active  life,  Thomas  Har- 
greaves was  superintendent  of  iron  and  steel  plants  and  for  seven  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  Swift  Rolling  Alills  Company,  at  Newport,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  earnestly  and  activelv  interested  in  church  work  as  an  of- 
ficial member  of  the  Preston  ■Methodist  Church  of  Detroit,  was  for 
many  years  leader  of  the  Young  People's  Christian  Endeavor  Society, 
connected  with  that  church,  and  a  memorial  window  to  his  memory  in 
that  direction  was  placed  in  the  church  by  that  society.  Mr.  Hargreaves 
died  at  Detroit  in  1901,  Mrs.  Hargreaves  preceding  him  by  one  and  one- 
half  years. 

George  Hargreaves,  Jr.,  received  his  education  in  the  commercial 
school  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  England,  and  then  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  iron  and  steel  plant  at  that  place.  He  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  the  United  States  in  1872,  and  in  Detroit  became  identified  with 
the  firm  of  George  Hargreaves  &  Brother,  large  picture  frame  manufac- 
turers. In  1873  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  during  the  next  thir- 
teen years  he  was  connected  with  the  Globe  Rolling  Mills  Company,  but 
in  1886  returned  to  Detroit  to  become  roll  designer  and  consulting  en- 
gineer of  the  Detroit  Steel  and  Spring  Company,  the  Eureka  Iron  and 
Steel  Company,  the  Baugh  Steam  Forge  Company  and  the  Toledo  (Ohio) 
Rolling  Mill  Company,  all  of  which  positions  he  held  simultaneously 
until  1890.  In  that  year  he  became  superintendent  of  the  rolling  mill  de- 
partment of  the  Detroit  Steel  and  Spring  Company,  and  held  the  same 
position  until  the  company  was  merged  with  the  Railway  Spring  Company 
in  1902,  since  which  year  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Detroit  plant 
of  that  corporation.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Lewis  Spring  and  Axle 
Companv^  of  Jackson,  Michigan. 

Mr.  Hargreaves  has  followed  music  semi-professionally  and  as  a 
recreation,  having  held  positions  in  various  churches  as  church  organist 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Detroit,  and  was  also  identified  with  the  May 
Festival  Association  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  nine  years.  He  was  or- 
ganist of  the  I\Iichigan  Sovereign  consistory  of  Detroit  for  nine  years. 
Like  his  father  he  has  been  interested  in  church  work,  being'  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  faith.  He  is  well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  having 
attained  to  the  thirty-second  degree,  Scottish  Rite,  and  also  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  the  Motor  Boat  Club  and  the 
Fellowcraft  Club.  In  1874  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bryan,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  they  have  the  following  children:  Charles  H., 
Fannie  L.  and  Rachel,  who  married  S.  D.  Campbell. 

H.\RVEY  Tones  Campbell.  Among  the  men  of  Benton  Harbor  who 
have  attained  prominence  because  of  their  activities  in  the  business  and 
official  life  of  the  city,  Harvey  Jones  Campbell  is  deserving  of  more  than 
ordinary  mention,  for  he  has  been  identified  with  the  business  interests 
of  this  place  since  the  year  1900,  and  is  serving  in  the  capacity  of  post- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1947 

master  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Campbell's  desire  to  be  always  doing 
something  for  the  city  of  his  adoption  has  made  him  very  favorably  con- 
sidered by  the  people  of  this  thriving  Michigan  community,  and  at  all 
times  he  has  given  to  his  official  duties  the  same  conscientious  attention 
which  characterized  his  business  career  and  brought  him  success  therein. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  at  Rock  House  Prairie, 
near  the  city  of  St.  Joseph,  December  i8,  1S54,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Charles  W.  and  Sarah  (Jones)  Campbell,  the  former  a  native  of  N'irginia 
and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Campbell,  Thomas 
Boyle  Campbell,  was  born  in  Scotland  and  brought  to  America  when  a 
child  of  three  years,  the  family  locating  at  Winchester,  Virginia.  The 
maternal  grandfather  of  Harvey  J.  Campbell  was  William  Jones,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  who  became  an  early  settler  of  ^lissouri,  the  mother 
of  Mr.  Campbell  being  born  near  Liberty,  Ray  county,  that  state.  In 
1844  Charles  W.  Campbell  removed  from  his  \'irginia  home  to  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business, 
and  where  two  of  his  sons  are  still  engaged  in  the  wholesale  trade  in  the 
same  line.  He  became  a  successful  merchant,  displaying  far  more  than 
ordinary  ability  in  his  transactions,  and  was  also  known  as  a  public-spir- 
ited citizen.  He  died  at  his  winter  home  in  Florida,  in  1904,  and  there 
Mrs.  Campbell  also  passed  away. 

Harvey  Jones  Campbell  was  reared  in  the  city  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
and  there  he  attended  the  pulilic  schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school 
with  a  good  student  record.  In  1872  he  entered  upon  his  business  career 
in  a  dry  goods  business,  continuing  until  1898,  in  which  year  he  removed 
to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  Mr.  Campbell  came  to  Benton  Harbor  in  icjoo, 
to  establish  the  manufactory  of  the  John  V.  Farwell  Company,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  identified  with  that  enterprise  until  his  appointment  to  the 
office  of  postmaster,  February  2,  1913. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Campbell  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
activities  of  the  Democratic  party,  serving  for  a  long  period  as  chairman 
of  the  Democratic  central  committee.  While  he  was  an  applicant  for  the 
appointment  as  postmaster  and  had  good  backing,  his  appointment  was 
in  the  nature  of  a  personal  one  from  President  Wilson,  who  risked  the 
appointment  from  the  Postoffice  Department.  Mr.  Campbell  took  charge 
of  the  office  March  i,  191 3,  and  since  that  time  through  his  energetic  labors 
has  been  able  to  accomplish  much  for  the  good  of  the  service.  He  has 
always  had  the  capacity  for  gathering  about  him  men  of  force  of  char- 
acter who  are  capable  of  accomplishing  things,  and  in  this  much  of  Mr. 
Campbell's  success  lies.  Recognized  as  one  of  his  city's  leading  men,  in 
T914  he  was  made  president  of  "the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Benton  Harbor 
Public  Library. 

Mr.  Campbell  married  I\Iary  Brown  Denney,  of  Winchester,  \'ir- 
ginia,  who  was  born  there,  a  member  of  the  distinguished  family  of  that 
name.  Her  father,  Col.  William  R.  Denney,  was  a  Confederate  officer 
during  the  Civil  War  and  one  of  the  captors  of  John  Brown,  at  Harper's 
Ferr\' ;  and  subsequently  was  one  of  the  charterers  of  the  vessel  which 
took'abroad  Mark  Twain  and  his  "Innocents,"  out  of  which  voyage  grew 
that  author's  famous  "Innocents  Abroad,"  Colonel  Denney  being  the  orig- 
inal from  whom  was  drawn  the  character  of  "the  Colonel."  A  brother 
of  Mrs.  Campbell  is  Bishop  Collins  Denney,  of  the  Southern  Methodist 
church,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  LTniversity  and  an  intimate  friend  pf 
President  Woodrow  Wilson.  Mrs.  Campbell  is  widely  known  in  social 
circles  of  Benton  Harbor,  having  formerly  been  secretary  of  the  local 
chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  and  three  vears 
state  secretary,  and  now  serving  her  second  term  as  regent  of  the  Michi- 
gan State  Society.    ^Ir.  Campbell,  who  is  also  widely  and  favorably  known 


1948  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

in  the  city,  is  a  member  of  the  Alissouri  Society,  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  his  mihtary  ancestor  liaving  been  Daniel  Donnell.  of  North 
Carolina. 

Arthur  vox  Schlegell.  of  Detroit,  general  manager  of  the  Michigan 
State  Telephone  Company,  is  the  most  conspicuous  figure  in  the  telephone 
field  of  Michigan  today.  He  has  been  identified  with  this  line  of  business 
during  the  past  twenty  years,  during  which  period  he  has  steadily  worked 
his  way  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  until  he  is  now  the  recognized 
local  head  of  the  largest  telephone  system  in  the  state. 

Mr.  von  Schlegell  was  born  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  December  15,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  Lieutenant  and  ]\Iarie  (Muller)  von  Schlegell.  The  fam- 
ily has  been  prominent  in  Germany  for  many  generations.  His  grand- 
father was  for  years  commander  of  the  military  school  at  Potsdam,  Ger- 
many, while  Lieutenant  von  Schlegell  was  an  officer  in  Franz  Joseph's 
Grenadiers  of  Prussia.  Lieutenant  von  Schlegell  and  his  wife  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1870,  locating  first  at  St.  Louis,  and  a  few  years 
later  removed  to  Minneapolis,  where  the  father  became  prominent  as  a 
member  of  the  bar  and  served  as  judge  of  the  probate  court. 

Arthur  von  Schlegell  was  graduated  from  the  Minneapolis  High 
school  and  matriculated  for  the  University  of  Minnesota,  but  did  not 
enter  that  institution,  preferring  to  enter  at  once  upon  his  career.  For 
two  years  he  served  as  deputy  clerk  of  the  probate  court,  and  the  follow- 
ing three  years  were  passed  as  a  clerk  in  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce, 
at  Minneapolis,  succeeding  which  he  became  identified  with  street  rail- 
ways, first  with  the  construction  and  maintenance  department  of  the  St. 
Louis  Street  Railway  Company  and  later  with  the  operating  department 
of  the  Minneapolis  Street  Railway  Company,  being  engaged  with  each 
line  for  about  one  year.  During  the  early  'nineties,  ]\Ir.  von  Schlegell 
entered  the  telephone  field,  in  Minnesota,  and  in  1895  became  contract 
agent  for  the  Northwestern  Telephone  Company,  at  Minneapolis.  His 
success  in  this  line  gained  him  promotion  after  promotion,  and  in  1907 
he  came  to  Michigan  to  accept  the  position  of  general  contract  superin- 
tendent of  the  ^lichigan  Telephone  Company,  which,  in  IQIO,  became  a 
subsidiary  of  the  American  Telephone  Company  and  Telegraph  Company, 
and  shortly  afterwards  one  of  five  companies  operated  as  the  central 
group  of  Bell  Telephone  Companies,  and  one  of  the  territorial  units  of 
the  Bell  System.  Mr.  von  Schlegell's  position  then  became  that  of  gen- 
eral commercial  superintendent  of  the  Michigan  State  Telephone  Com- 
panv,  the  Wisconsin  Telephone  Company,  the  Cleveland  Telephone 
Company  and  the  Central  Union  Telephone  Company.  In  1912  there 
occurred  a  reorganization  of  the  Michigan  State  Telephone  Company  and 
Mr.  von  Schlegell  was  made  general  manager,  a  position  which  he  still 
retains,  being  also  president  of  the  Cheboygan  Telephone  Company  and 
vice  president  of  the  Lenawee  County  Telephone  Company.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  and  belongs  to  the 
Detroit,  Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks. 

On  April  3,  1892,  Mr.  von  Schlegell  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Lara- 
way,  of  Minneapolis,  and  to  them  there  has  been  born  one  daughter : 
Abby  Elise. 

Hon.  Gr.xnt  Fellow.s.  Long  accounted  one  of  }ilichigan's  most  emi- 
nent legists,  Hon.  Grant  Fellows,  attorney  general  of  the  state,  is  also 
known  as  a  dominant  factor  in  Republican  politics.  He  is  a  product  of 
the  farm,  having  been  born  on  his  father's  homestead  in  Hudson  town- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1949 

ship,  Lenawee  county,  [Michigan,  April  13,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Xelson 
and  Sarah  M.  (Perry)  Fellows. 

Abel  Perry,  the  grandfather  of  Grant  Fellows,  was  a  descendant  of 
John  Perry,  of  Waterford,  who  founded  the  family  in  America  in  1780. 
The  grandfather  came  to  Michigan  from  New  York  in  1838  and  settled  in 
Medina  township,  Lenawee  county,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  Nelson  Fellows  was  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  and  came  to  Mich- 
igan in  1835,  two  years  prior  to  this  state's  admission  to  the  Lhiion.  Set- 
tling on  land  in  Medina  township,  Lenawee  county,  which  he  had  secured 
from  the  Government,  he  engaged- in  agricultural  pursuits  in  that  and 
Hudson  townships,  and  passed  away  after  an  honorable  and  successful 
career,  in  1876,  aged  fifty-seven  years.  The  mother  of  Grant  Fellows 
was  also  a  New  Yorker  and  Ijelonged  to  the  same  family  which  gave  to 
the  United  States  Commodore  Perry,  who  won  imperishable  fame  in  the 
War  of  1812.     She  died  in  1898,  when  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 

Grant  Fellows  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Hudson  township  and  the  high  school  at  Hudson,  and  following  some 
preparation  entered  the  practice  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  Decem- 
ber II,  1886.  He  has  since  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  calling,  and  since 
1890  has  been  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Fellows  &  Candler, 
accounted  one  of  the  strongest  legal  combinations  in  the  state.  From 
191 1  until  his  election  to  the  attorney  generalship,  Mr.  Fellows  was  a 
member  of  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Law  Examiners.  He  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  Republican  party  since  attaining  his  majority, 
and  his  services  as  an  orator  have  been  in  great  demand  during  numerous 
campaigns.  Mr.  Fellows  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  attorney  general 
at  the  Republican  state  convention  held  at  Detroit,  September  24,  1912, 
and  at  the  following  election  was  sent  to  that  ofiice  by  the  voters  of  Mich- 
igan. One  of  the  most  capable  of  the  state  oflicials,  his  record  has  been 
one  of  steadfast  loyalty  to  the  interests  of  the  commonwealth,  and  his 
achievements  have  been  such  as  to  place  his  name  prominently  among 
those  of  Michigan's  foremost  and  most  useful  men  in  public  life. 

Mr.  Fellows  belongs  to  the  various  organizations  of  his  profession, 
and  is  also  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  belonging  to  the  Masons,  in 
which  he  has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  Adrian  Lodge  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  Hudson  Lodge,  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

Dudley  M.  Wells.  Since  1879  Mr.  Wells  has  been  in  the  active  and 
successful  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  lawyer,  for  a  number  of  years 
at  Coldwater  and  later  at  Adrian.  While  he  has  not  confined  all  his  at- 
tention to  one  branch  of  the  law,  it  is  in  criminal  practice  that  he  has 
gained  his  chief  reputation,  and  as  a  criminal  lawyer  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  ablest  and  most  successful  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state. 

D.  M.  Wells  was  born  at  Blissfield,  Michigan,  September  20,  1852,  a 
son  of  Marvin  B.  and  Harriet  (Dunton)  Wells.  His  father,  born  in 
Monroe  county,  in  1826,  was  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  in  southeast- 
ern Michigan.'  He  followed  the  vocation  of  farming  and  died  in  1863. 
His  wife,  born  in  Alonroe  county  in  1833,  and  also  of  an  old  family  in 
the  state  now  lives  at  Coldwater.  After  the  death  of  her  first  husband 
she  married  William  J.  Peters,  in  1875.  Mr.  Peters,  who  was  a  farmer, 
died  in  1889.     Her  only  child  is  the  Adrian  lawyer. 

D.  M.  Wells  grew  up  on  a  farm,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
at  Blissfield,  and  also  the  high  school  at  Reading.  After  graduating  in 
1875  from  the  high  school  he  spent  two  terms  in  teaching,  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in 
1879.    In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  supreme 


1950  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

court  of  ^lichigan,  and  in  1902  was  admittefl  to  practice  in  the  Federal 
courts.  Air.  Wells  began  his  career  in  Coldwater.  Michigan,  in  1879,  and 
in  a  few  years  had  gained  a  place  among  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  bar 
who  have  long  had  a  high  reputation  for  ability  in  the  southern  section 
of  the  state.  His  practice  at  Coldwater  continued  until  1902,  since  which 
year  he  has  been  identified  with  Adrian. 

At  Montgomery,  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan.  May  25,  1878,  Mr. 
Wells  married  Miss  Hattie  Thompson,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  Thompson, 
a  farmer  in  Hillsdale  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have  only  one  child. 
Bertha  H.,  whose  husband,  Emil  Huhn,  is  a  plumber  by  trade,  but  is  best 
known  among  the  thousands  as  catcher  in  the  Adrian  ball  club.  jMr. 
Wells  and  family  worship  in  the  Methodist  church,  in  politics  he  is  a 
Progressive  Republican,  and  his  record  of  public  service  includes  two 
terms  in  the  city  council  at  Coldwater,  and  two  terms  as  circuit  court 
commissioner  in  that  city.  During  his  early  residence  in  Coldwater  he 
was  for  one  year  a  member  of  the  Coldwater  Light  Guards.  Mr.  Wells 
still  owns  residence  property  in  Coldwater.  For  his  recreation  he  is 
partial  to  travel,  but  enjoys  all  outdoor  sports,  fishing  being  his  special 
delight. 

Levi  C.  Annis,  M.  D.  A  physician  and  surgeon  who  has  done  a 
quiet  but  efficient  work  as  a  rural  practitioner  in  Kent  county,  and  whose 
home  is  at  Cedar  Springs,  Levi  C.  Annis  graduated  from  medical  school 
a  number  of  years  ago,  and  has  enjoyed  success  as  a  physician  and  high 
standing  as  a  citizen. 

Levi  C.  Annis  was  born  January  27,  1864,  at  Lindsay,  Ontario,  a 
son  of  David  and  Julia  A.  (Clark)  Annis.  His  father,  who  was  born 
December  11,  1842,  is  a  successful  farmer,  and  still  lives  at  Lindsay. 
The  grandfather  was  William  Annis,  who  married  Miss  Coleman.  She 
came  from  England.  Grandfather  Annis  was  born  in  1817  and  died  in 
1905,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1876.  His  occupation  was  likewise 
that  of  a  farmer,  and  in  politics  he  favored  the  Reform  party.  Mrs. 
David  Annis  died  in  1900.  There  were  seven  children  in  the  parents' 
family,  including  Mrs.  Robert  S.  Jenkins,  Mrs.  William  I.  Simpson, 
Miss  Emma  and  Miss  Nellie,  and  Andrew,  the  latter  a  successful  farmer 
in  Canada,  also  Jerry,  deceased.  Mrs.  Simpson  and  the  two  unmarried 
daughters  live  at  Vancouver,  B.  C.  The  father  in  politics  is  likewise  a 
Reformer,  and  has  fraternal  affiliations  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters. 

Dr.  Annis  in  politics  is  a  Progressive,  and  affiliates  with  the  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  Masonry  and  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  was  married  at  Windsor,  Ontario,  September  14,  1898,  to 
Frances  B.  Scott.  She  died  July  23,  191 1,  and  on  November  30,  1912, 
Dr.  Annis  married  her  sister.  Walter  Scott,  an  uncle  of  these  sisters, 
is  in  the  active  service  of  the  British  government  in  India,  and  has  at- 
tained the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  English  army.  Dr.  Annis  has  five 
children  by  his  first  wife,  all  of  whom  are  now  attending  school  in  Cedar 
Springs.  Their  names  arc  William  E.,  Richard  C.,  Gordon  C,  Charles 
G.,  and  Ethel  L. 

Ar.\  B.  Hf.wes,  M.  D.  a  native  Ohioan  and  since  1903  in  practice  at 
Adrian.  Dr.  Hewes  by  his  skill  and  high  character  reflects  credit  on  his 
profession,  and  is  one  of  the  most  jiopular  citizens  of  his  community. 

Dr.  Ara  B.  Hewes  was  born  in  Medina,  Ohio,  December  27,  1873. 
His  father,  Alanson  Hewes,  wa.=;  born  at  Medina,  Ohio,  in  1836,  was  a 
substantial  farmer  and  honorable  citizen  of  his  community  and  a  soldier 
(luring  the  Civil  war.    He  died  in  1874.    The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 


*<Vtv 


^  HE  KEw  row" 


["S^u^;^: 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1951 

was  Alary  J.  French,  who  was  born  at  Medina  in  1840  and  died  in  1912. 
Their  six  children  were :  Lillian  C,  Marion  £.,  Adelaide  S.,  Ora  K., 
Ara  B.  and  John  C.  The  daughter,  Lillian,  died  in  1910  as  Mrs.  Mabry, 
her  home  having  been  at  Medina,  Ohio ;  Marion  died  when  nineteen  years 
old;  Adelaide,  who  died  in  1909,  was  Mrs.  Busher,  and  lived  at  Oakland, 
California;  Ora  K.,  is  a  teacher;  and  John  is  living  at  Lorain,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Hewes  has  made  a  success  in  life  Ijy  hard  work.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  high  school  at  Medina,  Ohio,  and  spent  one  year  in  Hills- 
dale College  in  Michigan.  His  studies  preparatory  for  his  profession 
were  pursued  in  the  Cleveland  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1903.  In  the  same  year  he  opened  his  office  at 
Adrian,  and  has  since  succeeded  in  accjuiring  a  large  general  practice  and 
is  especially  successful  as  a  surgeon.  Dr.  Hewes  is  a  member  of  the  .State 
Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  Homeopathic  Society,  and  the  American 
Institute  of  Homeopathy.  He  was  for  two  years  city  physician  of  .\drian, 
and  during  the  Spanish-American  war  was  with  the  Reserve  Hospital 
Corps,  a  year.  Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Royal  Arcanum  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  and  a  Pro- 
gressive Republican. 

At  Rose,  New  York,  October  7,  1903,  Dr.  Hewes  married  Alabel  A. 
Ferris,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Ferris,  who  was  postmaster  at  Rose.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  two  children ;  Helen  M.  and  Richard  F. 

Hon.  C.  E.  Gittixs.  The  work  of  Mr.  Gittins  as  a  lawyer  and  busi- 
ness man  in  Detroit  covering  a  period  of  twelve  years  has  brought  him 
a  substantial  position  and  reputation  in  that  city,  and  more  recently  his 
name  has  become  known  over  the  state  as  one  of  the  champions  of  the 
national  Progressive  party  and  he  is  one  of  the  representatives  of  that  new 
political  organization  in  the  present  senate  of  the  state,  having  been  elected 
in  1912  from  the  first  district  of  XVayne  county. 

Clarence  Gittins,  who  is  one  of  the  young  and  able  attorneys  of  De- 
troit, was  born  in  Wayne  county,  at  Plymouth,  September  21,  1884.  His 
parents  are  George  I.  and  Josephine  (Knight)  Gittins.  His  father  was 
born  in  Shropshire,  England,  in  1832,  son  of  George  and  Charlotte  Git- 
tins, who  brought  him  to  the  United  States  in  1863,  the  family  settling 
at  once  in  Michigan,  first  in  Detroit  and  later  in  Redford,  where  George 
I.  Gittins  grew  to  manhood.  Following  his  marriage  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  that  was  his  vocation  until  1913,  when  he  retired  from  agricul- 
ture to  take  up  the  hardware  business  at  Milford.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Detroit  in  1857,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Knight,  a  well  known  lumljer- 
man  of  the  city.  Both  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  the 
father  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  order. 

Clarence  Gittins,  like  so  many  men  in  the  city,  grew  up  on  a  farm  in 
Wayne  county,  and  while  living  in  the  parental  home  attended  district 
school.  For  his  higher  education  he  supplemented  the  means  supplied 
from  home  by  his  own  labors,  and  first  prepared  himself  for  teaching  by 
a  course  in  the  Michigan  State  Normal  school  in  Ypsilanti.  His  career 
as  a  teacher  began  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  continued  for 
seven  vears,  with  three  years  as  principal  of  the  Lyon  graded  school  in 
Hamtranick,  Michigan.  While  working  in  the  schoolroom  he  was  also 
industriously  preparing  himself  for  the  legal  profession,  and  in  1909  was 
graduated  from  the  Detroit  College  of  Law  with  the  degree  LL.  B.  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar  in  the  same  year.  With  this  training 
he  embarked  in  practice  at  Detroit  as  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Git- 
tins &  Stieler,  and  in  addition  to  a  general  practice  which  has  brought  him 
before  all  the  courts  of  the  state  he  has  participated  in  business  affairs, 
and  is  an  official  in  several  well  known  Detroit  companies.     He  is  secre- 


1952  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tary  of  the  Highland  I'ark  lioard  of  Commerce;  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Knowles  Heights  Land  Company :  secretary  of  the  Ford  \'ievv 
Realty  Company;  and  secretary  of  the  Highland  Park  Times  Company, 
publishers  of  the  Times. 

Ouite  early  in  his  career  he  began  exerting  some  local  inlluence  in 
politics,  and  in  1912  allied  himself  with  the  new  Progressive  party.  He 
accepted  a  place  on  the  ticket  of  the  National  Progressives  as  candidate 
for  the  Michigan  State  senate  from  the  first  district  of  Wayne  county,  and 
in  this  connection  it  is  a  matter  of  interest  to  record  the  respective  votes : 
Mr.  Ciittins'  vote  was  8,594,  and  the  other  candidates  for  the  office  were 
Leroy  A.  Nelson,  who  received  8,201  ;  William  J.  Lee,  with  7,041  ;  Otto 
Hinz,  with  1,599;  and  Gerrit  L.  Smith,  with  153.  During  the  last  session 
of  the  legislature  Mr.  Gittins  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  immigra- 
tion and  a  member  of  the  railroad  and  other  committees. 

Mr.  Gittins  has  memliership  in  the  Lawyers  Club  of  Detroit,  in  the 
Delta  Phi  Delta,  in  Highland  Park  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  the 
Presbyterian  church.  On  July  10,  1911,  he  married  Lois  Goldsmith  of 
\"icksl)urg,  ^lichigan. 

George  F.  Soxxer.  Both  the  city  of  Benton  Harbor,  which  is  his 
home,  and  the  State  of  Michigan  are  fortunate  in  the  possession  of  such 
a  man  as  George  F.  Sonner.  A  few  years  ago  he  retired  from  a  long 
and  successful  career  as  a  merchant.  Early  in  his  life  he  had  been  one 
of  the  brave  and  valiant  soldiers  of  the  L'nion,  and  won  a  captain's  com- 
mission. About  fifty  years  ago  be  began  his  career  at  Benton  Harbor  as 
one  of  the  men  of  small  means,  but  with  a  large  outlook  on  life  and  an 
energy  and  ambition  which  have  in  the  passing  years  accomplished  much 
not  only  for  his  own  prosperity,  but  for  the  good  of  the  city.  In  all  this 
time  he  has  been  closely  identified  with  Benton  Harbor's  business 
aiTairs,  and  also  with  its  social  and  charitable  interests. 

George  F.  Sonner  is  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  State,  born  in  Highland 
county,  Ohio,  June  S,  1837.  His  parents  were  William  and  Anne  (Cailey) 
Sonner.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Highland  county,  and  his  grandfather 
came  from  Germany  in  the  early  days  and  became  a  pioneer  in  that  section 
of  Ohio.  Mr.  Sonner's  maternal  grandfather  was  likewise  among  the 
Highland  County  pioneers  and  a  native  of  England. 

The  boyhood  and  early  youth  of  George  F.  Sonner  was  spent  in 
Highland  county,  where  he  acquired  a  district  school  education.  On 
reaching  his  majority  he  moved  to  Zanesville,  in  Allen  county,  Indiana. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  however,  he  was  living  in  Ross  county, 
Ohio.  Like  General  Putnam,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  whose  career  is 
familiar  to  all  students  of  American  history,  Mr.  Sonner  was  plowing  in 
the  cornfield  when  the  first  news  came  to  him  that  his  services  were 
needed  to  ])ut  down  the  armed  force  of  rebellion.  Without  completing 
the  furrow,  he  unhitched  his  team,  at  once  repaired  to  the  rendezvous  and 
tendered  his  services  to  the  government.  He  became  a  memb<=r  of  the 
Sixtieth  Regiment  of  Indiana  \'olunteers,  and  completed  one  year  of 
service  with  that  command.  Then  returning  to  Ohio,  under  orders  from 
the  war  governor  of  that  state,  he  and  Major  Irwin  began  recruiting 
soldiers  for  a  new  command.  Major  Irwin  was  appointed  a  major  in 
the  Second  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  and  Mr.  Sonner  accepted  the  position 
of  captain  in  Company  A  of  the  same  command.  With  that  regiment  he 
continued  until  the  close  of  hostilities,  and  made  an  excellent  record  as 
a  brave  and  faithful  soldier. 

On  the  close  of  his  military  career  Mr.  Sonner  came  to  Benton  Har- 
bor, where  his  mother,  who  had  been  widowed  and  had  again  married, 
was  then  living.    During  his  service  in  the  war  Mr.  Sonner  had  managed 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1953 

to  conserve  his  means,  so  that  he  came  to  Benton  Harbor  with  a  small 
amount  of  capital.  While  looking  around  for  an  opportunity  to  invest 
his  means  in  some  independent  enterprise,  he  supported  himself  by  work 
in  a  humble  capacity  in  a  box  factory.  After  several  years,  the  oppor- 
tunity came,  and  he'  entered  the  firm  of  H.  L.  Pitcher  &  Company,  dry 
goods  merchants,  the  constituent  members  of  which  were  H.  L.  Pitcher 
and  R.  ^I.  Jones.  Their  store  was  the  leading  one  of  the  city.  A  few 
years  later  Mr.  Pitcher  retired,  and  under  the  name  of  Jones  &  Sonner, 
as  sole  proprietors,  a  business  was  developed  which  for  many  years  stood 
as  a  landmark  in  the  business  section  of  Benton  Harbor,  and  was 
synonymous  with  reliable  merchandise,  with  honest  business  methods  and 
successful  integrity.  In  1912  Messrs.  Jones  &  Sonner  dissolved  their 
partnership  by  mutual  agreement,  and  both  retired  after  about  forty  years 
of  successful  merchandising.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Sonner  has  been  occu- 
pied with  his  private  affairs  and  investments,  though  he  has  always 
been  liberal  with  his  means  in  support  of  movements  and  institutions. 

His  absorption  in  private  business  interests  has  never  interfered  with 
his  public  spirit,  and  no  one  has  given  more  freely  of  his  time  and 
money  toward  the  upbuilding  of  Benton  Harbor  and  its  institutions.  One 
of  the  older  settlers  in  Benton  Harbor,  he  has  continuously  for  forty 
years  or  more  assisted  in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  com- 
munity. The  old  soldiers  will  always  have  special  reason  to  remember 
him  gratefully  since  it  was  out  of  his  private  means  that  the  Soldiers' 
Home  was  l)uilt  at  St.  Joseph.  He  has  also  contributed  towards  the  dif- 
ferent churches  of  the  city,  has  for  many  years  been  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  and  for  a  long  term  of  years  was 
trustee  of  the  church  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  Mr. 
Sonner  was  one  of  the  promoters  and  liberal  donors  of  the  Benton  Harbor 
PuIjHc  Library,  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  that  institution, 
and  was  its  first  president,  a  position  which  he  retained  from  1902  until 
1914,  in  which  latter  year  he  resigned. 

J.  St.wley  ]\Iorton.  From  Michigan's  territorial  days  down  to  the 
present  time  the  Morton  family  has  ranked  among  the  honored  ones  of 
the  state.  For  three  generations  the  family  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  development  of  the  southern  part  of  the  commonwealth,  and 
probably  no  other  has  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Benton  Harbor.  The  third  generation  of  the  family  is  honorably 
represented  by  J.  Stanley  Morton,  who  has  well  maintained  the  prestige 
of  the  name,  and  who  is  today  justly  accounted  Benton  Harbor's  foremost 
citizen. 

The  Morton  family  is  of  old  English  ancestry-,  and  was  founded  at 
Salem,  Massachusetts,' in  1620,  and  members  of  each  succeeding  genera- 
tion have  been  prominent  in  American  history.  Among  thedistinguished 
members  of  the  name  may  be  mentioned  the  Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton, 
formerlv  governor  of  New  York  and  vice  president  of  the  L'nited  States, 
and  the'Hon.  Marcus  Morton,  formerly  governor  of  [Massachusetts.  The 
Benton  Harbor  branch  of  the  Morton  family  was  found  in  Michigan  dur- 
ing territorial  days,  one  year  prior  to  Michigan's  admission  to  the  Union, 
by  the  pioneer  Eleazer  Morton,  grandfather  of  J.  Stanley  Morton,  who 
came  here  from  New  York  state  in  1834.  Eleazer  Morton  was  a  native 
of  the  old  Bay  state,  having  been  born  at  Stoughton,  Massachusetts,  Au- 
gust I,  1786.  'He  removed  to  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1806,  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  salt,  and  in  181 1  was  married  in  that  city  to  Miss 
Toanna  Cotton,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  was  teaching  school  in 
"the  Salt  City  at  that  time.  Soon  thereafter,  they  went  to  Alexanrler, 
Genesee  county,  New  York,  where  the  grandfather  engaged  in  farming 


1954  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  manufacturing  cloth,  but  in  the  spring  of  1831  made  removal  to  Brock- 
port.  Monroe  county,  New  York,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business  on  the 
Erie  Canal  for  a  short  time.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr  Morton  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  locating  at  ^ledina,  and  there  turned  his  attention  to  the 
keeping  of  a  tavern,  but  after  something  more  than  two  years  again 
turned  his  face  toward  the  West,  removing  to  the  then  territory  of 
Michigan  and  taking  up  his  residence  in  Kalamazoo  county.  His  object 
in  coming  to  Michigan  was  to  experiment  in  the  making  of  sugar  from 
potatoes.  By  the  fall  of  1835  he  had  abandoned  that  idea  as  impracticable, 
and  at  that  time  came  to  Berrien  comity.  locating  first  at  St.  Joseph. 
During  the  few  months  that  followed,  Mr.  Morton  purchased  from  dif- 
ferent owners  160  acres  of  land,  in  sections  15  and  20,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1836  built  a  log  tavern  on  the  Territorial  Road,  this  at  that  time  being 
the  only  house  for  seven  miles  eastward  of  the  river  St.  Joseph.  Mr. 
Morton  cleared  his  land,  improved  it  into  a  desirable  farm,  and  set  out 
a  fruit  orchard  of  apple,  peach,  pear,  plum,  nectarine  and  apricot  trees, 
which  began  to  bear  in  the  early  'forties,  and  thus  he  became  a  pioneer 
fruitgrower  of  the  state.  Also,  he  was  the  second  man  to  ship  fruit 
from  Michigan  to  the  Chicago  markets.  As  the  years  passed  he  became 
identified  with  other  business  interests  until  he  was  justly  accounted  one 
of  the  leading  and  most  successful  business  men  of  the  community. 
Eleazer  Morton  was  a  man  of  unusual  ability  and  of  most  marked  char- 
acteristics. He  was  a  deep  student,  a  profound  thinker  and  a  ready  and 
fluent  writer.  Keeping  fully  abreast  of  the  trend  of  the  times  and  the  im- 
portant affairs  of  the  day.  he  was  constantly  in  correspondence  with  nu- 
merous of  the  leading  national  men  of  the  time,  and  was  in  demand  as  a 
contributor  to  the  press  as  a  writer  of  articles  upon  his  favorite  topics. 
He  was  an  Abolitionist  and  a  Whig,  but  subsequently  joined  the  Repub- 
lican party  upon  its  organization.  His  work,  "Morton's  Guide  to  True 
Happiness,"  had  a  wide  circulation  during  early  days.  Altogether,  he 
was  a  strong  character  and  left  his  impress  upon  the  history  of  his  com- 
munity, an  imprint  which  was  in  every  way  beneficial  to  his  locality  and 
helpful  to  its  citizens  of  the  succeeding  generations.  He  died  July  4, 
1864.  his  wife  having  passed  away  about  eight  years  previous,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1856. 

Among  the  children  born  to  Eleazer  and  Joanna  Morton  was  Henry 
C.  Morton,  who  became  a  worthy  successor  of  his  father  and  carried 
the  prominence  of  the  family  through  the  second  generation.  Born  in 
Genesee  county,  New  York,  January  2~,  1817,  he  was  a  youth  of  seven- 
teen vears  when  he  came  to  ]\[ichigan  with  the  family,  and  for  many 
years  was  identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  Benton  Harbor, 
witnessing  the  growth  of  the  city  from  a  straggling  village  to  a  metro- 
politan conimunitv.  thriving,  progressive  and  substantial.  He  was  a  firm 
ijeliever  in  the  project  of  the  Benton  Harbor  Canal  and  was  one  of  the 
promoters  and  builders  of  that  waterway.  He  also  gave  freely  of  his 
time,  means  and  advice  toward  the  establishment  of  other  important  en- 
terprises, and  always  did  his  full  share  in  promoting  the  welfare  and 
growth  of  the  city  during  his  time.  On  February  8,  1848,  I\Ir.  Morton 
married  Josephine  Stanley,  who  was  born  at  LeRoy.  Genesee  county.  New 
York,  and  who  died  at  Benton  Harbor  in  September.  1859.  Mr.  ^Torton 
surviving  her  until  May,  1895. 

T.  Stanley  !Morton.  grandson  of  Eleazer.  and  son  of  Henry  C.  Mor- 
ton, has  w'eli  maintained  the  prestige  of  the  family  in  the  third  genera- 
tion, and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  men  in  business  and  social 
circles  of  Benton  Harbor  today,  while  his  name  and  rejAitation  are  famil- 
iar in  the  business  world  all  over  the  cotmtrv.     He  was  born  at  Benton 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1955 

Harbor,  September  i6,  1850,  and  attended  the  public  schools  until  the 
age  of  fifteen  years,  at  which  time  he  embarked  upon  his  business  career 
as  clerk  in  a  general  store  of  his  native  place.  In  1869,  before  he  had 
reached  his  majority,  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  on  his  own  account 
and  continued  to  devote  his  attentions  to  that  line  until  1873.  In  1874 
he  entered  the  field  of  transportation  by  chartering  a  steamboat  and  plac- 
ing it  in  the  trade  between  Benton  Harbor  and  Chicago,  this  boat  being 
the  Lake  Breeze,  which  carried  freight  and  passengers,  although  at  that 
day  travel  was  limited  between  the  Michigan  and  Illinois  shores.  Mr. 
Morton  continued  to  operate  this  boat  with  success  until  1875,  when  he 
became  interested  with  the  late  John  H.  Graham  and  Anderson  Craw- 
ford in  a  steamboat  line  between  Benton  Harbor  and  Chicago,  and,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  these  gentlemen,  established  what  is  now  the 
famous  Graham  &  Morton  Transportation  Company,  which  has  grown 
into  one  of  the  largest  lines  operating  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Mr.  Morton 
was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  company  until  1893,  when  he  with- 
drew from  the  enterprise,  but  in  1898  re-entered  the  firm  and  held  the 
same  position  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Graham  in  1907,  when  he  succeeded 
to  the  presidency. 

After  leaving  the  Graham  &  Alorton  Company,  in  1S93,  Mr.  Morton, 
in  company  witl,i  other  enterprising  business  men,  purchased  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  stock  of  the  old  Excelsior  Gas  Company,  which  was  re- 
organized under  their  management,  Mr.  Morton  becoming  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  new  concern.  This  venture  was  later  again  reorganized, 
becoming  the  Benton  Harbor  and  St.  Joseph  Gas  and  Fuel  Company,  of 
which  Mr.  Morton  was  vice  president  until  his  withdrawal  in  1912.  At 
this  time  he  is  president  of  the  Peck  Furniture  Company,  of  Benton 
Harbor.  In  former  days  Mr.  Morton  was  intimately  identified  with  many 
important  local  enterprises,  being  for  a  number  of  years  vice  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Benton  Harbor,  president  of  the  Stevens 
&  Alorton  Luml)er  Company,  treasurer  of  the  Alden  Canning  Company 
and  secretary  of  the  Benton  Harbor  Improvement  Company. 

On  June  21,  1871,  Mr.  Morton  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Heath,  of 
Benton  Harbor,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Salmon  F.  and  Julia  Heath,  who 
came  to  Benton  Harbor  from  Wisconsin  in  1861.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
and  one-half  years ;  Henry,  who  died  when  two  months  old :  William  H.. 
who  has  charge  of  the  Chicago  offices  of  the  Graham  &  Morton  Lines ; 
and  Raymond,  who  died  in  October,  191 3,  leaving  a  widow  and  one 
daughter,  Josephine,  the  latter  now  aged  two  and  one-half  years,  and 
the  only  grandchild  in  the  family. 

Mr.  Morton  is  well  known  in  fraternal  circles  of  Benton  Harbor,  be- 
ing prominently  connected  with  the  lodges  of  the  Masons,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Henry  L  Armstrong.  That  Detroit  gained  its  supremacy  as  a  manu- 
facturing city  is  due  to  several  factors,  the  most  important  of  which  is 
the  status  of  its  representative  business  men  engaged  in  the  manufacturing 
line,  a  prominent  example  being  found  in  Henry  I.  Armstrong,  member 
of  the  firm  of  Armstrong  and  Graham,  wholesale  manufacturers  of 
saddlery  hardware,  with  shops  at  No.  130  Jefferson  avenue,  Detroit. 

Henry  L  Armstrong  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  December  10, 
1850,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Hopson)  Arm- 
strong. In  the  democratic  atmosphere  of  the  public  schools  he  secured  his 
early  educational  training,  afterward  becoming  a  student  at  Olivet  Col- 
lege, in  Michigan,  a  well  known  institution  from  which  he  passed  to  the 
University  of  Michigan  and  after  completing  a  period  there  was  ready  to 


1956  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

make  a  start  in  business.  In  1870  he  secured  a  position  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  Detroit  medicine  manufacturing  concern.  Parke.  Davis  &  Company, 
and  continued  so  connected  for  one  year,  following  which  he  engaged 
with  the  firm  of  Hayden  &  Baldwin  and  still  later  was  with  Glover  & 
Campau.  In  1875  he  entered  the  employ  of  Buhl,  Ducharm  &  Company, 
with  which  concern  he  remained  for  ten  years,  or  until  1885,  when  he 
embarked  in  business  for  himself,  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Armstrong  &  Graham.  The  business  of  this  widely  known  firm  is  the 
manufacture  of  saddlery  hardware  and  the  scope  of  its  trade  has  so 
broadened  that  it  has  become  the  leader  in  its  line  in  Michigan,  doing 
an  exclusive  wholesale  business. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  married  March  21,  1877,  to  IMiss  Sarah  Aikman, 
of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  and 
belongs  also  to  the  Detroit  Club.  While  not  active  as  a  politician.  Mr. 
Armstrong  recognizes  every  duty  of  citizenship  and  ever  exerts  his  influ- 
ence toward  the  making  of  wholesome  laws  and  to  the  impartial  enforce- 
ment of  the  same. 

Hon.  Edward  E.  Edwards.  It  was  more  than  forty  years  ago  that 
Judge  Edwards  was  admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  his  career  since  1875  h'^^  been  spent  in  Newaygo 
county,  where  he  is  not  only  one  of  the  oldest  lawyers,  but  his  success 
and  influence  have  been  measured  proportionately  with  the  length  of  his 
practice.  Besides  the  successes  which  have  come  to  him  as  a  lawyer,  he 
has  enjoyed  public  distinction  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  is 
now  devoting  all  his  time  and  attention  to  the  work  of  the  probate  judge- 
ship, which  he  has  held  since  January  i,  1905. 

Edward  E.  Edwards  was  born  in  Broome  county.  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1845.  Grandfather  David  Edwards  was  born  in  New  York 
state  and  spent  all  his  life  there.  The  Edwards  family  originally  came 
from  Wales.  Judge  Edwards'  maternal  grandfather  was  born  in  New 
York  state  also.  The  parents  were  David  C.  and  Electa  A.  (Pettis) 
Edwards.  The  father  was  born  in  New  York  July  4,  1820,  and  died 
August  I,  1881.  while  the  mother  was  born  in  1823  and  died  in  1865. 
Some  time  after  their  marriage,  they  moved  to  Illinois  in  1852,  and  the 
next  year  went  to  low^a,  and  after  two  years  there  settled  at  Greenville, 
Michigan.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  that  locality  four  or  five  years, 
then  became  a  pioneer  settler  in  Oceana  county,  and  from  there  moved 
out  to  the  state  of  Missouri  where  he  died.  During  his  early  life  he  was 
an  active  worker  in  the  Good  Templar  organization.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  as  a  business  man  was  quite  successful,  leaving  ])ro]ierty 
valued  at  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  when  he  died.  He  and  his 
wife  had  seven  children,  six  now  living,  as  follows:  Edward  E. ;  Cynthia 
G.,  the  wife  of  A.  Harding,  who  lives  at  Port  Townsend.  Oregon ;  Clara 
A.,  who  married  'Sir.  Armstrong  and  lives  in  South  Dakota ;  Mrs.  Cor- 
nelia E.  Young,  wife  of  a  physician  in  Iowa ;  Mrs.  Ella  G.  ^loore,  who 
lives  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Washington ;  and  Daniel  J.,  who  also 
lives  in  the  state  of  Washington,  where  he  is  a  carpenter  and  builder. 

Judge  Edwards  received  a  common  school  education  in  New  York 
state,  and  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Michigan,  his  youth  being  spent  in  all  four 
of  those  states.  His  practical  career  began  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  and 
after  four  or  five  years,  having  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  study 
of  law,  under  private  direction,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March, 
1870.  He  was  then  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  after  two  years  of 
practice  at  Pentwater,  and  then  three  years  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state,  he  came  to  Newa,go  county  in  1875,  and  set  up  an  office  and  began 
practice  at  Fremont.     Success  came  to  him  very  quickly  after  locating 


CE-<^_«^-T£_<2_V^       C^  '       Gr^^rit^>—^ 


^. 


THE   NIW  TORK 

fUBi.lvJLURARY' 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1957 

in  Newaygo  county  and  he  has  for  nearly  forty  yeais  enjoyed  a  distinc- 
tion as  an  able  and  successful  member  of  the  bar.  His  home  was  at 
Fremont  for  a  number  of  years,  and  while  there  he  filled  the  office  of 
circuit  judge  for  a  year  and  a  half,  having  been  appointed  to  that  position 
in  1897.  After  taking  up  his  duties  as  probate  judge  he  moved  to  the 
county  seat  in  1905,  in  1910  changed  his  residence  to  White  Cloud, 
which  in  that  year  was  made  the  new  seat  of  government  for  Newaygo 
county. 

At  Pent  water  in  1867  Judge  Edwards  married  Emma  J.  Carroll, 
a  daughter  of  Watson  Carroll.  j\lrs.  Edwards,  who  died  in  1869, 
left  one  son,  Edward  C,  who  died  when  six  years  of  age.  In  1872 
the  judge  married  Mary  E.  Queale,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Robert  Queale, 
a  minister  of  the  Universalist  church.  By  this  marriage  there  were  two 
children:  Edith  M.,  who  lives  at  home;  and  Corydon  Howard,  who  died 
in  youth.  Judge  Edwards  and  family  worship  in  the  Universalist  faith, 
and  he  has  been  prominent  in  Masonry.  He  helped  to  organize  Arcana 
Lodge  No.  463,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  White  Cloud,  and  has  been  master  in 
four  different  lodges.  He  also  affiliates  with  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
at  Fremont  and  the  Consistory  and  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Grand  Rapids. 
In  politics  a  Republican,  he  has  interested  himself  in  public  affairs,  has 
been  a  friend  of  good  government  and  a  worker  for  the  best  interests 
of  every  community  where  he  has  had  his  home.  He  served  as  town- 
ship clerk,  as  village  attorney  and  president  in  Fremont,  was  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature  and  made  an  excellent  record  in  the  lower  house 
during  1881-82,  and  in  the  state  senate  from  1885  to  1S87,  and  he  at- 
tained to  no  little  distinction  while  a  member  of  the  senate.  Judge  Ed- 
wards is  a  man  who  has  well  won  the  various  distinctions  which  have 
come  to  him,  and  in  every  place  of  trust  has  accjuitted  himself  with  credit 
to  himself  and  with  a  fine  performance  of  obligation  to  the  public. 

Hon.  Franz  C.  Kuhn,  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Michigan,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  dignity  and  greatness  of  the 
state  in  the  domain  of  the  law  which  he  has  honored  for  twenty  years, 
and  an  able  and  virile  product  of  the  city  with  which  he  has  been  for 
so  long  identified  as  lawyer,  jurist  and  progressive  citizen.  He  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Michigan,  February  8,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  C. 
( Ullrich )  Kuhn,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  mother  belonged  to  the 
Ullrich  family  of  Mount  Clemens,  which  has  long  been  identified  with 
the  commercial  and  financial  interests  of  that  city.  The  parents  of  Judge 
Kuhn  were  married  in  Detroit,  but  in  1874  removed  to  JMount  Clemens, 
where  the  father  is  still  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits. 

Judge  Kuhn  was  reared  in  Mount  Clemens  and  was  given  a  thorough 
literary  training  by  parents  who  firmly  believed  in  an  education  as  the 
best  asset  of  manhood.  After  attending  the  public  schools,  he  entered 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1893,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences,  and 
in  the  following  year  graduated  from  the  law  department,  receiving  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  Almost  immediately  thereafter  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  during  the  same  year  was  elected  Circuit  Court 
commissioner  of  Macomb  county,  a  capacity  in  which  he  served  from 
1894  until  1896.  From  1898  until  1904  he  served  as  prosecuting  attorney 
of  ]\Iacomb  county,  three  terms,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  elected  probate 
judge.  He  was  re-elected  to  that  office  in  igo8.  but  June  6,  1910,  resigned 
to  accept  the  appointment  of  attorney  general  of  Michigan,  from  Governor 
Warner.  On  October  6,  1910,  the  Republican  State  Convention  nominated 
Judge  Kuhn  for  the  office  of  attorney  general,  and  he  was  elected  for 
the  full  term  at  the  ensuing  election.    In  September,  1912,  Governor  Os- 


1958  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

born  appointed  Judge  Kuhn  associate  justice  of  the  Michigan  Supreme 
Court  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  late  Judge  Blair,  and 
at  the  Republican  State  Convention  held  the  same  year  he  was  nominated 
to  complete  the  full  term  of  Judge  Blair,  and  was  sent  to  that  office  at 
the  following  election.  His  term  will  expire  in  1918.  Judge  Kuhn  estab- 
lished his  residence  in  Detroit  in  July,  1913,  having  formerly  resided  at 
Lansing.  While  Judge  Kuhn's  rise  to  his  present  exalted  position  has 
been  rapid,  it  has  been  fairly  earned.  No  one  has  ever  had  cause  to  doubt 
his  mental  strength  or  his  deep  and  thorough  knowledge  of  law  and 
jurisprudence.  His  decisions  have  ever  indicated  a  strong  mentality  and 
careful  analysis,  and  the  discovery  has  yet  to  be  made  that  he  has  ever 
been  other  than  impartial. 

Judge  Kuhn  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mina  C.  Burton,  who  was  born 
in  Richmond,  \'irginia.  and  they  have  one  daughter,  W'ilhelmina  Ann.  who 
was  born  in  191 1.  Judge  Kuhn  is  a  member  of  the  various  Masonic 
bodies,  including  Romeo  Commandery  No.  6,  Knights  Templar,  and  Mos- 
lem (Detroit)  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  past  grand  chancellor 
of  Michigan  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  a  valued  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club. 

\ViLLi.\M  F.  M.\LOW.  Now  at  the  head  of  ^lalow  Brothers,  William 
F.  ;\Ialow  has  for  nearly  twenty  years  been  identified  with  the  building 
interests  of  Detroit,  and  is  one  of  the  successful  contractors  in  the  city. 
In  the  modern  city's  development  few  firms  have  taken  a  more  conspicu- 
ous part  as  builders  than  this  one.  Only  a  few  examples  can  be  selected 
and  mentioned  to  indicate  the  extent  of  their  enterprise.  They  took  part 
in  constructing  the  first  Ford  automobile  factory  and  erected  the  trussed- 
concrete  building  at  the  corner  of  Lafayette  boulevard  and  Wayne  street. 
They  also  erected  the  Country  Club  building  in  Crosse  Pointe ;  the  fine 
residences  of  Henry  Ford,  of  John  Dodge,  of  H.  E.  Dodge ;  the  Fisher's 
Woodward  Arcade;  the  original  building  of  the  Addison  apartment  hotel, 
and  the  firm  has  just  completed  an  addition  to  that  hotel  costing  three 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

\\'illiam  F.  ^lalow  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  on  a  farm  four  miles 
north  of  Mt.  Clemens.  October  21,  1868,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Sophia 
(Priehs)  Malow.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Mecklinburg,  Germany, 
and  were  both  born  in  the  same  year,  1836.  After  their  marriage  in  the 
old  country  they  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1857.  The  father  was 
already  thoroughly  trained  in  tlie  trade  of  wagon  maker,  and  continued 
in  that  line  in  ]\Iaconil3  county,  where  he  first  settled  on  reaching  this 
country.  In  later  }ears  he  retired  to  his  farm,  and  continued  actively  as 
an  agriculturist  until  1904.  That  year  he  moved  to  Litica.  Michigan,  and 
now  lives  retired.    The  mother  died  in  1908. 

William  F.  Malow  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Macomb  county  until 
eighteen.  In  1886.  going  to  Detroit,  he  learned  carpentry  under  his  older 
brother,  Martin  Malow.  Two  years  were  spent  as  a  journeyman  carpen- 
ter in  Detroit,  and  also  two  years  in  Cleveland,  followed  by  a  similar 
time  in  Detroit,  and  in  1897  he  began  contracting  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Malow  Brothers.  His  brother  Martin  had  long  been  identified  with 
the  building  interests  of  the  city.  In  1907  W'illiam  acquired  the  interest 
of  his  brother  in  the  firm,  and  is  now  sole  owner,  but  retains  the  old  and 
well  known  firm  name  of  Malow  Brothers. 

Mr.  ^lalow  is  one  of  the  ])opular  members  of  the  Detroit  P.uilders  & 
Traders  Exchange,  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  and  of  the  Rotary 
Club.  He  and  family  worship  in  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Mr. 
Malow  married  Flora  Rieck,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  a  daughter  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1959 

William  Rieck  of  Utica.    To  their  marriage  have  been  born  three  children, 
Arnold,  who  is  bookkeeper  for  his  father,  and  Esther  and  Eleanor. 

Hon.  George  Willard  Bridgmax.  The  sound  judgment,  the  well- 
balanced  mind,  and  freedom  from  bias  that  is  demanded  in  those  prac- 
titioners of  the  law  who  are  ultimately  honored  by  elevation  to  the  bench, 
is  well  exemplified  in  Judge  George  \\'illard  Bridgman,  an  honored  resi- 
dent of  Benton  Harbor,  and  judge  of  the  Second  Michigan  Judicial  Cir- 
cuit. Judge  Bridgman  comes  of  famous  Xew  England  ancestry  and  was 
born  at  Lee,  Massachusetts,  July  4,  1848.  His  parents  were  George  and 
Sarah  (Cowles)  Bridgman,  and  the  family  ancestry,  reaching  to  an  Eng- 
lish source,  later  became  signally  distingviished  in  the  intellectual  life  of 
the  colony  of  Massachusetts. 

George  Bridgman,  tlie  father  of  Judge  Bridgman,  was  born  at  Belcher- 
town,  Hampshire  county,  Massachusetts,  in  October,  1813,  and  was  a 
son  of  Ebenezer  Bridgman,  also  a  native  of  Belchertown,  who  married 
Abigail  Willard.  She  was  born  at  Petersham,  Massachusetts,  and  was  a 
descendant  of  .Simon  Willard,  who  was  the  English  founder  of  that  fam- 
ily in  Massachusetts,  where  it  was  prominent  for  generations.  From 
this  ancestor  came  Samuel  Willard,  who  was  the  first  president  of  Har- 
vard College :  his  son,  also  Samuel,  was  also  president  of  this  noted  in- 
stitution of  learning.  It  was  the  third  Samuel  Willard  who  was  the 
noted  blind  Unitarian  preacher  and  distinguished  author,  of  Deerfield, 
Massachusetts.  Another  Willard  known  to  fame  was  Joseph  Willard, 
brother  to  Abigail,  who  was  the  architect  of  the  Bunker  Hill  monument. 
At  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  George  Bridgman  married  Sarah  Cowles, 
who  was  born  at  Amherst,  in  1814,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Cowles  of  Massachusetts.  Her  maternal  grandmother  was  Esther  Graves, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Eliphat  Graves,  who,  with  his. five  brothers, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  1856  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridgman  came 
to  Michigan,  in  which  state  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  In  Massa- 
chusetts, Mr.  Bridgman  was  a  manufacturer  of  carriages  in  early  busi- 
ness life  and  later  was  connected  with  the  Hosotowac  Railroad  Company. 
W'hen  he  came  to  Michigan  he  located  in  Lake  township,  Berrien  county, 
at  a  point  then  known  as  Charlottville,  now  as  Bridgman,  a  station  of  the 
Pere  Marquette  Railway,  where  he  engaged  for  some  years  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  later  turning  his  attention  to  fanning.  His  death  occurred 
in  icjoi.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  in  Berrien  county,  interested  in  its 
progress  and  development  but  never  accepted  public  honors.  Originally 
a  Whig,  in  later  years  he  became  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party. 

George  Willard  Bridgman  attended  the  public  schools,  including  the 
high  school  course  and  also  enjoyed  instruction. from  private  tutors.  In 
1861  before  making  a  choice  of  career,  he  was  appointed  to  a  position  in 
the  LTnited  States  Treasury  Department  at  Washington  and  spent  seven 
years  in  the  national  capital.  While  there  he  studied  law,  taking  the  reg- 
ular law  course  in  the  Columbian,  now  the  George  Washington  I'niver- 
sity,  and  was  there  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  in  1S68,  and  in 
June  of  that  year  was  admitted  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of 
Columbia,  to  the  practice  of  law.  In  1872  he  returned  to  Michigan  and 
two  vears  later  was  admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar  and  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  his  old  home  section.  In  1884  he  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  George  H.  Clapp,  at  Xiles,  Michigan,  under  the  style  of 
Qapp  &  Bridgman,  which  became  one  of  the  dominating  law  firms  of  the 
state  and  the  association  continued  until  1889,  when  Air.  Bridgman  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney,  which  was  followed  bv  his  re-election.  In 
1891  he  came  to  Benton  Harbor,  where  he  resumed  private  practice  and 


1960  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

continued  until  the  spring  of  191 1,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Circuit 
bench  for  a  term  of  six  years.  His  ideals  of  the  legal  profession  have 
always  licen  high  and  in  i)ractice  he  has  lived  up  to  them,  thereby  gaining 
the  public  confidence  that  made  his  elevation  to  the  bench  a  matter  of 
general  congratulation  among  this  law-abiding  people.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Berrien  County  Bar  Association. 

Judge  Bridgman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Thyrza  Chamber- 
lain, of  Cherry  \'alley,  Illinois,  who  is  a  daughter  of  .\lfred  .A.,  and  Xancy 
E.  (^longer)  Chamberlain.  Judge  and  Mrs.  I'.ridgman  have  three  chil- 
dren: Ida  C,  who  married  George  Schairer,  of  Benton  Harbor;  George 
C,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Benton  Harbor;  and  Emma  C, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  H.  Howard,  Jr.,  of  St.  Joseph,  Michigan. 
Judge  Bridgman  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  an  Elk  and  Knight  of  Pythias. 

James  Ch.arles  W.\rd.  In  the  Detroit  building  trades  no  firm  has  a 
record  which  includes  more  notable  examples  of  building  construction 
than  that  of  J.  C.  Ward  &  Son,  mason  contractors.  J.  C.  Ward  himself 
has  been  identified  with  the  Ijusiness  activities  of  Detroit  for  more  than 
forty  years,  and  his  rise  to  success  has  been  through  the  avenue  of  hard 
work,  first  at  his  trade,  wdth  progressive  responsibilities  and  eventually  to 
an  indejiendent  business  of  his  own. 

James  Charles  Ward  was  born  in  Xew  York  state,  at  Brazier  Falls  on 
the  St.  Lawrence  river,  June  2,  1855.  His  parents  w'ere  Patrick  and 
Anna  (White)  Ward.  Both  were  natives  of  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  came 
to  America  when  young  and  single,  and  were  married  in  New  York  state. 
From  there  they  moved  across  the  boundary  to  Ontario,  and  for  several 
years  Patrick  Ward  was  employed  at  different  points  along  the  Welland 
canal  during  the  construction  of  that  great  waterway.  B.oth  parents  died 
iu  Canada,  and  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

The  years  from  five  to  fifteen  James  C.  Ward  spent  with  his  jiarents 
in  Canada.  His  education  from  books  was  of  an  average  amount,  but  was 
less  important  in  his  career  than  his  ready  industry  and  thorough  training 
as  a  young  man.  When  still  a  boy  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  brick- 
making  in  Canada,  and  had  made  such  progress  that  when  he  came  to 
Detroit  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  was  able  to  command  a  jour- 
neyman's wages.  His  first  employer  in  Detroit  was  Mr.  Albright,  the 
pioneer  contractor.  .Subsequently  he  was  with  Joseph  Dietz.  first  as 
journeyman,  then  as  manager,  then  as  partner,  and  for  a  period  altogether 
of  more  than  twenty  years.  After  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Deitz  &  Ward,  mason  contractors,  Mr.  Ward  bought  out  his  partner, 
and  then  continued  in  business  under  his  own  name.  Like  the  majority 
of  successful  organizations  of  that  kind,  Mr.  W^ard's  beginning  was  on  a 
modest  scale,  employing  a  few  men  and  witli  limited  capital  resources. 
The  business  developed  from  year  to  year,  and  his  reputation  became 
established  as  one  of  the  leading  mason  contractors  of  the  city.  In  1912 
I\lr.  Ward  formed  the  firm  of  J.  C.  Ward  &  .Son,  taking  into  partnership 
his  oldest  son.  William  C.  In  a  brief  sketch  only  the  more  notaljle  con- 
tracts successfully  handled  by  Mr.  Ward  can  be  mentioned.  They  include 
some  of  the  finest  residences,  factories  and  business  houses  in  the  city. 
Mr.  \\'ard  put  up  the  addition  to  the  old  Ford  Motor  Works,  the  large 
factory  of  Edmund  &  Jones,  the  Jewish  Synagogue  on  Farnsworth  street 
between  Beaubien  and  St.  Antoine  streets,  and  most  conspicuous  of  ;ill  is 
the  Windeman  residence,  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  and  most  costly  in 
the  city. 

In  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange  Mr.  Ward  is  one  of 
the  influential  members,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Master  Masons 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1961 

Association.     Fraternally  he  is  a  IMaccabee,  and  his  church  is  St.  Leo's 
Catholic. 

His  tirst  wife  was  Mary  Taylor,  who  died  leaving  two  sons :  William 
C,  junior  member  of  the  tirm  of  J.  C.  Ward  &  Son;  and  James  Francis, 
a  brick  maker,  also  associated  with  the  firm.  Mr.  Ward  married  for  his 
second  wife  Mrs.  Bessie  (Pickup)  Blackburn  of  Detroit,  who  was  born 
in  Yorkshire,  England. 

GoTTLOB  C.  Leibraxd.  At  the  head  of  the  corporations  department 
of  the  department  of  the  Secretar}'  of  State,  and  e.x-prosecuting  attorney 
of  Gladwin  county,  ^Michigan,  Gottlob  C.  Leibrand  is  probably  one  of  the 
best  known  men  in  the  official  and  professional  life  of  the  state.  Al- 
though his  career  has  not  covered  as  many  years  as  those  of  some  of  his 
official  brethren,  it  has  been  characterized  by  such  activity,  faithful  devo- 
tion and  general  usefulness  as  to  place  his  name  favorably  before  the 
people,  and  to  make  him  one  of  the  influential  Republicans  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Leibrand  is  an  Ohioan,  born  at  Canton,  Stark  county,  June  4,  1870, 
and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Catherine  Leibrand,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. The  father  followed  the  vocation  of  teacher  of  vocal  music,  and 
died  in  the  year  following  that  in.  which  his  son,  our  subject,  was  born, 
and  the  mother  married  again  and  in  1876  came  to  Isabella  county, 
Michigan. 

Gottlob  C.  Leibrand  secured  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Isabella  county,  and  was  reared  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  On  at- 
taining his  majority  he  started  upon  a  career  of  his  own,  but  remained 
on  the  farm  and  continued  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  until  1907.  It  had  long 
been  his  ambition  to  follow  a  professional  career,  and  in  that  year  he 
began  to  study  law  under  a  preceptor,  although  he  had  previously  taken 
a  law  course  in  a  correspondence  school.  In  1907  he  entered  the  Detroit 
College  of  Law,  receiving  one  year's  credit,  and  in  the  class  of  1909  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  During  that  same  year 
Mr.  Leibrand  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  immediately  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  calling,  at  Beaverton,  Gladwin  county.  The  ne.xt  year 
marked  his  entrance  into  public  life,  when,  as  a  Republican,  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  county  attorney  of  Gladwin  county,  and  moved  his  offices 
and  transferred  his  activities  to  Gladwin,  the  county  seat.  Mr.  Leibrand 
served  four  years  in  that  office,  and  so  ably  did  he  discharge  the  duties 
devolving  upon  him  that  June  4,  1914,  he  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position  in  the  Department  of  State.  Here  he  is  rapidly  establishing  a 
reputation  that  promises  much  for  his  future  political  career. 

Mr.  Leibrand  has  long  been  prominent  in  Grange  matters  and  during 
his  earlier  years  did  much  to  promote  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
communities  in  which  he  resided.  He  was  well  and  favorably  known  in 
Isabella  county,  where  he  served  as  supervisor  for  some  time,  and  always 
was  foremost  in  the  support  of  Re])ublican  policies.  In  May,  1914,  Mr. 
Leibrand  was  a  delegate  to  the  "welfare"  Republican  convention,  held  at 
Detroit.  Mr.  Leibrand  takes  some  interest  in  fraternal  matters,  and  is  a 
popular  member  of  Beaverton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M..  in  which  he  has  numer- 
ous friends. 

In  1901  Mr.  Leibrand  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  INIinnie  Kilborn,  who  was 
born  in  Saginaw,  Michigan.  Her  father  came  from  Canada  when  a  young 
man  and  served  in  an  Indiana  volunteer  regiment  of  infantry.  Three 
children  have  been  Ijorn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leibrand:  Carl,  born  in  1902; 
Dorothy,  l)orn  in  1904:    and  Raljih,  born  in  1906. 

Hon.  Samuel  \\'.  Smith.  As  representative  from  the  Sixth  Con- 
gressional District  of  Michigan  in  Congress  since  March  1897,  ]\Ir.  Smith 


1962  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  this  state's  delegation  at  Washington, 
and  his  services  and  ability  have  ranked  him  as  one  of  the  most  useful 
men  in  the  national  legislature.  His  public  career  began  with  the  office 
of  prosecuting  attorney  of  Oakland  county  in  1880,  and  he  has  for  many 
years  been  one  of  the  prominent  attorneys  at  Pontiac. 

Samuel  William  Smith  was  born  in  Independence  township,  Oakland 
county,  Michigan,  August  23d,  1852,  son  of  Nicholas  B.  and  Mary 
(Phillips)  Smith.  His  father,  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  New  York, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Oakland  county,  and  in  1841  he  began 
the  improvement  of  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  in  Brandon  township  of 
Oakland  county.  Some  years  later  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Independence  township,  where  Samuel  \\'.  Smith  was  born, 
and  the  latter  part  of  his  active  career  was  spent  as  a  merchant  in  the 
village  of  Clarkston.  His  wife  was  born  in  New  York  in  1825,  came  as 
a  girl  with  her  parents  to  Oakland  county,  and  died  there  in  1856. 

Samuel  \\".  Smith  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Clarkston, 
in  the  Detroit  schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of 
the  Universitv  of  ^Michigan  in  1878.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1877,  he  be- 
gan his  regular  practice  at  Pontiac.  and  for  many  years  was  associated 
with  the  late  Judge  Levi  B.  Taft  until  .the  latter's  death.  For  a  number 
of  vears  the  Oakland  county  bar  has  had  no  more  successful  attorney  than 
Mr.  Smith. 

His  attention  has  been  pretty  well  divided  between  law  and  politics 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  Beginning  as  a  practically  unknown  young 
attorney  he  has  achieved  a  place  among  the  national  leaders  in  aiifairs. 
In  1880  the  Repubhcan  party  of  Oakland  county  elected  him  prosecuting 
attorney,  an  office  he  held  until  1884.  This  was  followed  in  the  latter 
vear  bv  his  election  as  state  senator  from  the  Fifteenth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict. 

In  1896  Mr.  Smith  was  first  chosen  to  represent  the  Sixth  Michigan 
District  in  Congress,  and  his  service  has  been  continuous  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress.  In  1912  he  was  re-elected  for  his  ninth 
consecutive  term.  In  Congress  he  has  given  his  support  and  has  cham- 
pioned much  important  legislation.  He  has  been  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  advocates  of  government  ownership  of  telegraphs  and  tele- 
phones. His  speech  delivered  in  the  House  of  Representatives  'Sla.y  2fith, 
1906.  has  everywhere  been  regarded  as  an  authority  on  this  subject.  He 
spent  much  time  on  this  speech,  and  he  does  not  believe  that  a  single 
fact  or  statement  in  the  same  can  be  successfully  controverted.  He  also 
advocated  at  a  time  when  it  was  not  so  popular  to  do  so,  the  abolition  of 
railroad  passes,  telegraph  and  express  franks  and  a  reasonable  reduction 
in  express  rates.  He  had  no  desire  to  injure  the  express  companies,  and 
has  often  been  heard  to  say  that  if  the  express  companies  had  made  a 
fair  reduction,  it  would  have  delayed  the  establishment  of  parcels  post 
for  many  vears.  He  also  favored  a  reduction  in  railway  mail  pay,  believ- 
ing that  the  government  was  paying  too  much  for  this  service ;  which 
subject  is  again  receiving  a  great  deal  of  attention  in  the  Sixty-third  Con- 
gress. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Bourne  Commission  will  make  such  a 
report  as  Congress  can  adopt  and  one  that  will  be  fair  and  just  to  the 
government  and  the  railways  and  settle  this  very  complicated  question 
for  vears  to  come. 

The  laws  regulating  the  sale  of  oleomargarine,  a  measure  of  equal 
importance  to  dairymen  and  consumers :  and  a  bill  for  improved  coup- 
ling of  freight  cars  for  the  protection  of  railway  employes,  received  con- 
siderable attention  at  his  hands  during  his  legislative  experience :  and  the 
legislation  for  the  introduction  and  extension  erf  rural  free  delivery  of 
mail  is  one  among  the  better  known  measures  to  which  Mr.  Smith  gave 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1963 

much  of  his  attention,  and  for  which  he  deserves  special  credit.  As  a 
result  of  his  leadership  in  the  rural  free  delivery  matter,  the  Sixth  Dis- 
trict was  one  of  the  first  places  in  the  United  States  where  the  system 
was  given  trial.  The  cities  of  Lansing,  Flint  and  Pontiac  are  indebted  to 
Air.  Smith  for  his  efforts  in  securing  suitable  federal  buildings  for  those 
communities.  His  constituents  have  always  recognized  in  him  a  vigilant 
and  untiring  worker  for  their  best  interests.  Until  the  Republican 
majority  in  the  House  gave  way  to  the  Democratic  success  of  1910,  Mr. 
Smith  was  Chairman  of  the  District  of  Columbia  Committee,  an  office 
which  practically  made  him  mayor  of  the  city  of  Washington,  and  his 
administration  in  that  post  was  so  efficient  and  admirable  as  to  receive 
the  direct  compliments  of  President  Taft  at  the  time  Mr.  Smith  retired 
from  the  head  of  the  District  Committee. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  November  17,  1880,  to  Aliss  Alida  E.  DeLand, 
a  daughter  of  Edwin  Tracy  and  Susan  (Bentley)  DeLand.  She  was 
born  near  Grass  Lake,  Jackson  county,  Michigan.  Their  four  sons  are 
Lieutenant  E.  DeLand,  Ferris  X.,  M.  D.,  Dr.  Wendell  T.  and  Harlan  S. 

Christian  Paul  Tietze.  Few  men  in  Detroit  are  better  or  more 
favorablv  known  among  contractors  than  is  Christian  Paul  Tietze,  who 
has  gained  an  enviable  position  in  the  line  of  plumbing  and  heating,  and 
who  is  also  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Trad- 
ers Exchange.  Mr.  Tietze  is  a  native  son  of  Detroit,  born  January  3, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Ernst  and  Barbara  ( Hoetzel )  Tietze,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Germany,  the  father  in  the  province  of  Prussia  and  the 
mother  in  the  province  of  Bavaria. 

Ernst  Tietze  was  born  September  21,  1833,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1850,  making  the  voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel  and  being  ten 
weeks  on  the  water,  during  which  time  he  passed  through  a  shipwreck  on 
the  English  Channel.  The  mother  was  born  January  26,  1833,  and 
came  to  Am.erica,  landing  at  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  eleven  weeks. 
She  came  to  Detroit  by  railroad,  and  her  train  was  wrecked  near  Hamil- 
ton. Ontario,  but  she  escaped  serious  injuries.  The  parents  first  met  at 
Detroit,  where  they  were  married  April  22.  1855,  The  father  had 
worked  at  sewing  boot  uppers  early  in  life,  but  later  learned  the  up- 
holstering trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  his  death,  2\Iay  31,  1872.  His 
widow  survived  many  years  and  passed  away  July  9,  1908.  They  were 
consistent  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Christian  Paul,  of  this  review ;  Eliz- 
abeth, born  November  18,  1861,  who  is  head  of  the  L.  Tietze  Company, 
dvers  and  cleaners,  one  of  the  largest  firms  in  that  line  of  business  of 
Detroit;  George,  born  December  22,  1862,  who  died  September  6,  i8fi6; 
Mina  Henrietta,  born  September  9,  1869,  who  died  July  17,  1S72:  Paul 
H.,  born  November  17,  1864,  is  supervisor  of  the  Fifteenth  Ward  of 
the  city  of  Detroit:  George  M.,  who  was  born  December  21,  i866.  a 
plumber  by  vocation,  who  is  employed  by  his  brother.  Christian  P. :  and 
Theodore  William,  born  December  28,  1874,  who  died  March  28,  1874. 

Christian  P.  Tietze  attended  the  Lutheran  parochial  schools  and 
Goldsmith  Business  College,  and  was  but  thirteen  years  of  as;e  when  he 
started  to  work  as  parcel  boy  with  Friedman  Brothers,  a  wholesale  milli- 
nerv  firm  on  \\'oodward  avenue.  Succeeding  this,  he  was  associated  with 
F.  T.  Barnum's  wire  works,  later  was  employed  in  a  cigar  box  factory, 
and  following  that  worked  in  the  grocery  store  of  Earnley  &  Hazelton. 
During  this  time  he  had  carefully  saved  what  he  could  of  his  earnings 
and  made  the  most  of  his  everv  opportunity,  keeping  his  eyes  open  and 
his  senses  alert  for  whatever  benefit  he  might  gain  which  would  help 
him  in  later  years.     On  August  9,  1875,  he  received  his  introduction  to 


1964  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  plumbing  trade  when  he  apprenticed  himself  to  the  firm  of  Jack  & 
Reynolds,  of  Detroit,  and  when  he  had  completed  his  training  worked  as 
a  journeyman  plumber  until  1896.  In  that  year  he  entered  the  plumbing 
and  heating  business  for  himself  under  his  own  name,  and  since  that  time 
has  carried  on  a  large  contracting  business.  His  first  establishment  was 
located  on  Gratiot  avenue,  but  in  a  short  time  he  removed  to  the  rear  of 
his  residence,  at  Xo.  558  ^lack  avenue,  where  he  has  since  continued.  As 
a  journeyman  plumber  Mr.  Tietze  had  charge  of  the  remodeling  of  the 
Mofifatt  building,  of  the  Cadillac  Hotel  and  of  a  great  number  of  fine 
residences,  among  the  latter  being  those  of  Col.  Frank  Hecker  and  the 
late  Orin  Scotten.  As  a  contractor  he  did  the  plumbing  and  heating  of 
the  Marvin  M.  Stanton  residence,  near  Water  Works  Park,  the  fine 
residence  of  Charles  S.  Chapman  at  Rochester,  Michigan,  installed  the 
water  works  system  of  the  Old  Club,  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  the  .Addison 
Apartments  on  Woodward  and  Charlotte  avenues,  which  are  the  larg- 
est and  finest  apartments  in  Michigan,  and  in  which  he  is  financially  in- 
terested, and  has  carried  numerous  other  large  pieces  of  work  to  a  suc- 
cessful conclusion. 

Mr.  Tietze  has  for  many  years  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
city,  state  and  national  Master  Plumbers  associations.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Alaster  Plumliers  Association  in  1897,  in  1898 
became  a  member  of  the  State  and  National  Associations,  and  during 
these  years  has  been  active  in  all  connections.  He  has  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  local  organization  for  three  full  terms  and  is  president 
of  the  state  body  for  one  term,  and,  in  1914  was  chosen  vice-president 
of  the  state  body  which  places  him  in  line  for  another  term  as  presi- 
dent. He  was  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  state  body  for  three 
terms  in  succession,  during  which  time,  in  the  line  of  duty,  he  visited 
every  city  water  works  plant  in  Michigan,  making  two  trips  to  the  Upper 
Peninsula.  In  1901  he  was  first  elected  a  delegate  from  the  local  asso- 
ciation to  the  national  association  convention,  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
and  was  sent  also  as  a  delegate  to  the  following  conventions :  Atlantic 
City,  New  Jersey,  1902;  San  Francisco,  1904;  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  1905: 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  1906;  Atlantic  City,  New  Jersey,  1907:  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, 1908;  Boston,  Massachusetts,  1909:  Detroit,  Michigan,  1910;  Chi- 
cago, Illinois,  191 1  :  Galveston,  Texas,  1912;  Salt  Lake  City,  1913.  He 
has  missed  but  one  national  convention  since  1901.  In  1906  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  president  of  the  national  body  a  member  of  its  board  of 
directors,  and  was  reappointed  in  1907  and  1908,  holding  that  position 
three  successive  terms,  which  is  full  time  for  which  an  individual  is 
eligible  to  membership  on  the  board.  It  was  through  Mr.  Tietze's  efforts 
that  the  national  convention  was  secured  for  Detroit  in  1910,  at  which 
convention  the  record  attendance  was  broken  and  the  success  of  which 
was  credited  in  a  great  measure  to  Mr.  Tietze. 

Mr.  Tietze  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Pjuilders  and  Traders  Exchange 
and  chairman  of  its  legislative  committee  in  1913  and  1914.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Michigan  State  Comiiensation 
Insurance  Commission,  under  apj^ointment  from  Governor  Ferris.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Pethania  Liederkranz  Sing- 
ing Society.  He  was  married  November  12,  1884.  at  Detroit,  to  Miss 
Amelia  \\'en(lt,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  June  15.  1862,  the  daughter  of 
John  F.  and  Julia  (  Frey)  Wendt,  natives  of  Germany.  John  F.  Wendt 
was  a  pioneer  shoe  merchant  of  this  city  and  saw  many  and  great  changes 
in  the  citv  during  his  long  life,  he  having  lived  to  reach  the  advanced  age 
of  cightv-six  vears  and  dving  July  24,  i<)Oj.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tietze:     Lottie  Parhara.  born  November  12,  1885, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1965 

who  died  January  6.  1906;  Lillie  Julia,  born  March  24,  1888;  Eleanor 
Louise,  born  December  24,  1891  ;  and  Edna  Carohne,  born  November 
17,  1894. 

Hon.  Milo  DeWitt  Campuell.  The  name  of  [Milo  D.  Campbell  in 
Coldwater  and  Branch  county  has  for  years  represented  a  dominant  influ- 
ence in  politics,  and  leadership  in  public  aft'airs.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  lawyer 
by  profession  and  has  practiced  in  Branch  county  for  more  than  thirty- 
five  years,  his  home  having  been  in  Coldwater  since  1886.  While  well 
known  as  a  lawyer  and  Ijusiness  man  it  is  his  political  career  which  has 
brought  him  his  chief  fame  in  Michigan,  and  he  has  long  been  one  of 
the  Republican  leaders  of  the  state.  The  public  position  which  he  now 
holds  is  that  of  United  States  marshal  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Michi- 
gan, a  position  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1908.  His  term  expires  May 
I,  1914.  While  Mr.  Campbell  has  held  many  places  of  trust  in  local  and 
state  affairs,  these  honors  always  have  come  to  him  unsolicited,  and  it  is 
a  fact  of  which  he  and  his  supporters  are  both  proud  that  he  has  l:)een 
able  to  fill  every  position  and  discharge  every  obligation  in  a  highly  com- 
mendable and  satisfactory  manner,  so  that  there  is  not  one  blot  upon  his 
official  record. 

Mr.  Campbell's  first  public  service  may  be  said  to  have  been  as  a  school 
teacher  in  a  country  school,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  There 
have  been  comparatively  few  years  since  then  in  which  he  has  not  done 
public  work  in  one  capacity  or  another.  Milo  DeWitt  Campbell  was  born 
in  Ouincy  township.  Branch  county,  October  25,  1851,  and  represents  one 
of  the  older  families  in  the  citizenship  of  that  county  of  this  common- 
wealth. His  parents  were  Rollin  ^^ladison  and  Susan  Ann  Campbell.  The 
paternal  ancestry  is  Scotch  and  on  the  mother's  side  the  lineage  goes  back 
to  England.  Both  parents  w-ere  born  in  western  New  York,  settled  in 
Branch  county  in  1848,  and  the  father  was  a  substantial  farmer  all  his 
active  career.  Mr.  Campbell's  great-great-grandfather  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

Growing  up  on  a  farm,  Mr.  Campbell  attended  the  country  schools 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  later  went  to  school  in  Coldwater,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  got  his  first  license  and  obtained  permission  to  teach  a 
roomful  of  country  boys  and  girls.  After  that  he  taught  school  and  at- 
tended school  alternately,  until  he  graduated  from  the  Coldwater  high 
school  in  1871.  His  work  as  a  teacher  went  on  at  varying  intervals,  and 
he  completed  in  1875  the  course  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti. 
During  the  summers  he  also  worked  on  the  farm,  and  in  many  ways  got 
the  practical  experience  and  earned  the  money  with  which  he  prepared  for 
his  larger  career  of  usefulness.  While  teaching  he  was  also  studying  law, 
and  in  1877  had  completed  the  studies  which  enabled  him  to  gain  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  of  Branch  county. 

The  first  ten  years  of  his  professional  work  he  had  an  office  and  lived 
in  the  village  of  Ouincy.  His  practice  grew  rapidly,  until  it  was  as  large 
as  that  enjoyed  by  any  lawyer  at  the  county  seat,  an.d  eventually  his  busi- 
ness compelled  him  to  move  to  Coldwater  in  1886,  which  city  has  since 
been  his  home.  ClaytonC.  Johnson  had  previously  been  a  student  in  his 
office,  and  they  formed  a  partnership  at  Coldwater,  which  in  a  short  time 
became  one  of  the  strongest  legal  combinations  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Campbell,  besides  his  practice,  has  been  identified  with  different  busi- 
ness organizations,  and  is  a  stock  holder  in  the  First  National  Bank  at 
Ouincy,  and  a  director  of  the  Southern  Michigan  National  Bank,  Cold- 
water,  Michigan. 

Besides  his  work  as  a  school  teacher,  Mr.  Campbell's  first  office  was 

Vol.  IV— 14 


1966  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

that  of  county  school  commissioner  to  which  he  was  elected  when  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  He  was  next  chosen  by  popular  vote  as  circuit  court 
commissioner  of  Branch  county,  and  in  1S85  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  state  legislature.  During  the  term  of  Governor  Luce,  an- 
other Coldwater  citizen,  Air.  Campbell  became  private  secretary  to  the 
Governor,  and  performed  the  duties  of  that  position  four  years.  In  1891 
Governor  Winans  appointed  him  as  the  Republican  member  of  the  state 
board  of  inspectors,  having  charge  of  all  the  penal  and  refomiatory  in- 
stitutions of  the  state,  together  with  the  pardon  board.  He  served  two 
years  as  president  of  that  board,  until  the  law  creating  the  board  was 
changed.  Governor  John  T.  Rich  in  1893  appointed  Air.  Campbell  a 
member  of  the  railroad  and  street  crossing  board,  and  he  was  one  term  in 
that  office.  In  1897,  came  perhaps  his  greatest  opportunity  for  public 
service  with  his  appointment  by  Governor  Hazen  S.  Pingree  as  commis- 
sioner of  insurance.  At  the  end  of  two  years,  he  was  solicited  by  the 
governor  to  accept  membership  on  the  board  of  state  tax  commission, 
and  was  president  of  that  board  until  the  close  of  Governor  Pingree's 
office.  While  commissioner  of  insurance,  Mr.  Campbell  completely  re- 
organized the  insurance  business  of  Michigan.  He  closed  up  and  put  into 
the  hands  of  receivers  thirty  or  more  insolvent  and  worthless  companies, 
and  drove  more  than  fifty  other  fraudulent  and  fake  concerns  out  of  the 
state.  He  secured  a  reduction  in  fire  insurance  rates  from  the  stock  com- 
panies, resulting  in  a  saving  of  more  than  eight  htindred  thousand  dollars 
annually  to  the  people  of  the  state.  Also  his  work  was  important  as  presi- 
dent of  the  tax  commission,  and  in  the  first  year  he  secured  an  increase  in 
the  assessed  valuation  of  state  property  amounting  to  more  than  thirty- 
five  per  cent. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  also  been  honored  in  his  home  city  of  Coldwater, 
which  he  served  three  terms  as  mayor,  being  elected  in  1902,  1903  and 
1904.  He  has  attended  many  state  conventions  as  delegate  and  was  four 
times  chairman  of  the  Branch  county  delegation.  He  has  frequently  been 
a  delegate  to  national  conventions.  His  experience  in  public  affairs  has 
resulted  in  his  selection  to  membership  on  various  conferences  of  national 
or  international  character,  and  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  confer- 
ence at  New  York  to  prepare  extradition  agreements  between  the  states, 
and  to  national  conferences  of  the  board  of  corrections  and  charities.  Mr. 
Campbell  cast  his  first  vote  for  General  Grant  in  1872,  and  has  been  a 
steadfast  Republican  ever  since.  He  belongs  to  the  Coldwater  Presby- 
terian church,  and  affiliates  with  the  patrons  of  husbandry,  has  taken  the 
York  Rite  degrees  of  Masonry,  including  the  Knights  Templar,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

At  Quincy,  on  October  17,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Marion  Florence 
Sears.  They  have  one  adopted  daughter,  Jessie  May,  taken  into  their 
household  when  three  years  of  age  and  reared  with  all  the  advantages 
which  they  could  have  bestowed  upon  their  own  child.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  E.  R.  Clark,  a  merchant  of  Coldwater,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Elizabeth. 

J.\MES  Craig.  Jr.  Among  men  foremost  in  Detroit  as  identified  with 
Western  industrial  enterprises,  those  who  have  become  known  because 
of  the  magnitude  of  their  operations  and  the  vast  extent  of  their  trade 
connections,  none  is  there  whose  personality  is  of  a  more  interesting  char- 
acter or  whose  career  has  been  more  impressive  or  beneficial  as  an  object 
lesson  to  the  young  than  James  Craig,  Jr.,  president  of  the  firm  of  Parker, 
Webb  &  Company,  probably  the  largest  meat  packers  between  New 
York  and  Chicago. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1967 

Mr.  Craig  was  born  in  Detroit  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  James  Craig, 
an  early  business  man  of  Detroit.  The  latter  was  born  near  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga,  New  York,  and  came  to  Detroit  during  the  late  'forties,  being 
for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Craig  Brothers.  Later  he  identified  himself  with 
the  wholesale  fish  business,  and  also  was  interested  in  lake  vessels,  hav- 
ing owned  an  interest  with  the  late  E.  B.  Ward,  in  the  old  Mohawk  and 
other  boats.  He  married  Daphney  Cook,  who  was  born  on  Lake  George, 
New  York,  and  whose  nephew,  Joseph  Cook,  D.  D.,  was  a  well-known 
Boston  divine.  Both  parents  died  in  Detroit  after  a  long  residence  here, 
passing  away  within  a  year  of  one  another.  They  were  devout  members 
of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church. 

James  Craig,  Jr.,  was  graduated  from  the  Detroit  High  school  in 
the  class  of  1872  and  at  once  went  to  work  for  his  father,  in  whose  em- 
ploy he  remained  for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  became 
shipping  clerk,  bookkeeper  and  cashier  for  William  Parker  &  Company, 
the  packer,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1889.  and  then  went  to  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  where  he  became  identified  with  Armour-Cudahy  Packing  Com- 
pany, the  old  firm  of  meat  packers  then  doing  business  as  Armour  & 
Cudahy.  A  few  months  later  Mr.  Craig  became  connected  with  the  firm 
of  G.  H.  Hammond  &  Company,  packers,  and  for  two  years  had  charge 
of  the  company's  sales  department,  at  South  Omaha.  In  1890  the  two  old 
firms  of  Willard  Parker  &  Company  and  Webb  Brothers,  packers  of  De- 
troit, consolidated,  and  soon  afterwards  Mr.  Craig  was  sent  for,  he  join- 
ing the  new  firm  as  manager  in  1891.  By  1892  he  had  secured  some 
stock  in  the  company  and  was  elected  secretary,  subsequently  became  sec- 
retary-treasurer, and  in  1908  was  chosen  president  of  the  concern.  From 
the  time  he  entered  the  service' of  the  company  in  1891  he  has  been  the 
dominating  influence  in  its  management  and  the  wonderful  success  which 
has  marked  its  development  may  be  credited  directly  to  his  indefatigable 
efforts,  his  wise  judgment  and  his  fine  organizing  and  executive  abil- 
ity. Mr.. Craig  is  widely  known  among  packers  all  over  the  country,  and 
in  1913  was  president  of  the  American  Meat  Packers  Association.  Mr. 
Craig  is  a  director  in  the  Old  First  National  Bank  of  Detroit.  He  belongs 
to  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Detroit  Athletic 
Club,  the  Detroit  Curling  Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club.  The  record 
of  a  career  that  has  been  so  strong  and  forceful,  so  active  and  honorable, 
is  necessarily  brief,  but  it  is  full  of  useful  incentive  and  lesson.  By  his 
own  energy  and  labor  Mr.  Craig  has  succeeded  in  achieving  a  high  posi- 
tion, and  what  he  has  accomplished  is  due  entirely  to  his  ambitious  nature, 
his  constant  endeavor  and  his  unwearying  application.  Systematic  meth- 
ods, prompt  and  decisive  action  under  all  circumstances,  good  judgment 
and  tact  united  tO'  a  high  sense  of  honesty,  and  an  absolute  fidelity  in 
every  undertaking,  have,  when  in  such  comliination,  placed  Mr.  Craig 
in  his  present  position  and  given  him  a  reputation  of  an  enviable  nature 
among  his  many  friends  and  business  associates. 

Mr.  Craig  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Aspinal,  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  two  sons  and  a  daughter :    Harvey  A.,  Lyman  J.  and  Clare  lean. 

Junius  E..  Beal.  A  scion  of  Revolutionary  ancestry,  Hon.  Junius  - 
Emery  Beal  has  fully  upheld,  through  character  and  achievement,  the 
prestige  of  the  name  which  he  bears,  and  he  has  exerted  large  and  be- 
nignant influence  in  connection  with  the  civic  and  material  affairs  in  his 
native  State  of  Michigan  and  especially  in  the  city  of  Ann  Arbor,  where 
he  is  known  as  a  broad-minded  and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  sterling  pioneer  family  of  the  Wolverine  commonwealth. 


1968  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

his  grandfather  coming  to  Michigan  in  1S35,  and  his  loyalty  to  Michigan 
has  ever  been  of  the  most  insistent  type,  so  that  there  are  many  points 
that  make  consonant  his  recognition  in  this  history.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  not  only  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  but  is  also  chairman  of  the  public  domain  and  immigration 
commissions  of  the  state. 

Junius  E.  Beal  was  born  at  Port  Huron,  St.  Clair  countv.  Michigan, 
on  the  23d  of  February,  i860,  and  to  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state 
he  is  indebted  for  his  early  educational  discipline,  which  was  et¥ectively 
supplemented  by  his  higher  academic  work  in  the  University  of  .Michigan. 
In  this  institution,  of  which  he  is  now  a  regent,  he  was  graduated  as  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1882,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 
For  a  long  term  of  -years  he  was  a  representative  newspaper  man  of 
Michigan,  as  editor  and  publisher  of  a  well  ordered  daily  paper  in  the 
city  of  Ann  Arbor,  and  he  has  been  prominently  concerned  with  business 
and  public  activities  in  this  city,  where  he  still  maintains  his  residence. 
He  has  been  a  most  zealous  and  effective  advocate  of  the  principles  and 
policies  for  which  the  Re]niblican  party  has  stood  sponsor  and  has  been 
influential  in  its  councils  in  ^lichigan.  In  1888  iie  represented  his  jjarty 
and  state  as  presidential  elector,  and  in  the  following  year  he  gave  yeo- 
man service  as  president  of  the  :Michigan  .Republican  League.  In  1893 
he  was  president  of  the  Michigan  Press  Association,  and  he  has  served 
also  as  president  of  the  Wesleyan  Guild.  He  has  various  and  important 
capitalistic  interests  and  it  should  be  specially  noted  that  he  is  a  stock- 
holder of  that  staunch  arid  long  established  corporation,  the  Detroit  Fire 
&  Marine  Insurance  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  director.  In  1Q05  he 
represented  Washtenaw  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Michigan  legis- 
lature, in  which  he  made  an  admirable  record  as  an  earnest  worker  with 
the  deliberations  of  both  the  general  body  and  its  committee  rooms.  He 
was  assigned  to  various  important  committees,  including  that  on  ways  and 
means.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  since  1907,  and  in  this  capacity  has  shown  the  utmost  interest 
in  the  loyalty  to  his  alma  mater.  He  was  elected  to  this  office  on  the 
Republican  ticket  and  received  the  extraordinary  majority  of  more  than 
100,000  votes.  In  1909  he  was  ai)pointed  a  member  of  the  Michigan 
public  domain  commission,  of  which  he  is  now  chairman,  as  is  he  also  of 
the  adjunct  body,  the  immigration  commission.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and  is  identified  with 
various  civic  organizations  of  representative  character  aside  from  this. 

J.x.MKS  \'iNCF-XT  CuNXi Xi ; II AM .  I'cw  of  Michigan's  men.  in  puljlic 
life  have  rendered  greater  or  more  helpful  services  during  the  past  several 
years  than  has  the  present  state  commissioner  of  labor,  James  Mncent 
Cunningham.  In  \arious  capacities  he  has  disijlayed  a  high  order  of  ex- 
ecutive ability  and  administrative  power.  Born  on  a  farm  in  Genoa  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  Michigan,  February  3,  1871,  Mr.  Cunningham 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (McKeever)  Cunningham.  The  father  was 
born  in  County  Meath.  Ireland,  in  1837,  and  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  as  a  young  man  went  to  Colorado 
,  and  later  to  Idaho,  there  securing  employment  in  the  mines.  Through 
industry,  thrift  and  perseverance  he  managed  to  accumulate  enough  monev 
with  which  to  return  to  Livingston  county  and  purchase  a  farm,  and 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  during  the  balance  of  his  life,  dying  May 
4.  191 3.  The  mother  of  James  \'.  Cunningham  was  born  in  Oceola  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  Michigan,  in  1842^  and  is  still  living. 

James  \'.  Cimniiigham  was  born  in  a  log  house  on  the  old  homestead. 


*^    ••lis* 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1969 

and  secured  his  education  in  the  old  Beaunuan  district  school  and  the 
Brighton  high  school.  Reared  on  the  home  farm,  he  remained  thereon 
until  after  passing  his  majority  and  in  1893  moved  to  Detroit  and  secured 
a  position  as  conductor  on  the  street  railways,  remaining  thus  engaged  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  Air.  Cunningham  early  interested  himself  in  the 
afifairs  of  the  Street  Railway  Men's  Association,  of  which  he  was  elected 
business  agent,  and  was  twice  re-elected  to  that  position,  resigning  in  ]\Iay, 
1905,  to  accept  the  position  of  chief  deputy  under  Sheriff  James  D.  Burns 
of  \Vayne  county.  Mr.  Cunningham  served  two  terms  of  two  years  each 
in  that  capacity.  Succeeding  this,  Mr.  Cunningham  was  made  an  adjuster 
for  the  Home  Telephone  Company,  of  Detroit,  but  after  about  one  year 
became  identified  with  the  Columbia  Buggy  Company,  with  which  con- 
cern he  spent  a  short  season.  Mr.  Cunningham  was  then  appointed  state 
factory  inspector  for  the  city  of  Detroit,  under  Commissioner  of  Labor 
Fletcher,  and  held  that  office  for  six  months,  or  until  the  expiration  of 
Commissioner  Fletcher's  term  of  office.  He  was  next  appointed  special 
inspector  of  the  Wayne  county  board  of  poor  commissioners,  and  while 
acting  in  this  capacity  had  charge  and  direction  of  the  sons  over  sixteen 
years  of  age  of  mothers  who  were  receiving  aid  from  the  commissioners. 
During  his  term  of  office  Mr.  Cunningham  found  employment  for  more 
than  350  boys,  who  up  to  this  time,  although  able,  were  not  willing  to 
work,  although  if  they  had  done  so  would  have  been  capable  of  earn- 
ing more  than  the  commission  was  allowing  their  mothers.  Air.  Cunning- 
ham takes  a  pardonable  pride  in  the  fact  that  these  boys,  the  greater 
number  of  whom  furnish  material  for  excellent  future  citizenship,  have 
been  set  straight  by  him  and  for  the  greater  part  have  remained  so.  He 
left  this  position  to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  city  assessor  for  the 
city  of  Detroit,  and  in  1913  was  appointed  by  Governor  Ferris  to  the  office 
of  state  commissioner  of  labor,  assuming  charge  of  the  duties  of  that 
position  July  ist  of  that  year.  His  services  have  been  of  the  highest  char- 
acter and  his  record  in  office  has  continued  to  be  that  of  an  energetic, 
thoroughly  capable  and  progressive  official.  Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  \\'ilcox,  of  Detroit,  who 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Washington  township,  Alacomb  county,  this  state, 
the  daughter  of  Rush  Wilcox,  a  pioneer  of  Alacomb  county.  One  daugh- 
ter has  come  to  this  union :  Frances  Evelyn.  The  family  home  is  located 
at  No.  769  Tillman  street,  Detroit. 

All.\n  B.  W.\llower.  Formerly  in  practice  at  Detroit,  and  now  one 
of  the  successful  members  of  the  Grand  Rapids  bar,  Allan  B.  Wallower 
has  had  many  varied  and  interesting  experiences  since  he  started  on  his 
own  responsibility  when  a  boy.  He  educated  himself,  has  worked  in 
various  lines,  was  a  soldier  during  the  w-ar  with  Spain,  and  a  knowdedge 
of  men  and  affairs  acquired  by  constant  contact  with  the  world  has  been 
very  useful  to  him  in  his  profession. 

The  Wallower  family  for  a  number  of  generations  lived  in  the  vicinity 
of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  Allan  B.  Wallower  was  born  August 
15,  1875.  His  parents  were  Benjamin  F.  and  Margaret  (Harren)  Wal- 
lower, both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Grandfather  John  Wallower  and 
great-grandfather  Leonard  Wallower  were  both  Pennsylvanians,  and 
the  latter  had  a  large  farm  near  Harrisburg  and  was  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous early  settlers  in  that  vicinity.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Levi  Har- 
ren, was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  married  Elizabeth 
Bates,  and  all  their  lives  were  spent  in  that  county.  Benjamin  F.  Wal- 
lower, who  was  born  at  Harrisburg  July  25,  1844,  and  who  died  July  27, 
1883,  spent  six  and  one-half  years  of  his  early  career  in  the  service  of 


1970  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  regular  army  and  afterwards  was  a  railroad  man.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  was  in  Troop  F  of  the  Twentieth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  until 
the  regiment  mustered  out,  and  then  was  in  llattery  F  of  the  Third  Lnited 
States  Artillery  until  1867.  He  re-enlisted  in  the  Twenty-third  United 
States  Infantry  under  General  George  Crook,  and  participated  in  many 
western  campaigns  and  was  stationed  at  various  military  posts  through- 
out the  country  until  1870.  He  served  with  the  rank  of  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  After  his  army  career  Benjamin  F.  W'allower  entered  the  rail- 
way service,  and  was  conductor  on  the  Philadelphia  division  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  running  from  Harrisburg  to  Philadelphia,  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  married  in  Harrisburg  to  Margaret  Harren, 
who  was  born  in  Cumberland  county  June  12,  1851,  and  died  December 
15,  1888.  Of  their  four  children  three  are  living:  Allan  B. ;  Roland  C, 
who  is  advertising  manager  for  the  Frick  Company  at  Waynesboro,  in 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Charles  W.,  who  is  district  plant 
chief  of  the  American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Company  at  Boston.  The 
father  was  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

Allan  B.  Wallower  attended  school  at  Harrisburg,  and  at  Champ  Hill 
in  Cumberland  county,  but  was  soon  thrown  on  his  own  responsibilities 
and  continued  his  education  as  a  result  of  his  own  earnings.  He  took 
a  business  college  course  at  Eastman  College,  Poughkeepsie,  New  York, 
and  pursued  his  law  studies  at  Detroit,  graduating  in  1908.  He  was 
connected  with  the  Asphalt  Trust,  being  located  in  Trinidad,  British 
West  India,  and  in  Venezuela,  from  April,  1900,  to  August,  1903.  In 
October,  1903,  Mr.  Wallower  came  to  Detroit  as  cashier  for  the  Barber 
Asphalt  Paving  Company,  and  resigned  that  position  in  September,  1904. 
His  practice  as  a  lawyer  began  in  Detroit  after  his  graduation  from  law 
college,  and  continued  there  until  January  15,  1913,  since  which  date  his 
home  has  been  in  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  already  has  a  good  practice. 

Mr.  Wallower  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Detroit  and  affiliates  with  Zion  Lodge  No.  i,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  the  same 
city.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  For  six  years  of  his  earlier  career 
he  served  in  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany F  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  and  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  and 
later  that  of  captain  and  regimental  adjutant,  having  the  latter  rank  at 
the  time  of  his  resignation.  During  the  war  with  Spain  he  served  as 
lieutenant  in  the  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  while  in  the  army 
fell  a  victim  of  typhoid  fever  and  spent  se\en  weeks  in  hospital.  Mr. 
Wallower  is  a  member  of  the  Naval  and  Military  Order  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  was  recorder  of  that  organization  four  years.  He 
has  again  entered  the  National  Guard  and  is  now  a  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany B,  Second  Regiment  Infantry  of  Michigan. 

David  I-'dward  Thomas.  The  late  David  Edward  Thomas  of  Detroit 
was  one  of  Michigan's  most  prominent  insurance  men,  and  was  the 
founder  and  president  until  the  time  of  his  death  of  the  National  Casualty 
Company,  one  of  the  large  indemnity  and  accident  insurance  concerns  of 
the  country.  He  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Michigan,  June  4,  1853,  and 
was  a  son  of  David  W.  and  Selina  (  Dickenson)  Thomas,  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  were  early  citizens  of  Michigan.  The  father  died  when  David 
Edward  Thomas  was  a  baby,  while  the  mother  remarried  and  reared  her 
three  children  to  lives  of  industry  and  usefulness. 

David  E.  Thomas  received  his  educational  training  in  the  Saginaw 
graded  and  high  schools  and  supplemented  this  by  a  course  at  Adrian 
College.  He  was  reared  as  a  farmer,  and  continued  to  reside  on  the 
homestead  until  1875,  during  which  iieriod  he  also  had  six  terms  of  ex- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1971 

perience  as  a  teacher  in  the  country  schools.  For  three  years  after  leaving 
the  farm  he  was  connected  with  a  retail  grocery  store,  at  Alpena,  Michi- 
gan, in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  then  entering  that  line  of  business  on  his 
own  account  and  continuing  to  be  thus  engaged  for  two  years.  Mr. 
Thomas  then  became  a  '"knight  of  the  road,"  becoming  a  traveling  sales- 
man for  a  large  flour  manufacturing  company,  but  in  1891  entered  the 
business  in  which  he  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  leading  figures 
in  business  circles  of  the  state.  He  was  content  to  enter  this  field  in  a 
humble  capacity,  and  in  the  position  of  solicitor  for  a  casualty  insurance 
company  for  three  years  familiarized  himself  with  every  detail  of  the 
business.  In  1894  he  organized  the  National  Protective  Society,  which  at 
first  was  a  very  modest  venture  and  of  slow  growth  during  the  first  year 
or  so  of  its  existence,  but  under  the  able  guidance  of  Mr.  Thomas  the 
society  grew  in  strength,  importance  and  scope  from  year  to  year,  until  it 
was  removed  from  Bay  City  to  Detroit,  and  in  1904  was  reorganized  as 
the  National  Casualty  Company,  with  Mr.  Thomas  still  president  and 
guiding  spirit. 

Mr.  Thomas  died  at  his  handsome  Detroit  home,  April  9,  1909.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Com- 
merce, the  Detroit  Club,  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club, 
the  Detroit  Golf  Club  and  the  Rushmere  Club.  He  was  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles  and  was  a  thirty-second  degree,  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  and 
a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

On  May  11,  1888,  Mr.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Maria  A.  Van  Dusen,  of  Bay  City,  Michigan,  who  was  born  in  Ontario, 
Canada,  the  daughter  of  Philip  and  Catherine  (Wagner)  Empey,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  the  Dominion,  She  married  for  her  first  husband 
Jacob  Van  Dusen,  a  native  of  Canada,  who  died  in  1880,  leaving  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Sue,  who  was  with  Mr.  Thomas  in  the  office  in  the  early 
days  of  the  insurance  company  and  continued  as  his  assistant  after  the 
business  was  finally  established,  and  married  William  Oliver  Turrell,  a 
well-known  bond  broker  of  Detroit ;  Franklin,  who  is  a  resident  of  this 
city ;   and  W'alter,  who  is  deceased. 

Elmer  Justin  Way.  One  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  lumber 
companies  of  Saginaw  is  the  Kerry  &  Way,  the  senior  member  of  which 
is  Charles  T.  Kerry,  and  the  active  manager  of  the  business  is  Elmer  J. 
Way.  Mr.  Way  is  well  known  in  Saginaw  business  circles,  is  a  man  of 
progressive  ideas  and  a  willing  worker  whenever  the  public  interest  is 
at  stake,  and  is  a  man  who  less  than  forty  years  of  age  has  reached  a 
commendable  situation  in  life,  and  has  his  own  industry  and  ability  to 
thank  for  his  success,  since  he  started  as  a  poor  boy  and  earned  his  own 
education. 

Elmer  Justin  Way  was  born  in  Flushing  township  of  Genesee  county, 
Michigan,  February  3,  1876,  a  son  of  Hiram  Parker  and  Susan  (Shanks) 
Way.  His  father  was  born  in  New  York  and  his  mother  in  Indiana.  The 
maternal  grandfather  Shanks  was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  181 2,  and 
lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  six  years  and  nine  months. 
His  last  years  were  spent  in  Flushing  township.  He  was  descended  from 
the  hardy  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock.  The  records  for  longevity  of  the 
Shanks  family  is  further  indicated  by  the  fact  that  this  centenarian  reared 
a  family  of  fourteen  children,  .seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  and  all 
lived  to  maturity.  Hiram  P.  Way,  who  was  born  in  1835,  when  a  young 
man  of  eighteen  settled  in  Genesee  county,  Michigan,  was  married  there, 
and  spent  twenty-one  years  as  a  contractor  in  the  making  of  lumber 
drives.     Later  he  followed  farming  with  equal  success,  and  was  one  of 


1972  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  men  who  helped  develop  the  agricultural  resources  of  Genesee  county. 
His  death  occurred  August  7,  1913,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  in  Mont- 
rose, where  he  had  lived  a  retired  life  since  1910.  His  wife  passed  away 
October  i,  1910,  and  both  are  at  rest  in  the  town  of  Flushing.  The  father 
took  an  active  part  in  township  and  county  politics  as  a  Republican  but 
would  never  accept  any  office,  and  did  his  civic  duties  with  the  cjuiet  effici- 
ency whicli  characterized  him  in  business.  There  were  six  children,  and 
their  records  are  briefly  stated  as  follows :  Justin,  wdio  died  at  the  age  of 
six  years  ;  Alice,  who  died  aged  twenty-one ;  Byron,  who  is  a  successful 
farmer  in  Flushing,  Genesee  county ;  Eleanor,  widow  of  Alfred  Barlow, 
and  living  in  Montrose ;  Elmer  J. ;  and  Arthur,  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants of  Montrose. 

Elmer  J-  ^^'ay  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of  Flushing  for  his 
early  training,  while  he  learned  the  lessons  of  industry  on  the  home  farm. 
During  his  early  years  he  S]jent  his  vacations  in  selling  fence  rights,  and 
in  that  way  earned  enough  money  to  take  him  through  college.  In  T898 
he  graduated  in  commercial  and  shorthand  course,  at  Ypsilanti  College, 
and  then  with  characteristic  energy  applied  himself  to  the  business  of  life. 
His  first  three  years  were  spent  in  the  employ  of  the  Pere  ^Marquette 
Railroad  Company,  beginning  as  car  checker,  later  as  weighmaster,  and 
finally  as  chief  clerk  in  the  Bay  City  yards.  Leaving  the  Pere  Marquette, 
he  became  a  commercial  contractor,  with  the  ^lichigan  Central  Railroad, 
and  worked  in  that  line  until  1908.  That  was  the  year  in  which  he  joined 
^Ir.  Charles  T.  Kerry  in  the  Kerry  &  Way  Company.  They  bought  an 
ideal  location  with  unexcelled  railroad  and  river  facilities  at  the  corner 
of  Bristol  and  Niagara  Streets  in  Saginaw,  obtaining  between  seven  and 
eight  acres  of  ground.  .\n  old  mill  and  other  buildings  that  occupied  the 
grounds  were  razed  in  order  to  clear  the  property,  suitable  lumber  .sheds 
and  modern  two  story  brick  office  buildings  erected,  and  the  business  lias 
since  been  develojied  to  flourishing  proportions  through  the  energies  of 
Mr.  \\'ay,  who  has  active  charge  of  the  yards.  .At  the  present  time 
thirty-five  men  are  employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  business  which  began 
in  a  small  way  and  has  been  steadily  increasing  each  year  since  it  was 
established.  Besides  his  connection  with  the  Kerry  &  Way,  Mr.  Way  is 
identified  with  the  Fred  R.  Welch  Company,  wholesale  lumber  dealers. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  belongs  to  the  Methodist  church,  and  is 
affiliated  with  the  Order  of  Elks.  On  June  28,  i()05,  occurred  his  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Margaret  Farrell,  of  Saginaw,  a  daughter  of  Dennis  and 
Mary  (Brown)  Farrell.  Mary  Brown  was  the  daughter  of  Michael 
Brown,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  in  the  union  army,  who  died  from  the 
efl^ects  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Xashville.  Mrs.  Way's  grand- 
mother was  Margaret  Whalen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Way  have  two  children : 
Justin  Farrell  Way,  aged  six  years ;  and  Esther  Margaret  \^'ay,  aged  five. 

William  Anton  \\"ellemeyer.  M.  D.  The  oldest  physician  in  point 
of  active  ])ractice  at  \"assar.  Michigan,  Dr.  \^'illianl  Anton  Wcllemeyer 
has  attained  merited  distinction  in  the  line  of  his  calling  through  the  ex- 
ercise of  natural  ability,  close  application  and  strict  adherence  to  the 
ethics  of  the  profession.  While  the  greater  part  of  his  attention  has  been 
devoted  to  the  duties  of  his  large  practice,  he  has  found  time  and  inclina- 
tion to  devote  to  the  needs  of  his  community,  and  both  as  physician  and 
citizen  has  gained  and  retained  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people 
of  his  adopted  place. 

Doctor  \\'ellenieyer  is  a  native  of  Xew  York  state,  born  at  Port  Gib- 
son. Ontario  county.  February  20.  187-7.  <i  son  of  John  Anton  and  Emily 
A.  (Moore)  Wellemeyer.    His  grandfather,  Ignatz  Wellemeyer,  was  born 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1973 

in  Germany,  where  he  was  educated,  grew  to  manhood,  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  was  married,  and  in  1842  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  at  Port  Gibson,  New  York,  there  continuing  to  follow  his 
trade  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  John  Anton  Welle- 
meyer  was  also  born  in  the  Fatherland,  and  was  seven  years  old  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
village  schools  of  the  Empire  state,  and  as  a  young  man  received  his  in- 
troduction to  mercantile  life  as  a  clerk.  He  was  industrious  and  am- 
bitious, carefully  saved  his  earnings,  and  eventually  entered  business  on 
his  own  account,  but  when  he  had  accumulated  a  fair  competence  he 
gratified  a  long  cherished  ambition  to  become  a  farmer  and  in  1881 
moved  his  family  to  \'assar,  Michigan.  Here  he  purchased  a  farm  four 
miles  north  of  the  village,  and  this  has  since  been  his  home.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  operations,  by  reason  of  his  continued  industry  and  per- 
sistent effort,  and  at  this  time  is  known  as  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
his  part  of  Tuscola  county.  He  married  Emily  A.  Moore,  who  was  born 
at  Seneca  Falls,  New  York,  ]\Iay  21,  1839.  and  she  died  in  \'assar  town- 
ship, April  27,  1912,  aged  almost  seventy-three  years.  Three  sons  were 
born  to  John  Anton  and  Emily  A.  Wellemeyer,  namely :  John  Bernard, 
who  is  connected  in  an  official  capacity  with  the  \'assar  postoffice  and  is 
also  the  owner  of  a  handsome  fann  in  \'assar  township ;  Henry  Moore, 
who  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  property  adjoining  that  of  his 
father;   and  Dr.  \^'illiam  Anton,  of  this  review. 

After  graduating  from  the  local  public  and  high  schools  of  \'assar, 
William  A.  Wellemeyer  entered  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1900  with  his  degree,  and  at  once 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Cass  City,  where  he  re- 
mained one  and  one-half  years.  His  practice  there  was  of  a  satisfactory 
character,  but  he  desired  a  wider  field  for  the  display  of  his  abilities,  and 
deciding  that  \^assar,  also  in  Tuscola  county,  offered  a  more  desirable 
locality,  he  moved  to  this  point,  which  has  since  been  the  scene  of  his 
labors  and  successes.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Michigan  State  and 
Tuscola  County  Medical  Associations  and  the  American  Institute  of 
Homeopathy,  and  is  a  close  and  constant  student,  keeping  fully  abreast 
at  all  times  of  the  advancements  that  are  being  made  in  the  field  of  medi- 
cine. Fraternally,  Doctor  Wellemeyer  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons.  With  his  family,  he  attends  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  devoted  student  of  nature,  loves  the 
woode  and  streams,  and  is  fond  of  all  out  door  recreations.  Personally, 
he  is  of  pleasing  personality  and  his  friends  are  legion  wherever  he  is 
known. 

Doctor  \\'ellemeyer  was  married  first  to  Miss  Agnes  Leona  Living- 
ston, in  1903,  she  being  a  native  of  Caro  and  a  granddaughter  of  the  late 
Charles  R.  Selden,  one  of  the  pioneers  and  early  treasurers  of  the  county. 
She  died  in  1904,  one  year  and  one  day  after  her  marriage.  The  Doctor 
was  married  in  November,  1906,  at  Lapeer,  Michigan,  to  Miss  Char- 
lotte L.  Bradley,  who  was  born  at  Wingham,  Canada,  a  daughter  of 
Nelson  W.  Bradley,  a  resident  of  Crosswell,  ^Michigan.  IMrs.  Wellemeyer 
is  widely  known  in  club  and  social  circles,  and  chiefly  in  musical  aftairs, 
she  being  a  talented  vocalist  and  choir  singer.  Two  children  have  come 
to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Wellemeyer,  namely :  Miriam  Hope,  born  at  \'assar, 
August  10,  1908;   and  Bradley  Ellis,  born  at  \'assar,  March  3,  191 1. 

Edw.\rd  C.  Rumer,  AI.  D.  Outside  those  special  ones  gained  by  pro- 
fessional training,  the  general  qualifications  for  a  physician  are  numerous. 
Culture  and  refinement  are  certainly  prime  elements  of  success  in  the 


1974  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

medical  profession ;  nor  should  anyone  of  less  than  average  ability  at- 
tempt to  enter  the  calling :  the  training  and  the  tests  are  severe,  and  the 
competition,  even  amongst  clever  qualihed  men,  is  very  keen.  Good 
physique  is  an  essential  qualification,  not  alone  because  of  the  strain  in- 
volved in  training,  but  of  that  of  general  practice.  The  physician's  time 
is  never  his  own — his  nights  are  frequently  broken  and  his  meals  are 
movable  feasts.  He  must  be  a  man  of  character — capable  of  firmness 
and  swift  decision  in  emergencies ;  but  for  all  that,  he  must  be  a  man  of 
tact  and  of  sympathy.  In  every  particular  named  in  the  foregoing.  Dr. 
Edward  C.  Rumer  possesses  the  qualifications  of  the  successful  medical 
practitioner.  The  son  of  a  physician,  he  was  reared  in  a  refined  home ; 
he  inherited  a  natural  ability  and  inclination,  built  up  a  robust  physique 
in  a  military  career,  has  won  success  in  a  number  of  hard-fought  cases 
which  demonstrated  his  possession  of  a  high  order  of  courage,  and  has 
gained  friends  and  patients  by  his  understanding  and  broad  sympathy. 
Since  1905,  when  he  first  came  to  Flint,  he  has  occupied  a  foremost  posi- 
tion among  this  city's  practitioners. 

Dr.  Edward  C.  Rumer  was  born  December  25,  1875,  at  O.xford.  Michi- 
gan, and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  James  F.  and  Melissa  (  Scott)  Rumer.  The  father, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  came  to  Michigan  about  1868,  and  settled  first  at  Pine 
Run.  At  the  present  time  he  is  a  resident  of  Davison,  and  is  not  only 
prominent  in  the  ranks  of  his  profession,  but  is  one  of  the  leading  public 
men  of  his  community,  having  served  as  state  senator  from  Genesee 
county  in  1904  and  1906.  The  mother  is  also  living,  and  three  of  the  four 
children  survive.  The  eldest  of  his  parents'  children,  Edward  C.  Rumer 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Davison.  He  early 
showed  an  inclination  for  the  science  of  medicine,  and  received  excellent 
instruction  under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father,  with  whom  he  studied 
until  entering  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  an  institution  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1902  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  became  house  physician  at  Harper  Hospital,  Detroit,  a 
capacity  in  which  he  acted  until  1904,  then  returning  to  his  home  city  of 
Davison  to  take  charge  of  his  father's  practice  while  the  elder  man  was 
serving  in  the  state  senate.  In  1907  Doctor  Rumer  came  to  Flint,  and 
this  city  has  since  been  his  home.  He  now  maintains  well-appointed  offices 
at  Nos.  805-6  Flint  P.  Smith  building,  and  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  large 
practice  which  has  been  drawn  about  him  by  his  skill  and  professional 
attainments.  On  April  26,  1898,  Doctor  Rumer  enlisted  for  service  dur- 
ing the  Spanish- American  ^^'ar,  and  participated  in  the  Porto  Rican  cam- 
paign, being  in  the  Hospital  Corps  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  and 
connected  with  General  Miles'  Division.  He  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge in  February,  1899.  In  191 1  he  was  appointed  first  lieutenant  of 
the  Medical  Reserve  Corps  of  the  United  States  .-\rmy  by  President  Taft. 
He  is  a  Republican,  with  Progressive  leanings,  and  while  a  resident  of 
Davison  was  elected  to  the  office  of  health  officer  for  two  terms.  He 
holds  memljership  in  the  Genesee  County  Medical  .Society,  the  Michigan 
State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  liis 
fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  W'oodmen  of  .\merica.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Phi  Chi  and 
Phi  Rho  Sigma  medical  fraternities. 

On  October  11,  1904.  Doctor  Rumer  was  united  in  marriage  in  Flint, 
to  Miss  Leonii  Bardwell,  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  H.  l'>ar<lwell,  a  native  of 
Michigan,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  a  retired  ])hysician,  who  was 
formerlv  very  prominent  in  the  ranks  of  his  profession.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Doctor  and  Mrs. 'Rumer:  P.ardwell  and  James  Mc- 
Lean, aged  respectivelv  seven  and  eight  years,  bright,  interesting  lads  who 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1975 

are  now  attending  the  graded  schools.  Doctor  Rumer  enjoys  an  oc- 
casional vacation,  when  he  goes  hunting  and  fishing  in  the  woods  and 
along  the  streams  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  He  is  president  of  the 
local  Gun  Club,  and  has  always  been  interested  in  the  protection  of  game, 
and  the  enforcing  of  the  game  and  fish  laws. 

John  Frederick  Jones.  .A.  business  association  of  twenty  years  ar- 
gues stability  for  both  man  and  enterprise,  but  particularly  does  it  reflect 
the  ability  and  faithfulness  of  the  human  side  of  the  partnership.  During 
this  period  of  time  John  Frederick  Jones  has  been  engaged  in  the  plumb- 
ing business  as  a  contractor,  and  in  the  same  degree  that  he  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  community,  he  has  also 
been  a  helpful  and  useful  citizen  in  those  things  which  contribute  to  the 
public  weal.  A  native  son  of  Detroit,  Mr.  Jones  was  born  May  3,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  Griffith  Jones.  His  father  was  born  at  llangor,  Wales, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867,  locating  first  in  Detroit  and  subse- 
quently moving  to  Wyandotte,  going  thence  to  Chicago  and  returning  to 
Detroit  a  year  later.  He  was  an  expert  stair  builder  and  for  thirty-one 
years  was  foreman  for  the  \'inton  Company,  later  being  in  the  employ 
of  Henry  George.  He  died  June  i,  1912,  aged  si.xty-six  years.  He  w'as  a 
son  of  John  Jones,  who  passed  away  in  \Vales.  Griffith  Jones  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Davies,  who  was  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  June  21, 
1849,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Ostler)  Davies,  the  former 
born  in  Wales  and  the  latter  in  England.  They  came  to  the  United  States 
in  184S  in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  located  first  at  Rochester,  New  York,  sub- 
sec|uently  residing  in  Geneva  and  Canandaigua  until  i860,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Toledo,  Ohio.  Two  years  later  they  moved  to  Cleveland,  where 
the  grandfather  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter  contractor  for  many  years, 
several  of  the  public  schools  of  that  city  standing  as  monuments  to  his 
skill  and  good  workmanship.  Mrs.  Jones  died  March  25,  1894,  in  the 
faith  of  the  old  United  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  her  husband  was 
also  a  member,  their  church  being  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  post- 
office,  where  they  were  also  married. 

John  Frederick  Jones  early  showed  himself  industrious  and  ambitious, 
for  while  he  was  still  a  lad  attending  the  public  schools  he  began  to  carry 
newspapers  during  his  spare  time  and  was  one  of  the  first  boys  to  handle 
the  Detroit  Journal.  When  only  ten  years  of  age,  in  1882,  he  secured  a 
position  with  Andrew  McClellan  &  Company,  dry  goods  merchants,  in 
whose  employ  he  spent  one  year  as  cash  and  parcel  boy,  and  then  became 
a  messenger  boy  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  He  subse- 
quently was  employed  for  two  years  in  making  wire  and  screens  for 
Thomas  Dowling,  succeeding  which  he  went  to  work  for  the  American 
Car  and  Foundry  Company,  but  left  this  concern  July  11.  18S7,  to  begin 
an  apprenticeship  with  John  Cameron,  one  of  Detroit's  oldest  plumbers. 
After  serving  his  four  years  he  became  a  journeyman  plumber  and  worked 
for  John  F.  Higginbotham  for  two  years,  in  the  fall  of  1894  embarking  in 
business  as  a  contractor  under  his  own  name.  He  came  to  his  present 
place,  No.  791  Hudson  avenue,  corner  of  Linwood,  in  April,  1901,  in  that 
year  completing  his  handsome  residence  and  shop.  Mr.  Jones  has  in- 
stalled the  fi.xtures  in  some  of  the  leading  business  houses,  hotels  and 
public  buildings  in  the  city,  including  a  number  of  public  schools,  the 
McClellan  Avenue  Police  Station,  the  Metropole  Hotel,  the  \'ictory  Hotel, 
the  Victorv  Annex,  the  Chinese  Imperial  Restaurant.  Parker  &  Webb's 
packing  house  and  numerous  apartments  and  private  residences.  His 
patronage  has  been  gained  by  superior  workmanship  anrl  strict  fidelity  to 
every  engagement,  and  today  Mr.  Jones  is  justly  accounted  one  of  the 


1976  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

leading  men  in  his  line  in  the  city.  He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles, 
heing  a  member  of  l'"riendship  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Teninsular  Chapter, 
Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory  (thirty-second  degree),  Detroit  Com- 
mandery  Xo.  I,  K.  T.,  and  Moslem  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  X.  M.  S.  lie  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange,  the 
Master  Plumbers  Association  and  the  Master  Steam  Fitters  Association. 
His  religious  connection  is  with  the  Grand  River  Avenue  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  %\'1iere  he  is  acting  in  the  capacity  of  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  M.  liriggs,  who  was  born  at 
Royal  Oak,  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  daughter  of  Benjamin  A.  liriggs 
and  Mary  E.  {  Ferguson  )  Briggs,  and  to  this  union  there  have  been  born 
four  children:    Ella  Irene,  Florence  M.,  John  F.,  Jr.,  and  ^label  L. 

J.  J.\Y  Wood  is  one  of  the  successful  and  enterprising  voung  business 
men  of  Grand  Rapids,  who  by  reason  of  his  accomplishment  along 
an  individual  line  of  endeavor,  is  particularly  worthy  of  specific  men- 
tion in  this  historical  and  biographical  work.  Real  estate  activities  have 
held  his  interest  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  his  work  has  been  of  a 
nature  that  has  redounded  to  the  general  good  of  the  city,  as  well  as 
advancing  his  own  fortunes  pleasingly  at  the  same  time.  Homes  for 
working  people  has  been  the  enterprise  to  which  he  has  given  his  best 
attention  in  recent  years,  and  there  are  many  comfortable  and  well  built 
homes  in  the  city  today  that  have  been  built  by  Mr.  Wood  and  sold  to 
honest  workmen  of  moderate  means,  but  of  home-loving  hearts,  so  that 
he  has  added  something  to  the  happiness  and  well  being  of  a  goodly 
number  of  people  in  the  city  as  well  as  something  more  material  to  the 
assets  of  the  city. 

J.  J.  Wood  was  born  in  Franklin,  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
July  i6,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Elvira  A.  (Sprague)  Wood. 
The  father,  who  was  also  born  in  Erie  county,  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three.  The  mother  was  born  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1849.  They  were  married  in  Meadville,  Minnesota,  in 
1868.  James  Wood  served  in  the  Civil  war,  though  he  was  put  to  a 
deal  of  trouble  to  gain  the  privilege,  for  he  was  under  age  at  the  time 
of  his  first  enlistment,  and  his  father  caught  up  with  him  and  compelled 
his  return  to  the  home  in  Pennsylvania.  The  boy  was  determined,  how- 
ever, and  he  ran  away  from  home  and  enlisted  in  the  cavalry  service. 
He  was  wounded  by  the  falling  of  his  horse.  He  served  three  and  a 
half  years,  and  when  mustered  out  was  quartermaster  of  his  company — • 
Company  L,  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry.  He  went  to  the  ^linnesota 
home  after  the  war,  there  in  1868  he  married  Elvira  A.  Sprague,  the 
daughter  of  Edgar  M.  Sprague,  a  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  who  was  born 
and  reared  there.  .After  a  short  residence  in  Minnesota  they  moved  to 
Iowa  and  later  to  Kansas,  taking  up  land  and  remaining  there  for  fifteen 
years,  when  they  moved  to  Missouri,  and  in  1S88  Air.  Wood  brought 
his  family  to  Grand  Rapids,  there  identifying  himself  with  the  Bissell 
Carpet  Sweeper  Company,  with  which  he  was  connected  for  about 
twenty  years,  retiring  in  1912.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  him  and 
his  wife,  J.  Jay  is  the  oldest.  Rock  R.  is  a  letter  carrier  in  Grand 
Rapids;  Ethel  E.  married  A.  A'.  Forsyth,  who  is  vice-president  of  the 
Burch  Furniture  Company :  Mark  M.  is  a  resident  of  Porterville,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  is  a  rural  niail  carrier,  and  the  proprietor  of  a  small 
ranch. 

J.  M.  Wood  is  an  active  member  of  the  Wealthy  Street  Baptist 
church,  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  Pie  is  well  established  in  the  city 
that  has  been  his  home  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  is  prominent  in 


TR!   NIW  TWE 

r'UBiici(;j)URY 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1977 

numerous  circles.  He  is  a  son  of  Orrin  Wood,  who  was  Ijorn  in  .Penn- 
sylvania and  was  a  prosperous  brickmaker  and  stone  mason  of  that 
state.    The  family  is  one  of  Welsh  descent. 

J.  J.  Wood  had  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Grand  Rapids 
and  in -the  Ypsilanti  Normal,  after  which  he  applied  himself  to  teaching, 
and  for  ten  years  was  active  in  that  work.  He  confined  his  educational 
activities  chiefly  to  the  village  schools,  and  only  one  year  of  the  ten  was 
spent  in  the  Grand  Rapids  schools.  In  those  days  the  teaching  profession 
was.  even  less  lucrative  than  it  has  since  become,  and  w-hen  Mr.  \\'ood 
had  an  offer  from  the  Decker  and  Jean  Company,  real  estate  people 
of  Grand  Rapids,  to  join  forces  with  them  in  their  business  he  lost  no 
time  in  making  the  change.  He  was  associated  with  that  firm  for  five 
years,  and  then  entered  a  partnership  with  W.  H.  Kinsey.  Four  years 
later  this  firm  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Wood  has  since  been  the  active 
head  of  J.  Jay  Wood  &  Company,  with  offices  in  the  Fourth  National 
Bank  Building.  His  activities  in  the  real  estate  line  have  embraced  the 
usual  phases  of  the  work,  but  he  has  added  to  it  a  home  l^uilding  depart- 
ment that  has  brought  him  not  a  little  popularity,  as  well  as  some  finan- 
cial advancement.  Recently  ^Ir.  .Wood  completed  nine  new  houses, 
neat  and  attractive  in  appearance,  and  well  built  and  satisfactory  in 
every  detail.  The  houses  are  located  at  Crescent  street  anrl  Diamond 
avenue,  and  they  were  built  expressly  for  people  of  moderate  means, 
who  could  appreciate  a  cozy  home  and  wanted  to  be  the  owner  of  one, 
but  who  were  so  hampered  by  lack  of  capital  as  to  be  unable  to  realize 
their  ambition.  To  such  as  these,  Mr.  Wood's  activities  in  the  home 
building  line  has  been  a  veritable  godsend,  for'  he  has  made  it  possible 
for  many  to  become  property  owners  in  a  way  that  is  within  their  means. 
In  addition  to  this  feature  of  his  work  there  are  embraced  in  Air. 
Wood's  enterprise  all  kinds  of  real  estate  dealings,  a  feature  of  which 
is  a  farm  department. 

For  ten  years  Mr.  Wood  has  been  secretary  of  the  local  real  estate 
board,  and  in  the  matter  of  his  public  life  and  his  relations  to  the  com- 
munity, no  better  commentary  on  that  phase  of  his  life  could  be  found 
than  in  the  little  booklet  circulated  by  his  party  when  he  was  candidate 
for  the  office  of  alderman  in  1913.  The  article,  because  of  its  clearness, 
conciseness,  and  devotion  to  facts  concerning  Mr.  Wood,  is  here  quoted 
almost  in  toto :  '"  'Business  Efficiency  in  Alunicipal  Affairs'  is  the  motto 
adopted  by  Mr.  J.  Jay  Wood,  candidate  for  alderman  of  the  Tenth 
W'ard,  on  the  National  Progressive  Ticket.  Mr.  Wood  stands  for  an 
efficient,  a  practical  and  a  business  like  policy  for  the  city.  He  is  a 
progressive,  keen,  clear  cut  business  man,  well  acquainted  with  every 
part  of  the  city  and  particularly  well  informed  of  the  needs  of  the 
Tenth  Ward  as  they  refer  to  street  improvements,  street  car  lines,  street 
lighting,  etc.  The  nature  of  his  business  experience  has  been  such  that 
he  has  been  obliged  to  give  much  attention  to  the  subject  of  taxation, 
apportionment  and  collection  assessments.  As  a  business  man  Air. 
Wood  has  demonstrated  a  remarkable  capacity  for  work  and  has  always 
been  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  behalf  of  a  clean,  healthful  and  home- 
like city.  He  has  no  hobbies  to  advocate  and  is  ready  at  any  and  all 
times  to  explain  his  attitude  toward  any  of  the  important  questions  now 
before  the  people,  upon  which  the  Common  Council  will  have  to  pass  in 
the  near  future.  He  is  not  a  politician,  and  has  never  held  any  office, 
either  elective  or  appointive. 

"He  has  lived  in  the  city  twenty-five  years,  in  the  Tenth  ward  ten 
years,  taught  school  for  ten  years,  and  has  been  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness fourteen  years.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Real 
Estate  Board  nine  years  and  a  member  of  the  Wealthy  Avenue  Baptist 


1978  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

church  twenty  years.  He  has  a  family,  and  owns  considerable  property 
in  the  ward." 

That  Mr.  Wood  is  a  man  who  in  his  public  and  private  life  lias 
justified  the  greatest  confidence  in  his  motives  and  in  his  ability  will  not 
be  denied,  and  it  is  pleasing  to  record  that  his  fellow  citizens  so  far 
appreciated  his  character  and  purpose  as  to  elect  him  to  the  office 
for  which  he  was  then  a  candidate.  He  has  thus  far  proven  himself  all 
that  his  sponsor^  claimed  for  him,  and  has  in  the  fullest  measure  lived 
up  to  their  expectations  in  his  official  service. 

In  1895  Mr.  Wood  married  Sadie  Wells,  a  daughter  of  George  M. 
Wells,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  cousin  of  Gideon  Wells,  former 
secretary  of  war.  On  the  maternal  side  Mrs.  Wood  is  a  relative  of 
former  President  Harrison.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  the  Wood 
family.  Jay  Wells  is  in  school  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  Oliver  Warren 
Wood,  aged  five.  ]\Irs.  Wood,  like  her  husband,  is  a  member  of  the 
Wealthy  Avenue  Baptist  church,  and  she  takes  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  the  church.  Mr.  Wood  also  is  especially  interested  in  church 
matters  and  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  of  his  church 
for  eight  years,  while  he  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  the 
Baptist  Temple  during  the  process  of  building  the  part  now  completed. 

John  H.  Houton,  yi.  D.  .\  successful  young  physician  at  Flushing, 
Dr.  Houton  has  been  in  practice  there  since  1904,  and  is  in  every  way  well 
e(]uipped  by  native  ability  and  by  training  for  a  successful  career.  It  is 
noteworthy  that  his  wife  is  also  a  graduate  physician,  from  the  same 
school  as  Dr.  Houton. 

Dr.  John  H.  Houton  was  born  at  Dearborn,  Wayne  county,  Michi- 
gan, May  20,  1875.  His  parents  were  Edward  and  Mary  E.  (Stevens) 
Houton,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Michigan.  The  father  was  reared 
and  educated  in  this  state,  and  became  a  shoemaker,  a  trade  he  followed 
until  his  death  in  Wayne  county  in  1877  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years. 
The  mother,  whose  parents  came  from  Kentucky,  and  settled  in  \Vayne 
countv,  and  whose  father  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  was  reared  and 
educated  there,  and  died  in  1882  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight. 

Dr.  John  H.  Houton  was  the  only  child  of  his  parents  and  as  his 
mother  died  when  he  was  seven  years  old,  he  was  taken  to  the  home  of 
his  grandparents  to  be  reared.  His  early  school  attendance  was  curtailed 
after  he  was  thirteen  years  old,  and  he  had  to  work  his  own  way  toi  a 
professional  career.  By  hard  w^ork  and  careful  economy  he  finally  secured 
the  means  necessary  to  begin  a  medical  education,  and  w-ent  through 
Michigan  College  of  Medicine,  until  graduating  M.  D.  in  1904.  Previous 
to  that  time  he  had  spent  three  years  in  work  as  assistant  in  Dr.  J.  M. 
Pollard's  office  at  St.  Johns,  Michigan.  Immediately  on  his  graduation 
in  1904,  Dr.  Houton  riioved  to  Flushing,  and  has  since  built  up  a  large 
practice.  He  has  served  as  health  officer  and  has  membership  in  the 
Genesee  County  and  State  Medical  Societies  and  the  .American  Medical 
Association.  The  doctor  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  in  politics  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

In  June,  1903.  at  Windsor.  Canada,  Dr.  Houton  married  Dr.  Lillian 
Mae  James,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine 
M.  D".  in  1903.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Richard  Gainsforth.  now  deceased, 
who  w^as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  doctor  and 
wife  have  no  children. 

Ho\.  WiLLi.xM  Aldex  Smith.  '  The  successor  of  a  long  line  of  public 
men  who  have  both  honored  and  served   their   state,   Senator  William 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1979 

Alden  Smith  is  distinctive  in  his  achievements,  liis  abilities  and  his  char- 
acter. Many  of  the  homely  honest,  time-tested  qualities  of  the  old  school 
of  politics  are  his.  At  the  same  time  no  man  in  the  United  States  Senate 
exemplifies  more  vigorously,  more  sincerely,  the  modern  ideals  and  ideas 
of  our  American  politics.  Senator  Smith  has  vision,  but  also  the  practical 
idealism,  of  the  man  whose  early  years  were  disciplined  by  hard  experi- 
ence and  who  won  business  success  in  the  keen  individual  competition  of 
the  last  century.  He  has  an  honesty,  not  of  the  negative,  myopic  sort, 
but  positive  and  keen  in  discriminating  between  the  grades  of  good,  bad 
and  indifferent.  With  his  record  of  fourteen  years  in  congress  from  the 
Fifth  District  and  of  seven  years  in  the  senate,  his  position  as  one  of 
Michigan's  ablest  sons  needs  no  fortifying  facts  of  rhetoric  or  apology. 
The  brief  facts  of  his  career  are  as  follows : 

William  Alden  Smith  was  born  in  Dowagiac,  jMichigan,  May  12,  1859. 
His  parents  were  George  Richard  and  Leah  ^Margaret  (Allen)  Smith.  He 
is  a  direct  descendant  of  the  original  Abercrombie  Smith  of  England,  and 
his  branch  of  the  family  settled  at  Salem,  ^lassachusetts.  .Senator  Smith 
on  the  maternal  side  is  descended  from  Henry  Allen  of  Richmond,  \'ir- 
ginia,  a  man  very  prominent  in  his  city,  and  day. 

Senator  Smith  had  all  the  adversities  and  difficulties  with  which  many 
American  boys  have  had  to  contend,  and  his  training  was  in  the  highest 
degree  individualistic.  A  common  school  education  started  him  in  life, 
and  it  was  a  deserved  compliment  to  his  self-won  scholarship  and  the 
varied  attainments  of  a  profound  mind  that  Dartmouth  College  in  1891 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Senator  Smith's  home 
hasi  been  in  Grand  Rapids  since  1872,  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old. 
About  that  time  he  took  up  the  battle  of  life,  and  worked  as  a  newsboy, 
was  employed  as  a  messenger  in  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Office,  and 
any  work,  so  it  was  honest  was  not  above  him  in  those  years.  His  in- 
troduction to  the  arena  of  legislation  came  with  his  appointment  in  1879, 
from  Hon.  John  T.  Rich,  then  speaker  of  the  house,  as  page  in  the  lower 
body  of  the  Michigan  legislature.  He  studied  law  privately  and  tinder 
Grand  Rapids  lawyers,  one  of  whom  was  Robert  M.  Montgomery,  chief 
justice  of  the  Michigan  supreme  court.  Since  his  admission  to  the  bar 
in  1883,  Senator  Smith  has  been  identified  with  the  bar  of  Kent  county, 
so  far  as  his  enlarging  business  interests  and  public  responsibilities  have 
permitted  him. 

He  rapidly  gained  recognition  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  profession 
and  had  an  extensive  practice.  Since  March  17,  1906,  Mr.  Smith  has 
been  the  owner  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Herald. 

Senator  Smith  served  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  .State  Central 
Committee  for  the  Republican  party  in  1 88(3-1890-1892.  ,In  1894,  the 
Fifth  ^lichigan  District  elected  him  a  member  of  the  Fifty-Fourth  Con- 
gress, and  his  service  in  the  house  of  representatives  was  continuous  up 
to  the  beginning  of  the  Sixtieth  Congress,  from  1895  to  early  in  1907. 
His  election  to  the  Sixtieth  Congress  came  without  opposition.  On  Janu- 
ary 15,  1907,  Congressman  Smith  was  elected  bv  the  Michigan  legislature 
to  the  office  of  United  States  Senator  as  the  successor  of  Senator  Alger, 
whose  term  was  to  expire  on  March  4,  1907.  On  January  28,  1Q07,  Mr. 
Smith  resigned  his  seat  in  congress,  and  Senator  Alger  having  in  the 
meantime  died,  he  was  elected  on  February  5,  1907,  to  fill  out  the  unex- 
pired term  of  about  one  month,  and  took  his  seat  as  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Senate  on  February  11.  Six  years  of  aggressive  work  in 
the  senate  made  his  return  to  that  bodv  almost  inevitable  so  far  as  the 
judgment  of  the  citizens  of  Michigan  was  concerned.  In  the  meantime 
some  changes  in  our  political  methods  had  occurred,  and  the  choice  of 


1980  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

United  States  senators  has  been  largely  removed  from  the  hands  of  the 
legislature, — and  no  one  had  a  more  ettective  part  in  that  modification  of 
old  customs  than  Senator  Smith — so  that  in  1912  he  went  directly  before 
the  people  to  secure  his  endorsement  as  candidate  of  the  Republican  party 
for  the  office.  In  the  primaries  he  received  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand votes  and  at  the  same  time  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  office, 
Alfred  Lucking,  was  endorsed  by  forty  thousand  votes,  and  nine  thousand 
votes  were  cast  for  T.  M.  Joslin,  the  Progressive.  In  January.  1913,  the 
legislature  gave  him  unanimous  election  for  his  second  term,  which  began 
with  the  special  session  of  April,  1913. 

As  to  his  record  in  public  life,  only  the  briefest  reference  can  be  made. 
No  leader  in  the  Republican  party  fought  more  consistently  for  primary 
reform  than  Air.  Smith.  That  was  while  representing  the  fifth  district 
in  congress,  and  as  some  one  has  said  in  this,  as  in  many  other  move- 
ments, Senator  Smith  was  "progressive"  in  the  davs  when  it  was  a  mightv 
lonesome  station  in  life.  His  opposition  to  the  proposed  Canadian  treaties 
which  treatened  to  rob  Michigan  of  her  invaluable  water-power  rights  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  was  conducted  with  such  courage  and  tenacity  that  it 
earned  him  a  comparison  with  the  legendan.-  Horatius  at  the  Bridge.  Into 
the  senate  he  brought  a  new  type  of  the  aggressive  honesty  and  devotion 
to  principle,  which  was  more  characteristic  of  the  west  than  of  any  other 
section  of  the  country.  Consistently  with  this  character  he  voted  on  every 
occasion  against  tlie  continued  presence  of  Lorimer  and  Stephenson  in 
the  senate  body.  As  a  member  of  the  committee  on  foreign  relations. 
Senator  Smith  has  again  and  again  proved  himself  a  foe  of  the  so-called 
"Dollar  Diplomacy."  He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  territory 
and  did  a  very  prominent  work  in  securing  the  entry  of  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico  as  the  last  continental  territories  of  the  United  States.  His 
work  as  chairman  of  the  investigating  committee,  on  the  Titanic  disaster 
is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  ]niblic.  and  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  fear- 
less maimer  in  which  he  carried  on  that  investigation  and  impressed  the 
lessons  of  the  calamity  was  productive  of  reforms  which  have  increased 
the  .safety  of  ocean  travel  a  hundred  per  cent,  and  that  the  continued 
need  of  vigilance  in  this  direction  is  recognized  by  him,  is  shown  by 
his  prompt  support  of  methods  which  might  obviate  some  of  the  fatali- 
ties such  as  occurred  in  the  disasters  to  the  \'olturno.  Both  in  private 
and  business  life,  Senator  Smith  has  been  noted  for  his  affability  and  for 
his  direct  sympathy  with  all  who  have  a  legitimate  call  upon  his  services. 
A  successful  man  of  affairs,  he  is  a  living  example  of  the  fact  that  high 
achievements  in  the  business  world  are  not  inconsistent  with  an  incor- 
ruptible integrity.  Every  honor  paid  him  by  the  public  has  been  worthily 
won,  and  it  is  not  conceivable  that  William  Alden  Smith  will  grow  less, 
but  rather  greater,  in  both  his  state  and  the  nation. 

On  October  21.  1886,  Senator  Smith  married  Miss  Nana  Osterhaut,  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Osterhaut.  a  prominent  lumberman  of  Grand  Rapids. 
Their  son  and  only  child  is  William  .Alden  Smith,  Jr..  who  was  born 
April  2t.  iSQj,  was  educated  at  St.  Mark's  Prejiaratory  School,  in  South- 
boro,  Alassachusetts,  and  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  is  now  sec- 
retary of  the  Grand  Rapids  Herald  Publishing  Company.  William  Alden 
Smith.  Jr..  was  married  November  1 1,  1913.  to  Miss  Marie  McRea.  daugh- 
ter of  Milton  .\.  McRea  of  Detroit. 

H.\RRV  CiU.w  H.M.I..  An  electrical  engineer  with  a  reputation  for 
ability  that  classes  him  among  the  foremost  in  that  industry  in  the  state 
of  Michigan.  Harry  Gray  Hall  is  now  managing  extensive  properties  of 
the  Eastern  Michigan  Edison  Comjiany.  in  eastern  Michigan,  with  head- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1981 

quarters  at  Mt.  Clemens.  Like  many  otlier  workers  in  this  field,  Mr.  Hall 
is  a  young  man,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  has  earned  and  qualified 
for  a  position  that  is  of  itself  a  tribute  to  liis  thorough  aljility  and  skill 
as  an  executive  and  technical  expert. 

Harry  Gray  Hall  was  born  in  Mason,  Michigan,  July  3,  1886.  His 
father,  Fred  M.  Hall,  was  born  in  New  York  State,  a  son  of  George  A. 
Hall,  who  came  out  to  Michigan  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Mason. 
George  A.  Hall  was  born  in  England,  and  his  settlement  in  Michigan  oc- 
curred about  1855.  Fred  M.  Hall  has  long  been  one  of  Mason's  leading 
hardware  merchants  and  successful  business  men,  and  at  the  same  time 
has  taken  much  part  in  local  affairs,  having  served  as  township  super- 
visor, as  alderman  and  postmaster  of  his  city,  and  always  a  worker  for 
the  substantial  interest  of  his  party.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Presby- 
terian. Fred  M.  Hall  married  Helen  A.  Gray,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  State  and  was  brought  to  Michigan  by  her  father,  who  was  likewise 
one  of  the  early  farmer  settlers  near  Mason.  She  is  still  living  and  the 
mother  of  four  children. 

Harry  Gray  Hall,  who  was  the  third  in  the  family,  grew  up  near 
Mason,  remained  on  the  farm  until  fifteen,  and  found  his  first  emplov- 
ment  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  his  father,  at  Mason.  While  there  he  thor- 
oughly learned  all  the  details  of  the  hardware  trade,  and  developed  his 
tastes  and  formulated  his  plans  for  a  technical  career.  After  three 
years  of  study  in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Michigan  Agricul- 
tural College,  he  moved  to  Detroit,  and  took  up  the  active  work  of  his 
profession.  In  1904  he  found  employment  as  an  underground  cable  man, 
with  the  Detroit  Edison  Company.  A  year  later  he  was  advanced  to  the 
engineering  department,  which  retained  his  services  until  the  spring  of 
igio,  in  which  year  the  Detroit  Edison  Company  established  the  Eastern 
Michigan  Edison  Company,  with  Mr.  Hall  in  the  position  of  division  en- 
gineer of  the  Oakland  division.  In  the  discharge  of  those  duties,  he 
lived  at  Rochester  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  Detroit  to  take  charge 
of  the  appraisal  of  all  the  Eastern  Michigan  Edison  properties.  That 
work  kept  him  busy  for  one  year,  and  he  was  once  more  brought  into 
the  practical  field  as  electrical  engineer  of  the  Eastern  Michigan  Edison 
Company,  with  supervision  over  all  the  property  of  the  company.  In 
August,  1912,  he  was  made  division  manager  of  the  St.  Clair  division, 
with  headquarters  at  Mt.  Clemens. 

Mr.  Hall  is  a  Democrat,  is  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  No.  70  at 
Mason,  belongs  to  Rochester  Chapter  No.  137,  R.  A.  M.,  and  to  the  Coun- 
cil No.  8,  R.  &  S.  M.  at  ]\It.  Clemens.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Business 
Men's  Association  of  Mt.  Clemens,  to  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce, 
Detroit  Engineering  Society,  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers 
and  National  Electric  Light  Association.  At  Detroit,  on  November  12, 
1906,  he  married  Miss  Edwina  Lloyd,  who  was  born  at  Detroit,  a  daughter 
of  Harper  A.  Lloyd.    Their  home  is  at  16  Mosher  Place 

WiLL.KRD  James  Nash.  Although  one  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  Saginaw  county  bar,  Willard  James  Nash  has  nevertheless  won  an 
enviable  place  among  his  professional  brethren  and  as  a  practitioner  has 
secured'  a  liberal  and  representative  clientage  during  the  eight  years  of 
his  connection  with  the  courts  of  the  county.  He  is  equally  well  known 
in  political  circles  and  the  signal  services  he  is  rendering  his  community 
in  the  capacity  of  member  of  the  state  legislature  have  placed  him  high 
in  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens.  Mr.  Nash  was  born  in  Genesee 
township,  Genesee  county,  Michigan,  May  28,  1879,  a  son  of  Franklin 
and  Rose  (Albertson)  Nash. 


1982  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

James  Nash,  the  grandfather  of  VVillard  James  Nash,  was  born  near 
the  city  of  London,  England,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in  the 
United  States,  settling  in,  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  as  a  pioneer  dur- 
ing the  early  'forties.  A  well-known  trail  blazer,  he  continued  to  follow 
agricultural  pursuits  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  through  in- 
dustry and  perseverance  became  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his  day. 
Franklin  J.  iVash  was  born  in  Oakland  township,  Oakland  county,  Mich- 
igan, and  there  received  a  district  school  education  and  grew  to  manhood. 
When  he  embarked  upon  a  career  of  his  own  he  removed  to  Genesee 
county,  and  in  partnership  with  Frank  Jaques  cleared  and  cultivated  a 
farm  of  240  acres.  Several  years  later  the  partnership  was  dissolved, 
Mr.  Nash  disposing  of  his  interests  and  removing  to  Lapeer  county, 
where  he  became  superintendent  of  the  large  farm  belonging  to  Dike 
Cooley,  with  whom  he  remained  as  manager  until  1889.  In  that  vear  he 
purchased  a  farm  in  Tuscola  county,  which  he  still  owns.  He  also  has 
large  land  holdings  in  Alberta,  Canada.  He  married  Miss  Rose  Albert- 
son,  also  a  native  of  Oakland  county,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
five  children,  namely:  Edna  M.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Fred  Topping, 
of  Alberta,  Canada,  an  agriculturist ;  Willard  James,  of  this  review ; 
Franklin  Nash,  Jr.,  connected  with  the  United  States  mail  service  at  Cass 
City,  Michigan;  Alvah  Wood,,  who  is  engaged  in  business  at  Bad  Axe, 
Michigan ;  and  one  child  now  deceased. 

Willard  James  Nash  was  granted  excellent  educational  advantages  in 
his  youth,  attending  the  public  schools  of  Lapeer  and  Tuscola  counties, 
and  subsequently  entering  the  Ferris  Institute  at  Big  Rapids,  Alichigan, 
where  he  spent  the  years  of  1901  and  1902  in  preparatory  work.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  accepted  a  position  as  stenographer  with  the  Anchor  Line 
.Steamship  Company,  at  Chicago,  and  during  his  leisure  time  while  thus 
employed  read  law  in  the  offices  of  King  &  O'Connor  of  that  city,  hav- 
ing decided  upon,  a  professional  career.  Later,  while  still  employed  in 
the  daytime,  he  took  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  in  the  night 
sessions  of  the  John  Marshall  Law  School.  Chicago,  and  thus  prepared, 
in  1903  entered"  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  law  department  of  that  institution  in  the  class  of 
1905,  and  in  that  same  fall  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practice 
at  Saginaw.  About  one  year  later,  deciding  there  was  a  more  prolific 
field  for  his  activities  in  St.  Charles,  he  came  to  this  city,  which  has  since 
been  the  scene  of  his  success.  He  has  pro\ed  himself  an  earnest  and 
untiring  worker  in  the  interests  of  his  [irofession,  and  his  devotion  to  his 
clients'  interests  is  proverbial.  Great  care  and  precision  mark  his  prepara- 
tion of  cases,  and  before  court  or  jury  he  is  a  logical,  convincing  advocate, 
commanding  the  respect  of  bench  and  bar  I>y  his  strict  fairness  and  un- 
failing courtesy.  He  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Saginaw  County  Bar 
Association,  and  at  present  is  attorney  for  the  State  Bank  of  St.  Charles 
and  other  large  interests.  Mr.  Nash  has  long  been  connected  with  Demo- 
cratic politics,  being  widely  known  as  a  stump  speaker  in  his  district, 
and  his  personal  popularity  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  fall  of  191 2 
he  was  elected  to  the  .state  legislature  on  the  democratic  ticket  in  a  dis- 
trict strongly  Republican.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Nash  is  connected  with  St. 
Charles  Lodge  No.  313  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  with  the  Foresters. 

On  Line  24,  1908,  Mr.  Nash  was  married  to  Aliss  Dona  B.  McLachlan, 
a  native  of  Washtenaw  county,  Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Donald  P. 
and  Catherine  (Walker)  McLachlan,  natives  respectively  of  New  liruns- 
wick  and  Germany.  Doctor  McLachlan  was  a  prominent  physician  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Forty-seventh  state  legislature.  Mrs.  Nash, 
who  became  acquainted  with  her  husband  while  she  was  a  teacher  in 


%^^/:xj^>c^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1983 

the  public  schools  of  Ann  Arbor,  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement  and 
is  widely  known  and  very  popular  in  social  circles  of  St.  Charles.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xash  :  Donald  Franklin,  who 
was  born  March  31,  1909;  Willard  \incent,  born  April  22,  1910;  and 
Rebecca  Jean,  born  January  i,  1914,  all  at  St.  Charles. 

Wilfred  C.  Leland.  General  Manager  of  the  Cadillac  Motor  Car 
Company  of  Detroit,  Wilfred  C.  Leland,  who  succeeded  his  father  in  that 
position,  has  been  identified  with  engine  and  motor  car  manufacture  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  business  men  of  Detroit. 

Wilfred  Chester  Leland  was  born  at  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 7,  1869.  a  son  of  Henry  ]M.  Leland,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  development  of  what  is  now  the  great  business 
of  the  Cadillac  Motor  Car  Company.  Mr.  Leland  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Worcester,  also  in  the  schools  of  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  and  attended  both  the  L'niversity  of  Ohio  at  Columbus  and  lirown 
L'niversity  at  Providence.  On  leaving  college  he  became  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  machinery,  especially  in  the  product  of 
marine  and  automobile  engines.  By  successive  stages  the  industry  with 
which  he  became  connected  when  a  young  man  developed  into  what  is  now 
the  Cadillac  Motor  Car  Company  and  his  own  experience  and  skill  have 
entered  into  the  finished  efficiency  of  the  splendid  machines  that  now  bear 
the  Cadillac  name.  . 

Mr.  Leland  is  prominent  in  both  business  and  social  affairs  in  Detroit, 
belongs  to  the  Zeta  Psi  college  fraternity,  afifiliates  with  Corinthian  Lodge 
No.  241,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Detroit 
Boat  Club,  the  Detroit  Automobile  Club,  the  Detroit  Golf  Club  and  in- 
numerable benevolent  and  trade  organizations.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church  and  a  member  of  the  official 
board  of  the  National  and  State  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

On  June  2"],  1907,  Mr.  Leland  married  Miss  Blanch  Mollineau  Dewey, 
daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Dewey  of  Detroit.  They  have  one  son,  Wil- 
fred Chester  Jr.,  horn  April  6,  1908. 

Hon.  William  B.  Brown.  Judge  of  the  Circuit  court  of  Kent 
county,  William  B.  Brown  has  practiced  law  in  Grand  Rapids  since 
1895,  but  during  the  greater  part  of  this  time  has  worked  in  public  office 
and  has  made  a  record  of  singular  efficiency  in  behalf  of  the  public. 

Judge  Brown  was  born  in  Kent  county,  Michigan,  July  i,  1865,  a 
son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Harriet  (Lewis)  Brown,  the  former  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  the  latter  of  London,  England.  They  both  came  to 
America  before  marriage  and  began  their  home  life  in  Kent  county. 
Hugh  B.  Brown  was  a  prominent  farmer  in  Kent  county,  and  for  about 
forty  years  was  honored  with  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died 
in  1908,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow,  whose  home  is  now  in  Grand 
Rapids.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Judge  Brown 
was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  William  B.  Brown  attended  the  district  schools 
near  his  home  until  he  was  about  sixteen  years  old.  After  six  months 
of  study  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  at  \'alparaiso,  in  1882, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  taught  his  first  term  of  school  in  his  home 
district.  In  1884  he  returned  to  \'alparaiso  for  another  six  months  of 
study,  and  continued  teaching  in  his  home  county  up  to  the  spring  of 
1889.  Entering  Olivet  College,  he  took  the  scientific  course  and  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1894.  For  a  short  time  he  traveled  for  the 
Franklin  Educational  Company,  of  Chicago,  and  in  1893  came  to  Grand 
Rapids,  where  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Alfred  Wolcott,  who  was 


1984  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

then  serving  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  this  county.  Judge  Brown  from 
his  boyhood  on  the  farm  has  always  had  the  faculty  of  being  able  to 
work  hard  and  concentrate  his  mind,  and  these  characteristics  enabled 
him  to  advance  rapidly  in  his  preparation  for  the  bar.  He  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  1895,  and  then  continued  in  :\Ir.  W'olcott's  office  until  the 
latter's  term  of  prosecuting  attorney  expired,  in  January,  1897.  In  the 
meantime,  at  the  end  of  1896,  j\Ir.  Brown  was  elected  circuit  court  com- 
missioner, beginning  his  duties  in  January,  1897,  and  was  re-elected  in  the 
fall  of  1898.  His  work  as  circuit  court  commissioner  was  followed  by 
his  election  in  1900  to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney,  and  by  re-elec- 
tions in  1902  and  11x34  he  served  three  terms,  two  terms  up  to  that 
time  being  the  customary  limit  of  service  in  this  office.  However,  the 
precedent  was  broken  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Brown.  He  then  resumed  the 
practice  of  law,  which  he  continued  from  January  i,  1907,  to  December 
31,  1908.  In  the  fall  of  190S  he  was  again  returned  to  the  office  of 
prosecuting  attorney  and  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1910,  thus  continuing 
in  the  office  until  February,  1912.  At  that  time  he  took  up  the  duties 
of  circuit  judge,  to  which  office  he  had  been  appointed  by  Governor 
Osborne  in  December,  191 1.  While  in  every  case  which  came  up  during 
his  tenure  of  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney,  Mr.  Brown  displaved 
the  energy  of  the  efficient  and  fearless  prosecutor,  it  was  in  connection 
with  the  famous  water  deal  scandal  that  he  made  a  reputation  placing 
him  in  the  same  class  with  such  remarkable  figures  in  modern  public 
affairs  as  Joseph  W.  Folk.  As  this  case  is  a  part  of  recent  historv  it 
will  not  be  necessary  to  more  than  mention  it,  but  it  is  remembered  as 
one  of  the  most  difficult  on  account  of  the  tangled  issues  presented  for 
the  prosecution.  Mr.  Brown  himself  went  to  New  York  to  bring  back 
the  invaluable  witness  Garman,  and  although  Garman  claimed  he  was 
offered  five  thousand  dollars  if  he  would  go  to  Italy  and  refuse  to  be  a 
witness,  he  was  persuaded  to  return  with  Mr.  Brown.  Among  other 
noted  cases  with  which  Mr.  Brown  was  connected  may  be  mentioned 
those  of  The  People  versus  Jennie  Flood,  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree  in  October,  1902;  The  People  versus  Sartori,  also  convicted  of 
murder  in  the  first  degree,  in  (Jctober,  1909;  and  the  Kilts  Estate  versus 
Kent  County.  Kilts  was  killed  by  the  falling  of  the  water  tower  at  the 
county  home.  This  suit  resulted  in  judgment  of  no  cause  of  action  as 
to  Kent  county. 

In  December,  191 1,  Governor  Osborn,  as  above  stated,  appointed 
Mr.  Brown  circuit  judge,  and  he  was  regularly  elected  to  that  office 
in  November,  1912.  On  the  30th  of  October,  1895,  the  Judge  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mattie  Patterson,  daughter  of  Frank  and 
Laura  Stowe  Patterson.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  William 
Kenneth,  born  May  22,  1898,  and  now  in  high  school,  and  Genevieve, 
born  March  4,  1901,  and  attending  grammar  school.  Judge  Brown  is  a 
prominent  Mason,  belongs  to  a  number  of  local  societies  and  organiza- 
tions, and  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  His  home  in  Grand  Rapids  is  at 
153  Clifton  Place. 

Joseph  Walsh  was  born  in  the  City  of  Port  Huron  in  the  year  1867 
and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  ^lary  J.  Walsh.  His  father  and  mother 
were  both  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  City  of  Port  Huron  in  the 
early  days  of  the  city.  His  early  education  was  in  the  Port  Huron 
Schools,  following  which  he  attended  college  at  Sandwich,  Ontario,  and 
at  the  St.  Michaels  College,  Tofonto.  and  the  Toronto  University.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  law  office  of  Alex  R.  Avery  and  later  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  February  21,  1889.  For  many  years  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Alex  R.  Avery  and  Lincoln  Averv.  the  firm  at  one  time  be- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1985 

ing  known  as  Avery  Brothers  and  Walsh.  After  the  death  of  Alex  R. 
Avery,  the  firm  was  known  as  Avery  and  Walsh.  After  many  years  of 
association  between  Lincoln  Avery  and  Joseph  Walsh,  they  finally  sepa- 
rated. Mr.  Walsh  has  associated  his  brother,  William  R.  Walsh,  with 
himself  and  they  are  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Port  Huron 
under  the  firm  name  of  W'alsh  and  Walsh. 

As  a  young  man  he  became  private  in  the  Michigan  National  Guards, 
enlisting  at  Port  Huron,  and  later  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Captain. 
In  1896  he  was  appointed  inspector  general  of  the  state,  with  the  rank  of 
Brigadier  General.  Two  years  later  when  the  unpleasantness  with  Spain 
came  to  a  head  with  the  declaration  of  war,  he  became  captain  of  Com- 
pany F,  Thirty-third  Regiment,  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
organization  he  saw  service  in  Cuba.  On  his  return  he  was  appointed 
major  upon  the  staff  of  Governor  Warner,  and  subsequently  served  in 
a  like  capacity  upon  Governor  McGurrin's  statT. 

James  Hosking.  The  life  experience  of  Mr.  Hosking  comprises  a 
varied  line  of  activities  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  of  Michigan.  He  has 
been  a  merchant,  a  mining  engineer,  and  it  was  his  trend  for  mechanics 
and  machinery  that  led  him  into  his  present  field  of  work.  He  is  now 
officially  identified  with  the  Munising  Electric  Light  plant,  has  developed 
that  public  utility  to  a  degree  of  splendid  service,  and  through  his  work 
and  his  influence  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  that  city. 

James  Hosking  has  spent  practically  all  his  life  in  the  L'pper  Penin- 
sula. He  was  born  at  Huron,  Houghton  county,  Michigan,  in  1863,  a 
son  of  William  T.  and  Elizabeth  ( Spargo )  Hosking.  His  father  died  in 
1906  and  his  mother  in  1898.  The  occupation  of  his  father  was  that  of 
mining  captain  in  the  copper  and  iron  regions,  j\Iuch  of  his  work  was 
as  advance  man  in  locating  new  properties.  r)ne  of  his  achievements 
was  the  location  of  the  Isle  Royal  Mine  at  Huron.  About  fifteen  years 
before  his  death  he  retired,  and  lived  in  comfort.  There  were  eleven 
children  in  the  family,  and  seven  are  now  deceased. 

James  Hosking,  who  was  the  third  youngest  in  the  family,  attended 
school  in  the  country  and  also  at  Huron  up  to  the  time  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  When  sixteen  he  found  a  job  in  weighing  ore  at  the  iron 
mines.  When  the  Menominee  range  was  first  opened  the  Hosking  fam- 
ily moved  to  that  locality,  and  James  worked  in  different  capacities  un- 
til he  was  twenty-two,  in  the  meantime  managing  to  save  some  money. 
In  1885  the  family  moved  to  Gogebic  range,  locating  at  Hurley,  where 
his  father  had  charge  of  several  properties,  and  James  assisted  him  in 
their  management.  That  line  of  work  did  not  give  him  a  feeling  of  satis- 
faction and  his  discontent  arose  from  the  fact  that  he  regarded  his  ac- 
tivities as  the  wrong  sphere,  since  all  his  inclination  was  towards  machin- 
ery and  mechanics.  As  a  result,  he  finally  bought  a  half  interest  in  a 
liardware  business  at  Norway,  Michigan.  He  was  then  twenty-five  years 
of  age.  Six  months  later  a  fire  brought  this  venture  to  a  disastrous  con- 
clusion, resulting  in  the  loss  of  his  savings  and  capital.  An  incident  of 
the  fire  was  that  his  young  child  was  discovered  to  be  in  the  burning 
building,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  and  the  suffering  of  some  severe 
burns,  Mr.  Hosking  rescued  the  boy.  Such  was  his  credit  and  reputa- 
tion as  a  young  business  man  that  he  was  offered  a  new  stock  of  goods 
to  enter  business  again.  However,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  took 
charge  of  the  machinery  in  a  furniture  factory  at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin, 
and  remained  there  three  years.  In  1894  Mr.  Hosking  found  work  in 
the  Concentrating  Plant  at  Iron  Mountain,  Michigan,  and  in  1896  took 
charge  of  the  plant  of  the;  Iron  Mountain  Electric  Light  &  Power  Com- 


1986  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

pail}-.  In  1898  and  for  three  years  following  he  operated  a  steam  shovel 
for  the  Oliver  Mining  Company  at  Iron  River.  His  ne.xt  work  was  as 
chief  engineer  of  the  Electric  Light  &  Waterworks  plant  at  Norway.  In 
1904  IMr.  Belknap  of  Munising  apjjroached  him  with  the  proposition  to 
take  charge  of  the  Alunising  Electric  Light  &  Power  plant.  That  brought 
him  to  his  present  field  of  endeavor.  After  several  years  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  plant,  in  1908  J\Ir.  Hosking.  in  partnership  with  JM.  A.  Doty  of 
Munising,  bought  the  plant  outright  from  :\Ir.  Belknap.  Mr.  Hosking  is 
now  vice  president  and  manager  of  the  company  and  has  full  charge  of 
its  operation.  Air.  Doty  is  president  and  H.  H.  Hitt  is  secretarv  and 
treasurer.  The  development  of  this  public  utility  is  the  best  illustra 
tion  of  Mr.  Hosking's  ability  and  business  judgment.  The  plant  at  the 
beginning  had  a  capacity  of  seventy-five  kilowatts,  and  in  the  past  ten 
years  has  been  increased  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  kilowatts.  The  equip- 
ment has  also  been  changed  from  a  single  phase  circuit  to  a  three  phase, 
so  that  it  can  furnish  power  not  only  for  lighting  but  also  for  motors 
without  any  interruption.  The  development  of  the  plant  is  of  course  an 
illustration  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  town  of  Munising.  An  evidence 
of  this  is  that  the  plant  started  with  120  meters  in  service,  and  now 
has  364.  A  noteworthy  feature  is  that  the  plant  has  not  been  shut  down 
five  hours  all  told  during  the  last  five  years,  a  continuous  service  in  the 
highest  degree  commendable.  At  the  present  time  the  company  is  also 
installing  a  central  heating  plant.  Seven  men  are  employed,  and  they 
work  six  and  a  half  days  a  week  and  are  paid  for  the  seven  full 
days.  It  is  a  group  of  contented  and  loyal  employes,  and  the  one  strict 
rule  by  which  all  abide  is  that  the  man  found  intoxicated  either  on  or 
oft'  duty  is  at  once  discharged. 

Mr.  Hosking  in  order  not  to  interrupt  his  regular  work  and  at  the 
same  time  increase  his  efficiency,  took  a  course  in  mechanical  and  elec- 
trical engineering  at  the  Scranton  School  of  Correspondence,  and  that 
proved  of  great  assistance  in  his  present  work.  Mr.  Hosking  is  a  Demo- 
crat, is  a  member  of  the  Iron  Mountain  Blue  Lodge  and  of  the  Munising 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  in  Masonry.  As  a  citizen  of  Munising  he  stands 
ready  to  help  in  even-  enterprise  for  its  best  welfare.  He  is  particularlv 
devoted  to  his  home.  In  18S8  occurred  his  marriage  to  Mary  Elizabeth 
High,  daughter  of  ^\'illiam  B.  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  High,  fonnerly  of 
Ludington,  Michigan,  and  now-  deceased.  Mrs.  Hosking  is  a  graduate  of 
a  convent  at  Oconto,  Wisconsin.  She  is  a  Presbyterian,  active  in  the 
Ladies'  .Aid  Society,  and  in  the  Woman's  Club  and  the  Eastern  Star. 
Six  children  have  been  born  to  their  union,  two  of  w-hom  are  deceased. 
Those  living  are:  Lina,  IxTrn  in  iS8<);  Oakley,  born  in  1892:  Charles, 
born  in  1900;  and  .\lineda,  born  in  nx\V 

Fr.\xcis  Thom.\s  McDon.vi.d.  The  qualifications  and  characteristics 
desirable  to  the  attainment  of  prominence  in  the  legal  profession  are  of 
so  varied  and  peculiar  a  character  that  but  few  men  are  found  to  pos- 
sess them.  A  mind  of  more  than  ordinary  activity,  with  great  receptive 
power  and  equally  retentive,  a  will  strong  to  assert  and  indomitable  in 
resolution  and  persistence,  and  a  sjjirit  unfearing  and  upright,  are  nec- 
essary assets.  Perhaps  it  is  in  the  profession  of  law  more  than  in  any 
other  that  these  talents  and  gifts  are  given  full  play  to  assert  themselves. 
The  ]5rizes  offered  to  the  eminent  are  numerous  and  splendid,  but  talent 
alone  cannot  win :  prolonged  and  close  application  must  accompany.  Of 
Francis  Thomas  McDonald,  still  in  his  thirties,  however  guardedly  one 
must  speak  on  the  score  of  youth,  it  may  be  stated  unhesitatingly  that 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1987 

none  of  the  younger  generation  of  lawyers  of  Michigan  gives  noljler 
promise  of  future  achievement. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  born  February  3,  1877,  at  Clarkson,  Monroe 
county,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (Foye)  Mc- 
Donald, the  former  of  whom,  a  farmer,  died  in  1889,  while  the  latter 
survives  and  resides  at  Brockport,  New  York.  After  attending  the 
Clarkson  public  schools,  Francis  T.  McDonald  became  a  student  at  Brock- 
port  Academy,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  and  in  1896  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  receiving  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  and  graduating 
with  the  class  of  1899.  At  that  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Mich- 
igan, and  from  I9C»  until  1904  was  connected  with  the  law  firm  of  Bissell, 
Carey  &  Cook  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  of  which  President  Cleveland  was 
at  one  time  a  member.  In  the  fall  of  1904  Mr.  McDonald  came  to  Sault 
Ste.  Marie,  Michigan,  which  city  has  since  continued  to  be  his  field  of 
practice.  Aside  from  his  large  and  representative  practice,  Mr.  McDon- 
ald has  been  almost  constantly  a  factor  in  Democratic  politics.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  three  years,  and  at  this  time  is  city 
attorney.  In  1908  he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  secretary  of  state, 
but  owing  to  the  large  Republican  majority  met  with  defeat.  In  1912  he 
was  asked  to  make  the  race  for  lieutenant  governor  but  declined,  and  in 
that  year  campaigned  the  state  in  the  interests  of  President  Wilson  and 
Governor  Ferris.  He  is  counsel  for  McArthur  Brothers  Company,  con- 
tractors, H.  C.  Johnson  &  Company,  lumbermen  of  Drummond  Island, 
Jerry  Madden  Shingle  Company,  of  Rapid  River,  which  is  now  operating 
in  Trout  Lake  township,  Chipiiewa  county,  and  attorney  for  the  Lon- 
don Guarantee  &  Accident  Company,  of  Chicago,  in  their  compensation 
cases.  He  belongs  to  the  various  organizations  of  his  profession,  and 
is  prominent  in  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  past 
exalted  ruler  and  a  member  of  Soo  Lodge  No.  552.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Soo  Club  and  other  social  organizations,  and  belongs  to  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  church.  Mr.  McDonald  has  been  a  heavy  investor  in 
real  estate  in  this  vicinity.  He  is  resident  attorney  for  the  American 
Surety  Company  of  New  York. 

In  September,  1908,  Mr.  McDonald  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Ingle- 
hart,  daughter  of  Jake  and  Frances  (  McMahon)  Inglehart,  of  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  the  former  deceased,  and  the  latter  now  residing  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McDonald.  They  have  one  child:  Francis  John,  born  in  1914. 
Mrs.  McDonald  is  a  graduate  of  Loretto  Academy,  and  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  social  and  club  life  in  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  being  a  member  of 
the  Women's  Reading  Club  and  other  societies. 

Hon.  Sherman  Theodore  Handy.  Many  distinctions  are  associated 
with  this  well  known  citizen  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  of  Michigan.  For 
more  than  twenty  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  and 
his  record  has  been  such  as  to  classify  him,  as  one  of  the  strongest  at- 
torneys in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  Besides  the  various  local  offices 
which  come  in  the  matter  of  course  to  able  young  lawyers,  and  in  which 
he  made  a  record  of  special  skill,  he  has  served  in  the  legislature,  has 
performed  a  large  amount  of  real  public  service  to  the  entire  district  of 
upper  Michigan,  and  at  the  present  time  is  occupied  with  the  office  of 
mayor  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  public  works. 
As  a  city  executive  he  is  not  the  kind  of  man  to  take  his  work  as  mere 
routine,  and  has  exercised  his  influence  for  better  and  more  efficient  gov- 
ernment in  everv  way,  and  is  particularly  emphasizing  the  movement  for 
a  cleaner  and  more  beautiful  city.     Mr.  Handy  is  the  only  resident  of 


1988  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  Upper  Peninsula  who  has  membership  on  the  hoard  of  directors  of 
the  Michigan  State  I- air.  iiaving  succeeded  ludge  Holden  in  that  capacity 
in  1908.  "  '        -' 

Sherman  Theodore  Handy  was  horn  at  :\Iorpeth,  Howard  township 
Kent  county,  Ontario,  April  3,   1867,  and  has  an  interesting  record  of 
family  ancestry.     He  was  the  second  of  seven  children  born  to  Collins 
and  Elizabeth  Watson  Handy,  the  former  horn  in  Kent  countv    Ontario 
in  1838,  and  the  latter  at  Port  Hope,  Ontario,  in  184^.     His  mother  died 
in  1895  and  his" father  in  1908.     The  grandfather,  whose  name  was  also 
Collins  Handy,  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Canada,  April  7,  181 1,  and  died 
at  Highgate,  Ontario,  January  7,  1908,  being  the  oldest  pioneer  in  Kent 
county.     He  attained  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-eight  years  and  nine 
months.     The  first  Handys  were  Baltic  mariners^  who  entered  England 
at  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror.    Another  familv  that  earlv  be'came 
connected  with  the  Handys  was  that  of  Moss,  which 'in  1704  was  trans- 
planted from  England  to  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  in  a  later  genera- 
tion Lois,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Moss,  married  Henry  Handy  on  No- 
vember 7,  1785,  and  the  third  of  their  five  children  was  grandfa'ther  Col- 
lins Handy.     From  Salisbury,  Xew  York,  Collins  Handy  and  a  brother 
moved  to  Port  Stanley  in  Ontario  in  183 1,  making  the  trip  from  Buffalo 
in  a  small  sailing  craft.     From  Port  Stanley  the  brothers  continued  west- 
ward and  erected  the  first  houses  in  Oxford  township  of  Kent  county, 
and  employed  their  skill  in  the  erection  of  a  number  of  other  early  dwell- 
ings in  that  section.  .  Grandfather  Collins  Handy  married  Rebecca  Bald- 
win on  April  22,  1833,  and  afterwards  was  associated  with  his  father-in- 
law,  Captain  David  Baldwin,  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  grain  and  in 
other  commercial  enterprises.    In  1832  they  had  charge  of  the  mail  serv- 
ice from  St.  Thomas  to  Madden,  near  Amherstburg,  and  at  that  time 
the  only  postoffice  on  the  route  was  at  Port  Burwell.     In   1835  Collins 
Handy  bought  from  Captain  Baldwin  a  lot  in  Howard  township  of  Kent 
county,  built  a  fine  home,  and  sold  the  property  in    1907,  after  it  had 
been  in  his  possession  and  his  home  for  more  than  seventy  years.     Col- 
lins and  Rebecca  Handy  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  third  among 
whom  was  Collins  Handy,  Jr.    The  latter  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  farrn 
where  he  was  bom,  and  was  one  of  the  honored  citizens  of  Kent  county. 
He  filled  offices  of  trust  in  the  locality,  and  was  affiliated  with  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Universalist  church. 

Sherman  T.  Handy  has  had  a  career  in  which  the  chief  elements  of 
success  have  been  his  native  ability  and  his  splendid  energy  in  creating 
for  himself  opportunities  for  advancement.  As  a  boy  ori  an  Ontario 
farm,  he  found  plenty  of  work  in  the  summer  and  was  a  pupil  in  the 
district  schools  during  the  winter  months.  In  1880.  in  line  with  his  am- 
bition to  get  higher  training,  he  became  a  student  in  the  Ridgetown  Col- 
legiate Institute,  and  paid  his  expenses  by  manual  labor  and  other  em- 
ployment through  the  summer  seasons.  His  liniite<l  resources  made  strict 
economy  a  necessity,  and  while  in  college  he  lived  in  a  small  room  and 
boarded  himself.  \)\  the  same  system  of  self-denial  and  hard  work  he 
paid  his  way  through  Stratford  University  at  Stratford,  and  was  gradu- 
ated a  member  of  the  class  of  1889.  Then  followed  another  summer  of 
hard  work  on  the  farm,  and  in  the  fall  of  1889,  with  some  assistance 
from  his  father,  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan at  Ann  Arbor,  and  continued' a  diligent  student  of  the  law'until  grad- 
uated LL.  B.  in  1891.  .After  his  admission  to  the  bar.  he  came  up  into 
the  Northern  Peninsula  in  February.  i8()2,  and  in  that  section  of  Mich- 
igan his  career  has  been  worked  out,  with  what  success  has  already  been 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1989 

indicated.  His  first  place  of  practice  was  Crystal  Falls,  the  pioneer 
center  of  Iron  county,  and  until  the  following  July  he  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Kairns  &  Handy,  and  then  bought  his  partner's  interest.  With 
such  energy  and  ability  did  he  apply  himself  to  his  chosen  profession  that 
his  novitiate  was  brief,  and  he  was  soon  noted  as  an  aggressive  and  de- 
termined lawyer  who  fought  all  his  cases  to  a  satisfactory  termination. 
Mr.  Handy  was  engaged  in  individual  practice  at  Crystal  Falls  until 
July  I,  1805.  and  until  October,  1897,  was  associated  with  Frederick  H. 
Abbott  under  the  name  of  Handy  &  Abbott.  In  the  meantime  the  people 
of  Iron  county  had  shown  their  confidence  in  his  ability  by  electing  him 
in  1894  as  circuit  court  commissioner,  and  in  1896  prosecuting  attorney. 
It  was  while  prosecuting  attorney  of  Iron  county  that  Mr.  Handy  estab- 
lished his  reputation  as  a  lawyer  beyond  question.  At  the  beginning  of 
his  term  he  was  the  youngest  prosecuting  attorney  in  the  state,  and  his 
versatile  ability  in  the  trial  of  causes  was  shown  in  his  successful  prose- 
cution of  Peter  Bonds  for  the  murder  of  Pearl  Morrison  of  Crystal  Falls 
on  July  26,  1897.  This  crime  was  considered  one  of  the  most  heinous 
ever  committed  in  Michigan,  and  recently  a  writer  referred  to  Bonds  as 
one  of  the  most  hardened  criminals  in  America.  As  a  result  of  Mr. 
Handv's  prosecution  this  criminal  was  convicted  to  a  life  sentence  in  the 
state  penitentiary.  In  1898  Mr.  Handy  was  the  choice  of  the  convention 
for  a  second  term  as  prosecuting  attorney  but  at  the  succeeding  legislative 
convention  in  the  Dickinson  District,  after  a  deadlock  lasting  for  a  nimi- 
ber  of  (lavs,  Mr.  Handy  was  tendered  the  nomination  as  a  compromise 
candidate,  and  resigned  his  place  on  the  county  ticket  in  order  to  make 
the  campaign  for  the  legislature.  As  a  Republican  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  bv  a  good  majority  and  saw  active  service  during  the  session 
of  i8()9-i90i.  The  district  represented  by  him  included  Dickinson,  Iron 
and  Baraga  counties.  A  special  honor  that  was  paid  him  while  in  the 
house  was  his  choice  as  speaker  pro  tem  in  the  session  of  1901.  It  would 
be  possible  to  dwell  somewhat  at  length  on  his  legislative  record,  but 
one  instance  must  suffice.  It  was  largely  due  to  his  brilliant  opposition, 
his  convincing  and  logical  array  of  statistics,  that  the  legislature  refused 
to  pass  the  bill  imposing  a  tax  of  two  cents  per'  ton  on  iron  ore,  a  tax 
wdiich  would  have  seriously  injured  the  great  industries  of  the  Northern 
Peninsula.  After  the  close  of  his  legislative  career  another  honor  might 
have  been  his  had  not  the  obligations  of  his  private  practice  caused  him 
to  decline  the  nomination  for  lieutenant  governor,  which  was  urged  upon 
him  by  prominent  members  of  the  party. 

In  1901  Mr.  Handy  moved  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  has  continued  his 
career  as  a  lawyer  with  increasing  success  and  responsibility.  Official 
honors  followed  him  in  his  new  home,  and  in  1907  he  was  elected  city 
attorney  and  was  re-elected  for  severalterms.  In  1913  came  his  election 
to  the  office  of  mayor  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  public  works.  Mr. 
Handy  is  a  man  of  engaging  personality,  has  a  large  following  of  friends 
all  over  the  state,  and  as  a  lawyer  has  few  equals  in  his  profession.  In 
business  affairs  he  has  some  important  connections,  including  a  director- 
ship in  the  Munising  Veneer  Company  and  in  the  Wynn  Pneumatic  Punc- 
ture Proo'f  Tire  Company.  He  and  his  wife  are  both  memliers  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  fraternally  he  is  identified  with  Bethel  Lodge 
No.  358  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  of 
.A.ppeals  of  the  Michigan  Grand  Dodge;,  with  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Chapter 
No.  129,  R.  A.  M.:  Crystal  Falls  Council  No.  26,  R.  &  S.  M. :  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  Commandery  No.  47,  K.  T. ;  and  Ahmed  Temple  of  the  Alystic 
Shrine  at  Marquette.  Mr.  Handy  is  also  a  member  of  the  Elks  Lodge  in 
Sault  Ste.  [Marie. 


1990  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

On  December  31,  1895,  Mr.  Handy  married  Miss  I,eora  A.  Anderson, 
\^•llo  is  a  native  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan,  the  oldest  of  three  children  of 
Rev.  D.  R.  and  Mary  (Averill)  Anderson.  Her  father  was  born  at  Paw 
Paw,  Michigan,  became  ]3rominent  as  a  clergyman  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  during  the  Civil  war  was  chaplain  of  the  Nineteenth  Mich- 
igan X'olunteer  Infantry,  being  captured  and  for  some  time  held  a  pris- 
oner in  the  notorious  Libby  prison.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Handv  have  one  son, 
Theodore  Anderson  Handy,  born  Decemljer  ig,  1896. 

Edwamj  John  Ciiateli.e.  A  man  of  broad  thought  and  liberal 
opinions,  energetic  and  enthusiastic  in  his  work,  Edward  John  Chatelle, 
of  St.  Ignace,  is  one  of  the  popular  newspaper  men  of  Mackinac  county, 
and  as  editor  and  proprietor  of  The  Rcpublican-Nczcs.  of  above  named 
city,  is  widely  and  fa\orably  known.  .A.  son  of  Xels  Chatelle,  he  was 
born,  October  15,  1880,  in  Alanistee,  Michigan. 

Moving  with  his  family  to  St.  Ignace  in  1893,  Nels  Chatelle  has 
since  been  a  resident  of  that  place,  at  the  present  writing,  in  1914,  be- 
ing eni])loyed  as  freight  clerk  on  the  railroad  docks.  He  is  quite  active 
in  local  affairs,  and  is  rendering  excellent  service  as  supervisor  from  t!ie 
Fourth  Ward.  To  him  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Almira 
Haggerty,  four  children  have  Iieen  born,  three  of  whom  are  living.  l''.d- 
ward  John  being  the  second  child  in  order  of  birth. 

Spending  his  earlier  years  in  Manistee,  Edward  John  Chatelle  there 
obtained  his  preliminary:; education.  Coming  with  his  parents  to  St. 
Ignace  in  1893,  he  continued. his  studies  at  the  high  school  for  two  years, 
leaving  in  1S93  to  work  in  the  sawmill  of  the  J.  A.  Jameson  Lumber 
Com])any.  In  i8c)r)  he  again  entered  the  St.  Ignace  High  school,  which 
he  attended  a  year,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  position  in  the  sawmill, 
and  during  the  ensuing  wiuter  was  employe<l  in  the  lumber  woods.  In 
7898  he  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of 
the  St.  Ignace  Republican,  which  was  edited  and  published  by  P.  D. 
Bissell,  and  there  remained  until  icjo",  during  the  latter  part  of  the  time 
being  foreman  of  the  office.  Entering  then  into  partnership  with  his 
father-in-law,  T.  W.  F.  Welden,  Mr.  Chatelle  was  for  two  years  engaged 
in  the  timber  business,  investing  in  several  large  tracts  of  timber,  and 
getting  out  logs,  ties,  posts  and  poles,  an  oi:ieration  that  proved  very  suc- 
cessful. At  the  end  of  two  years  the  partnership  was  dissoKed,  and  Mr. 
Chatelle  operated  independently  for  one  winter. 

On  March  i.  1910.  ^Ir.  Chatelle  purchased  the  plant  of  the  Repub- 
lican-Ncivs.  which  was  a  combination  of  the  old  St.  Ignace  Nnvs 
and  the  St.  Ignace  Republican,  and  embarked  on  his  journalistic 
career.  Pjuying  new  machinery  and  appliances  of  the  latest  approved 
modern  style  and  manufacture,  he  has  an  up-to-date  office  in  regard  to 
its  equipments.  Under  his  wise  and  systematic  management  the  circula- 
tion of  his  paper  has  been  increased  from  a  subscription  list  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  copies  to  nine  hundred  paid-up  subscriptions 
aside  from  the  exchanges.  This  jiaper  now  contains  eight  pages  of  good 
reading  matter,  all  home  print,  and  as  a  wide-awake,  progressive  sheet  is 
being  published  in  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  the  commdnity,  Mr. 
Chatelle  being  a  leader  in  thought  as  well  as  in  action. 

Mr.  Chatelle  married,  in  1907,  Miss  .Mice  Welden,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas. W.  F.  and  Lavinia  (Prpphet)  Welden,  residents  of  St.  Ignace, 
where  Mr.  Welden  is  carrying  on  a  substantial  business  as  a  lumberman 
and  general  contractor.  Mrs.  Chatelle  was  educated  in  the  St.  Ignace 
High  school,  which  ranks  highest  among  the  educational  institutions  of 
M.ickinac  countv.     She  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epi.scopal  Church, 


Tfii  jri  w  row 
hIBLiCimAKY 


imHwmjt 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1991 

and  an  interested  worker  in  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society.  ]Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chatelle  have  one  child,  Welden  John  Chatelle,  born  December  23,  1908. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Chatelle  belongs  to  St.  Ignace  Lodge  No.  369,  Free  & 
Accepted  Alasons;  to  the  Mackinac  Chapter  No.  134  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
and  is  a  member,  and  past  chancellor,  of  Gateway  City  Lodge,  No.  93, 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  different  conventions,  including  a  district  con- 
vention that  met  at  Ishpeming,  two  state  conventions  that  met  in  Detroit, 
and  in  191 1  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  in  Bay  City  that  elected  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Convention. 

\'iCTOR  Joseph  Lejeune.  One  of  Detroit's  most  successful  build- 
ing contractors  and  real  estate  men  was  born  and  reared  and  received 
his  early  training  in  Belgium,  came  from  there  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land,  successfully  confronted  all  the  conditions  and  competition,  and 
though  still  in  his  early  thirties  has  won  a  peculiarly  successful  place  in 
Detroit  affairs. 

Mctor  J.  Lejeune  was  born  in  Flemalle  Haute,  province  of  De- 
Leige,  Belgium,  August  8,  1882,  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Noderdom)  Lejeune.  His  father  was  a  mason  contractor  in  Belgium, 
and  died  at  the  old  home  in  that  country  in  1895,  when  forty-one  years 
of  age.     His  widow  is  still  living  and  in  Belgium. 

The  common  schools  of  his  native  town  afforded  \'ictor  J.  Lejeune 
the  fundamentals  of  a  literary  training,  but  he  became  practically  self 
supporting  when  twelve  years  of  age,  and  thereafter  his  education  was 
acquired  by  attending  night  school  for  six  years.  His  first  experience 
in  the  mason's  trade  was  when  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  and  he 
worked  with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death.  Three  years  were  spent 
as  a  journeyman  in  Belgium,  and  in  1902  Mr.  Lejeune  crossed  the  ocean 
to  the  L'nited  States,  first  locating  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  but  after  a  year 
moved  to  Detroit.  After  one  year  of  experience  as  a  journevman  he  had 
the  courage  and  enterprise  to  engage  in  contracting  under  his  own 
name,  and  in  the  past  ten  years  few  of  his  competitors  in  that  field  have 
handled  so  large  and  important  a  business  as  Mr.  Lejeune. 

The  most  of  his  work  has  been  done  in  the  Fairview  district  of 
Detroit,  and  among  the  many  contracts  which  he  has  successfully 
handled  may  be  mentioned  the  following:  A  ten-house  terrace  on 
Woodward  and  Monterey  in  Highland  Park ;  the  Cowcy  building  on 
Park  View  avenue ;  the  Gladwin  Park  Theatre ;  The  Jefterson  Avenue 
Hardware  Company's  building ;  The  Fairview  Home  Bakery ;  the 
Kircheval-Fisher  Hardware  Company's  building;  the  ten-house  terrace 
on  Jefferson  and  Baldwin  avenues;  the  Michigan  Electric  building  on 
Charlevoix  avenue ;  and  many  other  apartment  houses,  private  resi- 
dences, etc.  In  recent  years  he  has  contracted  on  an  average  for  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  houses  annually.  He  is  also  extensively 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  being  the  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Lejeune  &  Rivard,  and  they  handle  all  classes  of  Detroit  real  estate 
and  also  build  and  sell  homes. 

Mr.  Lejeune  is  a  popular  member  of  the  Wolverine  Automobile 
Club.  He  married  Miss  Julia  \\'hitmore,  of  Grosse  Pointe,  and  they 
have  two  sons. 

Albert  E.  R.vnsom.  During  an  active  career  of  more  than  thirty 
years,  Mr.  Ransom  has  been  closely  identified  with  educational  and  news- 
paper work  in  Genesee  county.  He  has  been  with  the  Flushing  Observer 
since  1882,  and  the  only  important  interruption  to  his  career  in  an  edi- 


1992  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

torial  chair  was  the  seven  years  spent  as  county  commissioner  of  schools 
in  Genesee  county. 

Albert  E.  Ransom  was  born  in  I'lushing  township,  Genesee  countv, 
April  23,  1858.  The  Ransom  family  has  been  identified  with  Michigan 
since  the  early  days,  and  another  branch  of  the  same  name  produced 
former  governor  Epaphroditus  Ransom.  Mr.  Ransom's  parents  were 
Robert  C.  and  Angeline  (Smith)  Ransom.  Roth  parents  were  natives 
of  New-  York,  and  were  brought  to  ^Michigan  when  children,  the  re- 
spective families  having  been  among  the  early  families  of  Genesee  county. 
The  father  followed  farming  as  his  vocation,  until  his  death  in  1890  at 
the  age  of  sixty-nine  and  was  a  man  of  substantial  worth  and  much  influ- 
ence in  his  community.  The  mother,  who  was  born  in  1825,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  in  1903. 

Mr.  Albert  E.  Ransom,  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  grew 
up  on  a  farm,  attended  school  in  the  country,  and  later  graduated  from 
the  high  school  at  Flushing.  In  preparation  for  school  work  he  took  spe- 
cial courses,  and  was  master  of  district  schools  in  dift'erent  parts  of  the 
county.  In  1882  he  acquired  ownership  of  the  Flushing  Observer,  a 
newspaper  plant  which  under  his  vigorous  management  at  once  was 
vitalized  and  the  paper  has  since  had  a  profitable  circulation  and  a  large 
influence  on  the  thought  and  life  of  the  community.  He  closed  his  active 
editorial  connection  with  the  paper  in  i8gi  to  take  up  his  duties  as 
county  commissioner  of  schools,  and  held  that  position  from  i8gi  to 
1807.  With  the  end  of  his  official  term,  he  went  back  to  newspaper  work, 
and  is  still  publishing  the  Observer.  Mr.  Ransom  is  a  director  in  the 
People's  State  Bank  of  Flushing. 

As  a  citizen  of  his  home  community,  he  has  been  honored  with  every 
village  ofince  at  Flushing,  has  served  as  township  clerk,  and  was  elected 
on  the  school  board  in  1888.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  frater- 
nally is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Genesee  ^'alley  Com- 
mandery. 

.-\t  Flushing,  in  18S0,  occurred  his  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Grin- 
nell,  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and  Jane  Grinnell,  of  Genesee  county.  Mrs. 
Ransom  died  in  igoq  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Agnes  Ransom,  who  w-as  bom  at  Flusliing,  in  1886,  graduated  from  the 
high  school,  and  now  lives  with  her  father. 

Rev.  Joseph  L.  Poulix,  pastor  of  Xotre  Dame  de  la  \'isitation.  at 
West  Bay  City,  Michigan,  was  born  March  16,  1866,  at  St.  John's. 
Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  and  is  a  son  of  Louis  and  Malvina 
(Ducharme)  Poulin.  He  is  of  French  descent,  and  his  paternal  ancestors 
were  among  the  very  first  settlers  who  came  from  France  and  settled  on 
the  St.  Lawrence  river.  Louis  Poulin  was  born  in  1829,  at  St.  Joachim, 
Quebec,  and  the  mother  in  1835.  at  Champlain,  New  York,  and  both  still 
survive.  Their  family  consisted  of  twelve  children,  seven  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  ten  children  are  still  living,  and  Joseph  L.  was  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Father  Poulin  received  his  early  education  at  the  College  de  L'.'^s- 
sumption,  Province  of  Quebec,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  i88q, 
and  took  his  degrees  from  Laval  L'niversity.  In  the  following  year  he 
entered  Grand  Seminary  at  Montreal,  to  complete  his  philosophical  and 
theological  studies,  and  was  ordained  priest,  December  22,  1894,  by  the 
Archbishop  of  Montreal,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  C.  Fabre,  for  the  Diocese 
of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.  His  first  field  of  labor  was  Au  Sable, 
where  he  was  sent  as  assistant  pastor  January  10,  1895.  and  on  November 
loth  of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  the  first  pastor  of   St.  Ann's 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  •  •  1993 

church,  Harrisville,  Michigan,  with  charge  of  St.  Raphael's  Church, 
Mikado,  and  St.  Gabriel's  Church,  Black  River,  Michigan.  In  the  early 
nineties  the  congregation  of  St.  Mary's,  W'est  Bay  City,  had  become  so 
large  that  it  was  decided  to  divide  it  and  to  organize  the  French  mem- 
bers into  another  church.  Land  was  secured  at  the  corner  of  State  and 
Smith  streets,  and  in  the  fall  of  1895  the  work  of  building  the  basement 
of  the  church  was  completed,  Ijeing  built  of  stone,  and  for  the  past  eigh- 
teen years  services  have  been  held  here  pending  the  completion  of  the 
church.  When  the  new  French  church  was  first  organized.  Rev.  John 
Sanson  was  appointed  its  first  priest,  and  remained  in  charge  until  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1904,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Father  Poulin. 

Notre  Dame  de  la  \'isitation  was  consecrated  June  21,  1914.  by  Rt. 
Rev.  Joseph  Schumbs,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  after  an  outlay  of  $125,000, 
$100,000  of  which  will  have  been  for  the  building  alone.  The  frame- 
work is  of  steel,  the  exterior  is  of  the  finest  grade  of  pressed  brick  and 
the  interior  is  of  purest  Gothic  design,  and  it  is  one  of  the  finest  church 
edifices  in  the  entire  Saginaw  Valley.  It  is  a  matter  of  pride  with  its 
pastor  and  builder  that  not  one  dollar  of  indebtedness  has  been  incurred 
in  its  erection  and  completion,  but  as  the  funds  have  been  ac(|uired  the 
building  has  continued  to  progress. 

Father  Poulin,  in  addition  to  his  large  and  constantly-growing  congre- 
gation, has  also  the  supervision  of  a  parochial  school  wherein  are  taught 
eight  grades,  with  an  additional  course  of  two  years  in  commercial  work. 
This  school  has  an  enrollment  of  295  pupils  and  ranks  among  the  lead- 
ing institutions  in  the  state.  The  spiritual  and  material  welfare  of  his 
congregation,  together  with  the  religious  and  educational  development  of 
his  pupils,  combine  to  make  no  small  task,  yet  Father  Poulin  has  been 
able  to  give  his  personal  attention  to  every  detail  connected  wnth  the 
building  of  his  church,  and  never  tires  of  the  many  and  varied  duties 
imposed  upon  him.  His  labors  have  been  zealous,  long  and  faithful,  and 
find  their  appreciation  in  the  love  and  reverence  of  his  people  unto  whom 
he  has  endeared  himself  by  his  great  heart,  his  loving  sympathy,  his 
tolerance  and  his  unbounded  patience. 

Augustus  C.  Carton.  Elected  in  1912  as  commissioner  of  the  State 
Land  Office  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Carton  has  had  a  long  and  varied  experi- 
ence in  public  alTairs,  beginning,  it  may  be  said,  when  as  a  boy  he  was  a 
messenger  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  one  of  the  house  clerks, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  now  he  has  been  identified  chiefly  with  the 
land  office  or  related  affairs. 

Augustus  C.  Carton  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Clayton,  in 
Genesee  county,  Michigan,  August  15,  1871.  His  parents,  John  and  Ann 
(McGuire)  Carton,  were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  but  first  became  known 
to  each  other  at  Flint,  ^Michigan,  after  they  had  emigrated.  They  were 
married  at  Flint,  and  the  father  followed  farming  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1898,  when  he  was  in  advanced  years.  His  wife  died  in  1903 
when  seventy-four  years  old. 

Augustus  C.  Carton  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  in  Genesee  county, 
attended  first  the  district  schools  and  later  the  FHnt  high  school,  and  for 
a  time  was  a  student  in  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing. 
It  was  while  a  messenger  boy  in  the  House  of  Representatives  that  he 
was  appointed  assistant  engrossing  and  enrolling  clerk  of  the  house.  On 
leaving  college  Mr.-  Carton  went  into  northern  Michigan,  and  for  three 
years  was  a  "teacher  in  Ogemaw  county.  Another  year  was  spent  in  a 
Chicago  publishing  house;  after  which  he  returned  to  Genesee  county, 
and  took  charge  of  the  old  school  in  Clayton  township,  which  he  had  at- 


19^4  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tended  as  a  boy.  His  service  there  as  schoolmaster  continued  three  terms. 
Returning  to  the  northern  regions  of  the  state  he  became  idenlitied  with 
the  lumbering  and  shingle  industry  in  Ogemaw  county,  and  there  re- 
mained for  about  ten  years,  until  his  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  Mr.  Carton  took  a  clerkship  in  the  State  Land  Office  at 
Lansing,  and  following  the  enactment  of  the  law  of  1899  providing  for 
the  survey  of  the  St.  Clair  Flats,  he  represented  the  state  in  that  survey 
as  business  manager  during  1900-1901-1902.  As  commissioner  of  the  State 
Land  Office  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Control,  which  is  settling  tiie 
affairs  of  the  St.  Clair  Flats.  In  1904  Mr.  Carton  became  agriculturist 
for  the  Tawas  Sugar  Company  at  East  Tawas,  Michigan,  and  remained 
there  three  years.  In  1906  came  his  election  to  the  State  Senate  from 
the  Twenty-Eighth  district,  and  at  the  end  of  one  term  he  declined  a 
renomination  offered  him  unanimously.  In  1910  Mr.  Carton  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  land  commissioner  and  subsequently  appointed  secretary 
of  the  ptiblic  domain  commission,  the  duties  of  which  he  performed  in 
addition  to  those  connected  with  his  office  as  deputy  land  commissioner. 
Mr.  Carton  has  been  the  only  secretary  of  the  public  domain  commission, 
and  as  the  duties  of  that  office  in  the  last  three  or  four  years  since  the 
commission  was  created  have  increased  very  largely,  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  resign  as  deputy  land  commissioner,  and  give  all  his  attention 
to  the  public  domain  body.  The  public  domain  commission  by  the  law 
creating  it  is  also  an  immigration  commission  for  Michigan,  and  Mr. 
Carton  was  appointed  the  commissioner  of  immigration  to  carry  out  those 
functions  of  the  commission.  In  191 2  the  Repul)lican  State  Convention 
nominated  Mr.  Carton  for  commissioner  of  the  State  Land  Office,  and  in 
November  of  that  year  he  was  successful  in  election,  and  took  up  the 
duties  of  his  office  on  January  i,  1913.  He  still  continues  to  perform 
the  duties  of  Secretary  of  the  Public  Domain  Commission,  and  also  as 
commissioner  of  immigration.  Ilis  office  as  land  commissioner  makes 
him  by  law  a  memlier  of  the  Public  Domain  Commission. 

In  1904  Mr.  Carton  married  Miss  Josephine  Grace  Hazelton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Elias  Hazelton  of  Lansing.  They  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  namely :  John  Hazelton  Carton,  aged  seven  years :  and  Betty, 
aged  fourteen  months.  > 

Hon.  C.\RL  E.  M.^pes.  The  Fifth  Michigan  district  in  November,  1912, 
sent  as  its  representative  to  Congress,  a  prominent  young  Grand  Rapids 
lawyer,  who  has  been  in  practice  in  that  city  since  1899,  'i^d  had  previous 
legislative  experience  in  both  the  house  and  senate  of  Michigan.  Carl 
E.  Mapes  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  his  family  having  lived  in  the  state 
since  1845,  and  comes  of  a  prominent  old  family.  The  Mapes  ancestors 
came  from  England  in  1649  and  settled  in  New  York.  There  were 
twenty-three  soldiers  of  the  name  who  bore  arms  in  the  patriot  army 
during  the  revolution,  and  several  fought  under  General  Washington  and 
suffered  with  that  leader  at  \'alley  Forge.  .-Vgain  in  the  War  of  1812, 
there  was  one  Mapes  who  was  a  cajstain,  and  Col.  Samuel  Mapes  headed 
a  regiment  from  Livingston  county,  New  York.  Though  many  of  the 
names  have  thus  gained  distinction  in  military  affairs  and  have  in  vari- 
ous communities  been  honored  with  civil  office,  Carl  E.  Mapes  is  the 
first  of  the  names  to  enter  the  halls  of  congress. 

Carl  E.  Mapes  was  born  on,  a  farm  in  Kalamo  township  of  I'"aton 
county,  December  26,  1874.  His  parents  were  Silas  W.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Brooks)  Mapes.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  came 
t(i  Michigan  in  1845.  The  parents  are  now  living  retired  at  Olivet,  and 
durin"  their  active'career  the  father  followed  farming.     For  a  number 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1995 

of  years  he  served  as  president  of  a  lire  insurance  company,  and  in  his 
community  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  otherwise  hon- 
ored as  a  man  of  substantial  ability.  There  were  eight  children  in  the 
family,  four  of  whom  are  living,  and  the  Grand  Rapids  congressman  was 
sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

As  a  boy  he  grew  up  on  a  farm,  attended  country  schools,  and  sub- 
se(iuently  was  a  student  three  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Olivet,  and 
two  years  in  a  preparatory  school,  and  his  regular  academic  work  was 
taken  during  four  years  in  Olivet  College.  In  1896  Air.  Alapes  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  On  completing  his  course  at  the  University,  he  came  to  Grand 
Rapids,  in  1899,  and  has  since  looked  after  an  increasing  private  prac- 
tice and  become  a  figure  in  political  affairs.  For  four  years  he  was  an 
assistant  in  the  office  of  the  prosecuting  attorney.  In  1905  his  first  im- 
portant political  honor  was  given  him  at  his  election  to  the  lower  house 
of  representatives  in  which  he  served  one  term.  In  1909  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  senate  and  reelected  in  191 1,  resigning  from  that  office  to  take 
a  seat  in  the  sixty-third  congress  in  the  spring  of  1914. 

Mr.  Mapes  was  married  August  14.  1907,  to  Miss  Julia  Pike,  daugh- 
ter of  Abram  W.  Pike,  an  early  settler  of  Grand  Rapids.  ^Nlrs.  Mapes  was 
educated  in  the  Grand  Rapids  schools  and  the  University  of  Michigan. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter :  Robert  \V.,  John  P. 
and  Jane.  Mr.  Mapes  is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  church.  Mr. 
Mapes  is  one  of  the  Republican  leaders  in  the  Fifth  District,  as  a  lawyer 
he  has  his  offices  in  the  Widdecomb  Building,  with  his  residence  at  239 
Morris  Avenue. 

F.  O.  Gaffney.  Cadillac  has  been  the  home  and  scene  of  lal)or  of  a 
number  of  men  who  have  not  only  led  lives  that  should  serve  as  an  in- 
spiration for  those  who  come  after  them,  but  have  also  been  of  important 
service  to  their  city  and  state  through  various  avenues  of  usefulness. 
Among  them  must  be  numbered  F.  O.  Gaffney,  who  has  been  successful 
in  the  practice  of  law,  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  progress  and 
development  which  have  marked  the  city's  growth,  and  has  been  re- 
peatedly honored  by  his  fellow-citizens  by  election  to  positions  of  pub- 
lic trust  and  responsibility. 

Mr.  Gaffney  was  born  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  February  21,  1858,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen  (Foy)  Gaffney,  and  a  grandson  of  Owen 
Gaffney  and  Matthew  Foy,  the  grandparents  on  both  the  paternal  and 
maternal  sides  spending  their  entire  lives  in  Ireland.  John  Gaffney  was 
born  in  Ireland  in  1833,  and  received  a  limited  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  country.  He  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  years  when  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  located  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  where  durhig  the 
next  twelve  years  he  worked  as  a  laljorer.  He  was  married  there  in  1857 
to  Ellen  Foy,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1836,  and  two  years  later,  seek- 
ing a  home,  walked  to  Livingston  county,  a  trip  of  about  forty-four  miles, 
there  renting  a  log  house  in  a  section  known  as  Pleasant  Valley.  After 
a  few  months  he  returned  to  Detroit  for  his  wife  and  child,  and  on  com- 
ing back  to  Livingston  countv  commenced  working  by  the  day.  _  He  was 
industrious  and  enterprising,  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities  and 
carefully  saved  his  earnings,  and  eventually,  with  the  help  of  his  sons, 
purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  $2,870.  To 
this  he  added  no  acres  some  years  later,  and  finally  another  piece  of  ten 
acres,  so  that  at  the  time  of  h'is  death,  in  1886,  he  had  200  acres  of  good 
land. '  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  served  three  years  as  moderator 
of  his  school  district.    His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Catholic  church, 


1996  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

as  was  that  of  his  wife,  who  survived  him  until  September,  191 2.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Edward,  a  farmer  of 
Lake  City ;  Adelbert  J.,  Thomas  H.,  William  and  Steven,  all  farmers  of 
Livingston  county ;  Ella,  who  married  Charles  Russell,  of  Detroit ;  and 
John,  who  is  a  mine  driller  of  llihhing,  Minnesota,  and  F.  O.,  of  this 
review,  the  first  born. 

F.  O.  Gaffney  was  an  infant  when  brought  to  Li\iiigston  county  Ijy 
his  parents,  and  here  he  received  good  educational  advantages,  attending 
the  district  schools,  the  I'.righton  High  school,  the  Ann  Arbor  High  school, 
and  the  University  of  Alichigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  took  a  law  course, 
although  he  did  not  graduate.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  by  Judge  Joslyn,  and  at  once  commenced  practice  at  Lake  City, 
where  in  July  of  the  same  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  L.  AIc- 
Clear.  From  1886  to  1889  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Lake  City,  under 
the  administration  of  President  Cleveland,  and  also  was  prosecuting  at- 
torney of  Missaukee  county,  but  resigned  that  office  in  1889.  He  was 
again  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  iSgo.  was  re-elected  to  that  office, 
and  was  then  beaten  once  and  elected  for  two  terms  more.  In  the  spring 
of  i8qo  he  was  elected  president  of  Lake  City,  an  office  in  which  he 
served  one  year,  and  in  1893  ^'^'i*  again  sent  to  that  office,  in  which  he 
served  thirteen  years.  \\  hile  a  resident  of  Lake  City  he  also  acted  for 
sixteen  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In  the  fall  of  1906  Air. 
GafTney  came  to  Cadillac  and  established  himself  in  the  practice  of  law, 
in  which  he  has  continued  to  be  engaged  with  marked  success.  He  has 
steadily  advanced  in  the  ranks  of  his  calling,  and  his  reputation  as  an 
able  and  learned  legist  has  Ijrought  him  a  large  share  of  the  city's  im- 
portant legal  business.  \\  tienjie  came  here  he  had  fully  decidetl  to  re- 
main away  from  the  struggles  of  the  political  arena,  but  his  abilities 
could  not  long  remain  unrecognized,  and  he  was  finally  persuaded  by  his 
friends  to  make  the  race  for  mayor  on  a  nonpartisan  ticket,  although  this 
is  a  Republican  city.  In  the  election  that  followed  he  defeated  his  oppo- 
nent, Charles  C.  Douhan,  by  fifty-two  votes,  on  the  largest  ballot  ever 
cast,  although  he  was  subse(|Uently  beaten  by  Mr.  Douhan  by  eigb.ty  votes. 
In  the  meantime  he  ser\ed  as  city  attorney  during  1908  and  1909,  and  in 
1913  was  elected  one  of  the>commissioners  to  prepare  a  new  charter  for 
the  city  of  Cadillac,  which  was  subsequently  accepted  by  the  people.  On 
January  15,  1914,  Mr.  Gaiifney  received  the  appointment  to  the  post- 
mastership  of  Cadillac,  and  this  was  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  February 
17.  19 1 4.  He  is  giving  the  people  excellent  service  in  his  official  capacity, 
and,  as  in  all  his  other  offices,  is  evidencing  his  high  regard  for  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  trust  and  confidence  [ilaced  in  him.  While  Mr. 
Gaffney 's  l.-iw  i)ractice  has  been  heavy  and  the  duties  of  his  various  offices 
onerous,  he  has  found  time  to  engage  in  various  enterprises  of  a  business 
nature.  He  is  known  in  financial  circles  as  one  of  the  principal  owners 
of  the  Missaukee  County  Rank  and  the  Falmouth  Lank,  and  is  largely 
interested  in  farming  and  farming  lands,  lie  is  possessed  of  excellent 
organizing  and  executive  ability,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  organizing 
the  Cadillac  Turpentine  Company  and  the  Cadillac  Chair  Compan\-.  and 
is  now  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Cadillac  Chair  Company.  Honoral)le 
in  business,  loyal  in  citizenship,  prompt  and  efficient  in  the  discharge  of 
public  duty,  and  firm  and  loyal  in  his  friendships,  he  may  truly  be  ac- 
counted one  of  the  foremost  men  in  a  commimity  not  lacking  for  men  of 
stalwart  character.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  here 
also  his  influence  has  been  felt,  for  he  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  re- 
ligion, and  is  ser\-ing  actively  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  State  Federation  of  Catholic  Societies.     His  fra- 


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HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1997 

ternal  connections  include  membership  in  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus and  the  Catholic  Knights  and  Ladies  of  America. 

On  November  25,  1884,  Mr.  Gaffney  was  married  to  Miss  Helena 
Miltner,  of  Livingston  county,  Michigan,  and  to  them  there  have  been 
born  four  children :  Louise,  who  is  deceased ;  George,  a  resident  of  De- 
troit; Florence,  who  is  attending  Trinity  College,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  and 
Mary,  a  high  school  student. 

William  Franklin  English,  M.  D.  No  other  class  of  citizens 
has  greater  opportunities  for  practical  social  service  than  the  physician, 
and  by  the  very  nature  and  force  of  circumstances  surrounding  medical 
practice,  the  profession  calls  for  social  service  of  the  highest  type. 
Among  the  physicians  of  Saginaw,  whose  careers  have  been  distin- 
guished by  special  attainments,  not  only  as  individual  practitioners,  but 
also  in  the  larger  field  of  the  public -health  movement.  Dr.  William  F. 
English  is  esteemed  not  only  as  a  very  successful  physician,  but  as  a 
practical  philanthropist,  and  in  recent  years  has  done  as  much  as  any 
other  one  citizen  for  the  betterment  and  improvement  of  those  measures 
which  safeguard  the  health  of  the  public,  particularly  the  school 
children. 

William  Frank  English  was  born  at  Jeddo  in  St.  Clair  county,  Mich- 
igan, August  14,  1867,  the  son  of  a  pioneer  family  in  that  part  of  the 
state.  When  he  was  small  his  parents  removed  to  Sanilac  county  and 
settled  at  Mills,  which  became  their  permanent  home.  His  father  was 
a  hard  working  farmer,  and  belonged  to  the  old  school  of  industrious 
and  rugged  citizenship.  His  parents  were  William  and  Mary  Ann 
(Mills)  English.  His  father,  born  in  Canada,  in  1832,  came  to  Michigan 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  settling  on  a  farm  in  St.  Clair  county.  He  was  in 
that  section  among  the  settlers  who  had  cleared  out  the  forest  and  made 
the  first  improvements  in  a  wilderness,  and  his  first  habitation  was  con- 
structed out  of  rough  timber  and  logs,  and  it  was  in  that  house  that  Dr. 
English  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  The  old  cabin  was  still  standing 
until  a  few  years  ago.  The  father  continued  farming  operations  up  to 
within  a  few  years,  and  then  on  account  of  feeble  health  retired,  and 
was  prevailed  upon  to  make  his  home  in  peace  and  comfort  with  a  son 
at  Croswell,  Michigan.  The  mother  who  was  born  in  England  in  1831, 
was  brought  as  a  child  to  Canada,  where  she  grew  up  and  was  married. 
Most  of  her  education  was  obtained  from  Canadian  schools.  Her  death 
occurred  at  Sandusky,  Michigan,  in  1903,  and  her  body  now  rests  in  the 
family  cemetery  at  Mills,  Michigan. 

Dr.  English,  seventh  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  was  not  onlv  born 
in  a  log  cabin,  but  the  first  school  he  attended  was  conducted  in  a  small 
wood  building  in  Sanilac  county.  To  reach  that  school  re(|uired  a 
walk  of  several  miles  back  and  forth  each  day,  and  its  instruction  was  of 
a  primitive  character.  He  could  attend  school  only  during  the  winter 
months,  and  during  the  summer  as  soon  as  he  was  gifted  with  a  boy's 
strength  he  helped  his  father  perform  the  manifold  duties  of  a  farm. 
For  a  period  of  seven  years  Dr.  English  taught  school  in  the  "Thumb" 
country  of  Michigan.  Later  the  family  resources  were  such  that  he 
was  able  to  enter  the  Northern  Ohio  LTniversity,  but  left  that  insti- 
tution before  his  graduation.  By  work  in  other  lines  he  eventually 
accumulated  some  money,  and  then  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Wooster  University  at  Cleveland.  Ohio,  taking  part  of  the  course 
there,  and  then  entering  the  Saginaw  Valley  Medical  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  igoo.  In  looking  over  the  general  field  and  selecting 
a  place  to  practice,  Saginaw  seemed  best  adapted  to  his  needs,  and  since 
IQOO  his  practice  has  been  growing  and  has  brought  him  not  only  many 

Vol.  IV— ic 


1998  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

opportunities  for  service,  but  also  tlie  material  success  which  his  work 
has  well  merited. 

Dr.  English  is  obstetrician  and  secretary  to  the  staff  of  the  Woman's 
Hospital  of  Saginaw,  and  surgeon  to  the  Saginaw  Coal  Co.,  and  the 
Saginaw,  Flint  &  Bay  City  Railway.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education,  with  which  body  he  has  been  connected  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  he  introduced  and  had  passed  the  bill  for  the  sanitation  and 
medical  inspection  of  the  schools.  The  introduction  of  sanitary  meas- 
ures into  the  schools  is  largely  due  to  the  energetic  work  of  Dr.  English, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  pride  that  the  health  of  the  school  children  has 
materially  improved  since  the  beginning  of  these  reforms.  A  local  paper 
quoted  Dr.  English  in  March.  1909,  with  the  following  statement  regard- 
ing the  beginning  of  this  important  work;  "In  Saginaw  several  physi- 
cians volunteered  to  sacrifice  time  and  expense  for  the  benefit  of  public 
health  to  prove  the  efficiency  of  medical  inspection  at  home.  Beginning 
February  i,  1909,  free  service  was  continued  for  a  period  of  six  weeks. 
During  this  time  470  pupils  were  examined,  233  notes  of  information 
were  sent  to  parents,  •j']  children  were  placed  under  medical  treatment, 
and  85  excluded  from  school  because  of  existing  disease." 

Dr.  English  has  membership  in  the  County  and  State  Aledical 
Societies,  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  is  one  of  the  few 
members  in  Michigan  who  belong  to  the  National  Legislation  Medical 
Department  for  the  improvement  of  sanitary  conditions  in  community 
life.  He  has  written  many  articles  on  scientific  subjects  and  medical 
inspection  of  schools.  From  a  public  article  on  the  latter  subject,  writ- 
ten in  1909.  by  Dr.  English,  a  few  sentences  may  properly  be  quoted : 
"In  assuming  medical  inspection  the  state  does  not  trespass  upon  the 
domain  of  private  rights;  simply  informs  the  parent  of  the  needs  of 
his  child,  which  he  would  not  otherwise  know,  and  leaves  the  parent 
to  meet  those  needs.  By  protecting  the  child  the  state  protects  itself  by 
insuring  efficiency  of  its  citizens,  not  only  on  the  education  of  intelligence, 
but  on  physical  health  and  vigor.  It  is  reasonable  that  if  training  in 
intelligence  may  be  made  mandatory,  so,  also,  is  the  training  for  physical 
soundness  and  capacity.  .  .  .  Wherever  established,  the  good  results 
of  such  inspection  have  been  evident.  Epidemics  have  been  avoided,  a 
better  classification  as  to  the  course  of  study  has  been  worked  out,  and 
parents  and  teachers  have  come  to  know  that  it  is  safe  for  children  to 
continue  in  school  in  time  of  threatened  or  actual  epidemic,  and  the 
realization  is  dawning  that  it  is  unbusinesslike  to  figure  too  closely  on  the 
cost  of  the  school  doctor  and  disregard  the  cost  of  death  and  disease. 
If  an  education  is  to  be  attained  at  the  sacrifice  of  health  it  is  useless. 

"When  the  work  is  new,  as  in  Saginaw,  some  questions  may  arise 
as  to  objections  on  the  part  of  parents  concerning  interference  with  the 
family  physician,  or  interruption  with  school  work,  etc.,  which  it  seems 
are  not  tenable  if  those  connected  with  such  supervision  and  the  medical 
fraternity  work  together  for  the  conmion  interests  of  the  movement.  As 
to  the  legal  aspect  of  the  question,  the  board  of  education  does  not 
exceed  to  a  great  degree  the  power  now  exercised  by  sending  cases  of 
suspected  illness  home  and  requiring  a  certificate  of  good  health  for  their 
return." 

Dr.  English  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Saginaw  Board  of  Trade,  the  Good  Roads  Commission,  the  Canoe  Club, 
the  Winter  Chib,  an  Exclusive  Eiterary  Society,  the  East  Saginaw  Club, 
and  other  local  organizations. 

At  Marlette,  Michigan,  in  1894,  Dr.  English  married  Miss  Kate 
Hager,  daughter  of  .Abraham  Hager.  a  well  known  pioneer.  The  doctor 
and  wife  have  a  beautiful   daughter,  Mildred  David  English,  now   six 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  1999 

years  of  age.  Mrs.  English  is  well  known  in  Woman's  Club  circles,  is  a 
social  leader,  and  is  a  vigorous  exponent  of  the  Woman's  Rights  move- 
ment, and  the  social  centers  work  of  the  country.  Dr.  English  has  taken 
post-graduate  work  at  various  times  in  the  New  York  and  Chicago 
Post-Graduate  hospitals.  Fond  of  travel,  practically  all  his  leisure  time 
is  spent  in  that  way,  and  his  travel  is  most  for  pleasure  and  education. 
He  and  his  wife  reside  in  one  of  the  finest  homes  of  Saginaw,  and  have 
the  facilities  and  the  taste  for  the  enjoyment  of  life,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  is  performing  valuable  services  to  his  fellowmen. 

Paul  G.  Taylor,  bom  at  Port  Huron  on  the  loth  of  April,  1875, 
energetic  in  business  as  a  young  man,  and  of  more  recent  years  the  head  of 
an  enterprise  which  adds  materially  to  the  prestige  of  his  city  in  in- 
dustrial circles.  Starting  in  the  lumber  trade  in  a  humble  capacity,  by 
untiring  energy  he  has  developed  a  trade  which  extends  all  over  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  as  president  of  the  Center  Lumber  Company 
must  be  accounted  one  of  the  forcible  business  men  of  his  city.  Mr. 
Taylor  is  a  son  of  Edward  Bancroft  and  Maria  Stryker  (Newcomb) 
Tavlor,  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 

Edward  Bancroft  Taylor  moved  from  Wisconsin  to  Pennsylvania 
prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  and  there  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
the  Seventy-first  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  Almost 
the  first  engagement  of  any  importance  in  which  his  regiment  participated 
was  that  at  Ball's  Blufif,  where  Mr.  Taylor  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  right  arm,  in  the  explosion  of  a  shell.  This  nearly  caused  his  death, 
but  a  rugged  constitution  pulled  him  through  and  after  some  months  in 
the  hospital  he  was  able  to  continue  in  the  government  service.  He  was 
given  charge  of  the  arsenal  at  Philadelphia,  and  continued  in  this  re- 
sponsible position  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  came  to  Mich- 
igan, and  here,  in  spite  of  the  handicap  of  his  misfortune  was  able  to 
make  a  distinct  success  of  his  business  operations.  For  many  years  he 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  planing  mill,  located  on  the  present  site  of  Port 
Huron,  was  city  comptroller  for  a  long  period,  and  during  the  last  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  served  as  adjutant  general  at  the  Soldiers'  Home,  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan.  He  died  April  28,  1910,  aged  sixty-nine  years,  after 
a  long  and  useful  career,  in  which  he  at  all  times  merited  the  respect  and 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  Mr.  Taylor  was 
married  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Maria  Stryker  Newcomb, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  that  city,  and  she  still  survives 
the  father  and  lives  at  Port  Huron.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Taylor,  namely:  Mrs.  John  M.  Wright,  a  resident  of  Detroit. 
Michigan;  Mrs.  Edith  Papson,  who  lives  in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  John  W., 
a  business  man  of  Century,  Florida ;  Edward  B.,  whose  home  is  in  De- 
troit :  and  Paul  G. 

The  youngest  of  his  parents'  children,  Paul  C.  Taylor,  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Port  Huron,  following  his  graduation 
from  which  he  secured  an  appointment  as  page  to  the  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  at  Lansing,  there  continuing  to  serve  through 
two  terms.  He  then  received  his  introduction  to  the  lumber  business, 
with  Frank  D.  Jenks,  of  Port  Huron,  and  continued  in  his  employ  until 
igio,  in  which  "year  was  formed  the  Center  Lumber  Company,  witli  the 
following  officers:  Paul  G.  Taylor,  president;  Frank  D.  Jenks,  vice- 
president  ;  and  H.  S.  Owens,  secretary.  This  company  maintains  offices 
at  No.  1701  Stone  street,  and  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  leading  enter- 
prises of  its  kind  in  the  city,  the  product  being  lumber  and  building 
material  of  all  kinds.     Mr.  Taylor  possesses  excellent  executive  ability, 


2000  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  the  causes  which  have  led  to  his  success  are  to  be  found  along  the 
lines  of  well-tried  and  old-time  maxims — honesty,  fair  dealing,  perse- 
verance and  fidelity — all  these  he  has  strictly  adhered  to,  not  alone  upon 
his  own  part,  but  has  also  required  the  same  qualities  from  his  em- 
ployes. He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Port  Huron 
Business  Men's  Association  and  of  the  advisory  board  of  the  Young 
Men"s  Christian  -Association,  and  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles  as  a 
member  of  the  Masons,  in  which  he  is  senior  deacon  of  the  lUue  Lodge; 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  Hoo  Hoos. 

On  April  26,  1905,  Mr.  Taylor  was  married  in  Port  Huron.  Michigan, 
to  Miss  Helen  Grace  Wakeham,  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Mary  A.  Wake- 
ham,  pioneers  of  Port  Huron,  who  are  still  living  in  this  city.  One  child 
has  come  to  this  union:  Colniore  Xewcomb,  born  Decemlier  26,  1908, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  months. 

Frederick  J.  .\nd  Christian  Reitter.  For  many  years  the  Reitter 
family  have  been  identified  with  farming,  business  and  civic  affairs  in  the 
Saginaw  \'alley,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  brothers 
above  mentioned  were  a.ssociated  in  the  development  and  management 
of  the  leading  Gemian  weekly  newspaper  of  Northern  Michigan,  pub- 
lished at  Saginaw  under  the  title  Post-Zeitung. 

The  father  of  the  brothers  was  Christian  Reitter,  who  was  born  in 
Bietigheim,  Wiirtemberg,  Germany,  came  to  America  in  1849.  atul 
settling  in  the  woods  of  Saginaw  county  became  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
that  valley,  and  went  through  all  the  experiences  and  hardships  of  early 
settlement.  Up  to  i86i  he  conducted  a  small  country  store  at  Blumfield, 
and  in  that  year  moved  to  Frankenmuth,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  and  under  ap])ointment  from  President  Lincoln  he  held  the 
office  of  postmaster  until  1865.  In  the  latter  year  the  family  again  re- 
turned to  I'llumfield,  and  there  the  father  exhibited  his  pioner  enterprise 
by  beginning  the  clearing  of  another  farm.  Frederick  and  Christian 
being  the  oldest  sons,  and  then  young  boys  with  considerable  strength  in 
their  bodies,  had  a  good  share  of  that  pioneer  undertaking.  The  family 
consisted  of  three  sons  and  six  daughters.  In  1858  Christian  Reitter 
married  .\nna  Marie  Walz,  a  native  of  Egenhausen.  Wiirtemberg.  Ger- 
many.    Both  parents  are  now  deceased  and  rest  in  Blumfield  cemetery 

Frederick  J.  Reitter  was  born  in  Saginaw  county,  in  Blumfield  town- 
ship, Alarch  2().  185Q.  His  education  came  from  the  country  schools  of 
the  county,  and  in  1887  he  and  his  brother  Christian  engaged  in  the  print- 
ing business  at  Saginaw,  and  began  the  publication  of  the  German 
weekly,  the  Saginaw  Post.  In  1898  they  bought  the  Saginaw  Zeitung 
and  the  Saginaw  Sonntagshlatt,  consolidating  these  enterprises  under 
the  composite  title  of  Saginaw  Post-Zcitmig.  Both  brothers  were  prac- 
tical men  in  the  printing  and  publishing  business,  and  while  develo])ing 
an  influential  journal  also  built  U])  a  large  |)rinting  business.  In  \()oy 
they  erected  a  modern  brick  building  for  the  sole  use  of  their  ]irinting 
and  publishing  enterprise.  In  1909  they  bought  out  the  George  P.  Smith 
Printing  Company,  and  at  that  time  incorjiorated  under  the  firm  name 
of  F.  &  C.  Reitter  Company.  On  January  i,  1914.  the  business  was  sold 
to  Seeman  &  Peters. 

Frederick  ].  Reitter  is  a  nemocrat  in  jinlitics.  a  member  of  the  tier- 
mania  and  Arbeiter  Gennan  Societies,  and  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church.  On  Noxember  29,  1888.  he  married  Miss  Martha  Stolz.  who 
was  born  in  Saginaw,  daughter  of  George  H.  Stolz.  Their  two  children 
are:  Rose  Reitter,  a  teacher  in  the  pulilic  schools;  and  Carl  C.  Reitter. 
a  Lutheran  minister  at  Terre  Haute.  Indiana. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2001 

Christian  Reitter,  the  younger  of  the  two  brothers,  was  born  in  Sagi- 
naw county  April  13,  i860,  was  educated  in  the  country  schools,  and 
became  practically  self-supporting  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  working  for 
several  years  on  the  homestead  with  his  father,  and  after  1887  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  printing  business  with  his  brother.  IJoth  the  Reitter 
brothers  are  stockholders  in  the  Herzog  Art  Furniture  Company  of  Sagi- 
naw. Christian  Reitter  lives  at  1300  Germania  avenue  and  owns  other 
real  estate  in  the  city.  He  is  likewise  a  Democrat  in  politics,  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  has  been  prominent  in  municipal 
affairs,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners,  of 
which  board  he  was  president  for  two  terms,  was  a  member  of  the 
Saginaw  Board  of  Trade,  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Ger- 
mania and  Arbeiter  Societies  and  active  in  the  German  Lutheran  church. 
On  April  12,  1887,  he  married  ^Maggie  Fox  of  Saginaw.  They  have  two 
sons :     Raymond  F.  and  Harold  C. 

LoRix  Marsh  Page.  The  late  Lorin  Marsh  Page  was  distinguished 
as  one  who  had  to  his  credit  more  than  half  a  century  of  continued  resi- 
dence in  Grand  Rapids,  and  it  will  not  be  denied  that  such  a  record  is  no 
empty  distinction.  He  was  born  at  Concord,  \'ermont,  on  ^larch  28, 
181 1,  and  he  died  in  this  city  in  1900,  when  he  was  eighty-nine  years  of 
age.  The  son  of  Enos  Page,  who  was  New  England  born  and  bred  and 
who  came  to  ^Michigan  when  late  in  life  and  spent  his  declining  days 
with  his  son,  Mr.  Page  was  a  resident  of  his  native  community  until  the 
year  1836.  He  had  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Concord,  and 
also  furthered  his  training  by  a  course  of  study  in  a  London  (Ontario) 
Academy.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  painter's  trade,  and  when 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old  came  to  Grand  Rapids,  then  a  small  village, 
luit  a  growing  one.  For  a  time  he  occupied  himself  at  various  employ- 
ments, but  eventually  he  drifted  into  the  house  painting  business,  in 
which  he  continued  successfully  for  some  time.  He  had,  in  school,  given 
special  attention  to  the  subject  of  accounting  and  was  regarded  as  an 
expert  in  that  line,  so  that  he  gained  considerable  prominence  as  an 
auditor  of  accounts,  and  his  services  were  in  demand  by  the  banks  and 
merchants  of  the  city,  in  which  work  he  was  occupied  for  a  good  many 
years. 

In  1837  Mr.  Page  was  married  in  Grand  Rapids  to  Miss  Jane  Soper, 
who  was  born  in  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  on  the  28th  of  January, 
181 3,  and  was  thus  about  two  years  younger  than  her  husband.  Darius 
\^'insom  of  Grand  Rapids  performed  the  ceremony  that  made  them  one. 
The  wife  and  mother  lived  to  the  fine  old  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  and 
reared  a  goodly  family  of  nine  children,  whose  names  follow :  John, 
Fernando,  Adeline,  Charles  F.,  James  B.,  Enos,  Jessie,  David  and 
Frances  M.  Of  these,  Fernando,  Charles  F.,  James  B.  and  Enos  served 
in  the  Civil  war.  Fernando  lost  both  legs  at  the  battle  of  Yorktown, 
\'irginia.  and  for  thirty-two  years  he  was  gallery  door-keeper  at  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  Washington.  He  is  now  deceased.  Charles 
F.  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  James  B. 
and  Enos  still  survive. 

ToHN  Ball.  Noteworthy  among  the  earlier  and  more  prominent 
settlers  of  Grand  Rapids  was  John  Ball,  who  was  distinguished  not  only 
ior  the  honored  New  England  ancestry  from  which  he  traced  his  de- 
scent, but  for  his  own  life  and  works.  He  was  born  at  Tenny's  Hill, 
Hebron,  New  Hampshire,  November  12,  1794,  and  w-as  a  descendant  in 
the  seventh  generation  of  John  Ball,  the  immigrant,  the  line  of  descent 


2002  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

being  as  follows:  John  (i),  Nathaniel  (2),  Nathaniel  (3),  Nathaniel 
(4),  Ebenezer  (5),  Nathaniel  (6),  and  John  (7). 

John  (i)  Ball  emigrated  from  WeUshire,  England,  to  America  in 
1650,  bringing  with  him  two  sons,  Nathaniel  and  John.  He  located  in 
Concord,  Alassachusetts,  and  was  there  a  resident  until  his  death.  Natha- 
niel (2)  Ball  came  from  England  with  his  father,  and  subsequently  lived 
with  his  wife,  Mary,  in  Concord,  Alassachusetts.  Nathaniel  (3)  Ball, 
born  July  3,  1663,  married  Mary  Brooks.  Nathaniel  (4)  Ball.  Septem- 
ber 7,  1692,  married  Sarah  Baker. 

Ebenezer  (5)  Ball  was  born  December  20,  1721.  He  moved  in  early 
life  to  Hollis,  New  Hampshire.  In  1775  he  was  one  of  the  "Minute 
Men,'"  and  during  the  Revolutionary  war  served  for  eight  months  as  a 
member  of  Captain  Reuben  Dow's  Company,  with  his  comrades  serving 
under  General  Prescott  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  married  Sarah 
Gookin,  and  to  them  several  children  were  born. 

Nathaniel  (6)  Ball  was  born  in  Alassachusetts.  Januarv  24.  1751.  He 
accompanied  the  family  to  New  Hampshire,  and.  as  the  History  of  Hollis, 
that  state,  shows,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Migrat- 
ing to  Hebron,  New  Hampshire,  he  purchased  a  large  farm  on  Tenny's 
Hill,  and  was  there  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death,  the  farm  which  he  cleared  and  improved  being  now  owned  by  his 
descendants.  His  death  occurred  Alay  30,  1834,  when  upwards  of  four 
score  years  of  age.  To  him  and  his  wife  ten  children  were  born,  nine  of 
whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity. 

During  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  John  (  7 )  Ball  assisted  his 
father  in  the  care  of  the  home  farm,  in  the  meantime  making  the  most  of 
every  offered  opportunity  for  advancing  his  education.  As  a  voung  man 
he  earned  enough  money  by  teaching  to  take  a  preparatory  course  at 
Franklin  Academy,  after  which  he  again  taught  for  a  few  terms.  Having 
accumulated  some  money,  although  not  enough  to  pay  his  expenses 
through  the  entire  college  course,  he  entered  Dartmouth  College,  and 
when  the  time  for  his  graduation  came  he  was  in  debt  to  the  college  for 
$200.  His  classmates  endorsed  his  notes,  and  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1820,  among  the  members  of  his  class  having  been  George  P. 
Marsh  and  Rufus  Choate.  After  leaving  college  Mr.  Ball  taught  school 
and  studied  law  in  Lansingburg,  New  York,  for  two  years.  Deciding 
then  to  go  South,  he  embarked,  in  New  York  City,  for  Georgia.  The 
vessel  on  which  he  took  passage  was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Georgia, 
and  the  Captain  was  drowned.  Mr.  Ball,  who  was  among  the  saved, 
reached  Darien,  Georgia,  friendless  and  penniless.  Soon  securing  a 
situation  as  teacher  near  Savannah,  he  taught  there  six  months,  and 
then  returned  to  Lansingburg.  He  was  subsequently  admitted  to  the 
New  York  bar  at  Utica,  and  later  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Troy,  New  York,  where  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace. 

Soon  after  he  had  accepted  that  office,  Mr.  Ball's  brother-in-law, 
William  Powers,  who  owned  and  operated  an  oil  cloth  factory,  was 
burned  to  death,  and  at  the  solicitation  of  his  sister  he  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  facton,'.  He  was  very  successful  as  manager  of  the 
works,  finding  new  marl^ets  for  the  output  of  the  factory,  and  paying 
all  of  the  debts.  He  then  turned  the  business  over  to  his  sister,  Airs. 
Powers.  In  1832  Mr.  Ball  joined  a  small  company  headed  by  Captain 
Wyeth  of  Salem,  ^Massachusetts,  and  started  for  Oregon.  The  party 
went  first  to  Baltimore,  thence  by  train  to  Fredericksburg,  Maryland,  the 
terminus  of  the  railroad,  and  from  there  by  land  and  water  to  Saint  Louis, 
Missouri.  There  he  and  his  comrades  met  and  joined  a  fur  trader.  Wil- 
liam Sublette,  who  was  to  command  a  party  going  across  the  plains.   The 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2003 

united  companies,  consisting  of  eighty  men,  left  Saint  Louis  on  the  i8th 
of  April  with  three  hundred  horses  and  a  lot  of  cattle  that  were  to  be 
slaughtered  for  food.  These  brave  men  safely  made  their  way  across  the 
dreary  plains,  and  over  the  rugged  mountains,  being  the  third  party  to 
cross  the  Rockies.  In  Idaho  Mr.  Sublette  and  his  contingent  halted,  but 
Captain  Wyeth  with  his  little  band  of  twelve  men  continued  westward 
to  Fort  Vancouver,  Oregon,  arriving  there  on  October  29,  1832,  having 
journeyed  continuously  for  seven  months. 

Mr.  Ball  opened  a  school  in  that  locality,  his  pupils  being  half-breeds, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1833  he  sowed  ten  acres  of  wheat.  He  is  now  repre- 
sented in  Oregon  history  as  having  been  the  first  school  teacher  in  that 
state,  and  the  first  man  to  sow  w'heat.  In  the  fall  of  1833,  having  de- 
cided to  make  a  change  for  better  or  worse,  Mr.  Ball  sold  his  crop  of 
wheat,  receiving  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  pay  his  passage  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  Stopping  while  en  route  at  San  Francisco,  he  there 
met  General  Fegeurao,  and  at  Honolulu  had  the  honor  of  dining  with 
the  king.  Taking  passage  there  in  a  whaling  vessel,  Mr.  Ball  sailed  to 
Rio  Janeiro.  While  in  that  city  Mr.  Ball  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
Captain  Farragut,  later  known  as  Commodore  Farragut,  who  was  then 
in  command  of  a  man-of-war.  Entering  the  Captain's  service  as  a  clerk, 
Mr.  Ball  made  the  homeward  trip  with  him,  landing  at  Hampton  Roads 
on  July  16,  1834.  Making  his  way  to  his  early  home  in  Hebron,  New 
Hampshire,  Mr.  Ball  found  his  mother  living,  but  his  father  had  died 
while  he  was  away.  Returning  then  to  Troy,  New  York,  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  remaining  there  until  1836. 

Coming  to  Michigan  in  that  year,  he  arrived  in  Grand  Rapids  on  the 
i8th  day  of  October.  The  following  winter  was  an  open  one,  and  he 
spent  much  of  his  time  prospecting  in  Kent,  Ottawa  and  Muskegon  coun- 
ties. In  the  spring  of  1837  Air.  Ball  became  a  permanent  resident  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  dealt  extensively  in  lands,  in  that  business  making 
many  trips  on  horseback  to  Detroit.  In  the  fall  of  1837  he  was  elected 
as  a  representative  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  later  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Barry  to  select  the  lands  given  by  the  United  States  to 
Michigan.  In  1840  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  D.  Rathburn,  and 
was  for  several  years  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Grand 
Rapids,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1883. 

His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Alary  Webster,  was  born  in  Ply- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  a  daughter  of  Arthur  L.  and  Ruth  (Powers) 
Webster,  and  died  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  in  1884.  They  reared 
five  children,  namely:  Frank  W.,  Kate,  Flora,  John  H.,  and  Lucy.  The 
youngest  child.  Miss  Lucy  Barry,  was  for  ten  years  librarian  at  the 
Grand  Rapids  Public  Library,  and  has  written  several  interesting  papers 
on  the  early  history  of  the  city. 

Andrew  C.  Sisman.  Among  the  general  contracting  firms  of  De- 
troit which  have  won  prominence  not  only  in  this  but  in  other  cities  of 
the  state,  one  of  the  foremost  is  the  Schmied-Sisman  Company,  of  which 
Andrew  C.  Sisman  is  vice-president  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Sisman  has  been 
connected  with  the  building  interests  of  the  City  of  Detroit  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  his  activities  have  contributed  materially 
to  the  growth  and  development  of  a  municipality  which  he  has  seen  grow 
to  a  population  of  half  a  million  souls.  He  is  a  native  of  Detroit,  born 
February  29,  1868,  a  son  of  O.  C.  and  Mary  (Kalsow)  Sisman,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when  they  were  chil- 
dren. The  paternal  grandfather,  Louis  Sisman,  was  the  founder  of  his 
family  in  Detroit,  while  the  Kalsow  family  was  founded  in  this  city  by 


2004  HISTORY  OF  iMICHlGAN 

Charles  Kalsow,  the  maternal  grandfather.  Mrs.  Sisman  passed  away 
in  K;o5,  while  the  father  is  still  living  and  makes  his  home  in  Detroit. 

Andrew  C.  Sisman  was  given  good  educational  advantages  in  his 
youth,  first  attending  the  public  schools  and  subsequently  taking  a  course 
in  the  old  Goldsmith's  Business  College.  In  1884  he  became  office  boy 
for  the  old  firm  of  Xuppenau  &  Clark,  where  he  received  his  introduction 
to  the  contracting  business,  and  that  firm  later  became  \'inton  Com- 
pany, contractors.  When  the  new  firm  was  established  Mr.  Sisman  was 
made  bookkeeper,  and  from  that  time  on  rose  rapidly  in  the  company,  of 
which  he  eventually  became  secretary  and  treasurer  and  a  director.  In 
1908  Mr.  Sisman  left  \"inton  Company  and  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  the  present  concern,  which  was  incorporated  on  June  1st  of  that  year 
as  the  Schmied-Sisman  Company,  of  which  Air.  Sisman  became  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  and  of  which  he  is  now  vice-president  and  treasurer. 
This  is  now  one  of  the  largest  general  contracting  firms  in  the  State  of 
Michigan,  and  among  the  numerous  large  and  important  structures  in 
which  it  has  executed  the  carpenter  and  interior  wood  work  may  be  men- 
tioned:  Large  Y.  M.  C.  A.  addition,  Detroit:  Contagious  Disease  Hos- 
pital ;  Universal  Motor  Truck  Company  building ;  Knights  of  Columbus 
building ;  Detroit  Stove  Works,  warehouses  ;  Chalmers  Motor  Company, 
factory  building  and  offices ;  Morgan  &  Wright,  warehouses :  Normal 
Training  School,  Detroit;  Louis  K.  Liggett  Company's  new  building; 
Trumbull  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  addition ;  J.  L.  Hudson  Com- 
pany buildings.  Woodward  Avenue;  and  D.  M.  Ferry,  residence,  Crosse 
Pointe. 

They  are  also  general  contractors  for  the  following:  Brooklyn  The- 
ater, Alichigan  Avenue ;  Garland  Theater,  Woodward  Avenue ;  Wood- 
ward Theater,  Woodward  Avenue;  Forest  Theater,  Woodward  Avenue: 
and  Jewel  Theater,  Gratiot  Avenue.   .       ... 

Other  structures  include  the  residences  laf  Major  F.  W.  Fuger,  Grosse 
Pointe;  Mr.  R.  H.  Webber,  Irocjuois  Ay.enue;  Air.  J.  H.  Brady,  Grosse 
Pointe,  and  Mrs.  Alary  N.  Parks,  St.' Clair,  Alichigan ;  Parke.  Davis  & 
Company's  laboratories,  Rochester,  Alichigan :  General  Alotors  Garage 
building,  Lafayette  Avenue ;  Crowley,  Alilner  warehouse ;  Wayne  Cigar 
Company  ]3lant ;  and  recent  addition  to  Belle  Isle  Bath  House.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  abov-e,  during  the  past  year,  they  have  built  some  sixty-nine 
dwellings,  farm  buildings,  etc..  at  Walkerville,  Ontario,  being  general 
contractors  on  the  same. 

Air.  Sisman  is  widely  known  in  business  circles,  and  is  a  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  Detroit  Buil'derg  &  Traders  Exchange,  the  Employers  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Gabriel  Reinforcement  Company,  manufacturers  of  reinforcing  steel  for 
concrete  construction.  His  fraternal  connections  include  membership  in 
Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  AL,  Alonroe  Chapter,  R.  A.  AI.,  Detroit  Com- 
mandery  No.  I,  K.  T.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club, 
Detroit  Yacht  Club  and  the  Detroit  Church  Club. 

In  September,  i8y6.  Air.  Sisman  was  married  to  Aliss  Emma  Tip- 
ling,  of  Detroit,  and  three  children  have  been  liorn  to  them :  B.  Andrew, 
born  in  1899;  Warren,  born  in  1902;  and  Aluriel,  born  in  1904.  Air.  and 
Airs.  Sisman  are  members  of  Christ  Episcopal  church. 

From  his  youth.  Air.  Sisman's  career  has  been  one  of  constant  in- 
dustry and  steady  advancement.  Brooking  no  obstacles  that  would  yield 
to  determined,  earnest  and  honorable  purpose,  he  has  worked  his  way  up- 
w-ard  in  business  life,  and  has  been  a  valued  representative  of  business 
interests  in  Detroit,  where  he  is  known  for  his  thorough  reliability  and 
close  adherence  to  a  high  standard  of  business  ethics. 


^^^uZ. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2005 

Alexander  \V.  Blaix,  M.  D.  Among  the  most  successful  surgeons 
in  Detroit  is  Dr.  Alexander  W.  Blain,  youngest  son  of  A.  W.  Blain,  Sr. 
Dr.  Blain  was  born  in  Detroit,  where  he  received  his  early  education 
through  attendance  at  the  public  schools  and  high  school.  He  subse- 
quently entered  the  Detroit  College  of  jMedicine  and  Surgery,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1906,  with  the  degree  of  !M.  D. 
During  his  last  three  years  at  college  he  served  as  assistant  to  the  late 
Dr.  H.  O.  Walker,  the  eminent  surgeon. 

Upon  leaving  college  he  was  made  resident  surgeon  of  Harper  Hos- 
pital, which  position  he  held  for  two  years,  the  last  as  chief  of  the  resi- 
dent statt.  Following  his  interneship  the  Doctor  visited  all  of  the  western 
states  studving  the  health  problem  of  Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona and  visiting  the  larger  clinics  from  Chicago  to  San  Francisco,  and 
especially  the   Mayo  clinic  at  Rochester,   Minnesota.     The   summer  of 

1910  he  spent  in  Europe  at  the  surgical  clinics  of  England,  Scotland, 
France,  Germany,   Switzerland  and  Austria. 

Dr.  Blain,  is  at  present  attending  surgeon  on  the  staff  of  the  Harper 
Hospital  Polyclinic.  He  is  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  in 
the  ^ledical  Reserve  Corps  of  the  United  States  Army.  He  is  instructor 
in  Surgery  at  the  Detroit  College  of  [Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  has 
serA'ed  as  chairman  of  the  surgical  section  of  the  Wayne  County  ^ledical 
Societ}',  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors ;  secretary  of  the 
Alumni  Society  of  Harper  Hospital  and  as  a  member  of  the  executive 
board  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  and  was  formerly  editor  of  the  "Leucocyte,"  the  official 
organ  of  that  society.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  and  the  ^Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  Tri-State 
^ledical  Society.  Dr.  Blain  was  one  of  the  four  hundred  representative 
American  Surgeons  which  met  in  Washington  in  May,  1913,  and  organ- 
ized the  American  College  of  Surgeons. 

Dr.  Blain  has  been  active  in  scientific  work  aside  from  surgery, 
being  interested  in  zoology  and  especially  ornithology,  the  science  of 
birds,  and  he  was  for  three  years  editor  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  Michigan 
Ornithological  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Ornitholo- 
gists Union.  The  Cooper  Ornithological  Club  of  California,  the  Wilson 
Ornithological  Club,  having  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  that  society,  and  The  Detroit  Zoological  Society  and  the  Michigan 
Academy  of  Science.  In  1906  the  fellowship  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  in 

191 1  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Arts,  of  London, 
England.  He  is  a  collaborator  in  surgery  of  the  staff  of  the  Detroit 
Medical  Journal  and  the  International  Journal  of  Surgery.  Dr.  lilain 
has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  both  surgical  and  zoological  litera- 
ture, his  writings  during  the  past  two  years  refer  mainly  to  surgery  of 
the  neck,  particularly  goitre  and  surgery  of  the  alidomen  and  cancer. 

Dr.  Blain  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Detroit  Board  of 
Commerce,  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club  and  the  Royal  Societies  Club  of 
London.  England.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  Zion  Lodge,  F.  A.  ]M.,  King 
Cyrus  Chapter,  Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  Michigan 
Sovereign  Consistency,  Moslem  Temple,  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
and  the  Greek  letter  society,  Nu  Sigma  Nu.  Dr.  Blain's  office  organi- 
zation at  1 105  Jefl:'erson  Avenue  East,  in  the  old  Hunt  homestead,  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete  in  the  state.  Dr.  Blain  also  main- 
tains the  only  private  surgical  research  laboratory  in  the  state.  The 
doctor  is  a  bachelor. 


2006  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

James  H.  Barnard,  M.  D.  In  comparing  the  various  learned  pro- 
fessions with  the  view  of  defining  their  relative  usefulness  to  mankind, 
it  is  found  that  tlie  verdict  should  rest  with  that  of  medicine.  Other 
vocations  minister  helpfully  to  the  needs  of  the  ])eople,  but  none  holds  the 
importance  of  that  of  the  healing  art.  The  individual  may  adjust  his 
differences  with  his  fellow  men  without  the  aid  of  members  of  the  bench 
or  bar;  his  own  religious  salvation  may  be  worked  out  without  recourse 
to  the  ministratibns  of  the  clergy;  he  may  perfect  himself  in  languages 
and  the  arts  although  unaided  by  the  educator ;  but  his  bodily  welfare 
rests  entirely  upon  the  skill  and  services  of  the  physician  and'  surgeon. 
From  time  immemorial  each  nation  has  had  its  men  of  medicine,  and  as 
civilization  has  advanced  so  have  those  who  have  conserved  the  bodily 
welfare  of  those  who  have  made  the  advance  possible,  and  today  there 
may  be  found  no  body  of  men  standing  higher  in  dignity  and  prominence 
than  the  practitioners  of  medicine  and  surgery. 

Michigan  is  the  home  and  scene  of  endeavor  of  some  of  the  most 
skilled  and  learned  men  of  the  calling,  and  all  of  these  are  not  found  in 
the  large  cities,  for  many  have  preferred  to  remain  in  the  smaller  locali- 
ties, where  their  services  may  be  of  greater  benefit  to  mankind  through 
their  ability  to  get  into  closer  touch  with  the  people.  Through  seven 
years  of  devoted  and  self-sacrifiqing  service.  Dr.  James  H.  Barnard  has 
become  firmly  established  in  the  confidence  and  gratitude  of  the  people 
of  Tustin,  Michigan,  while  his  professional  skill  and  wide  learning  have 
enabled  him  to  reach  a  place  of  prominence  among  the  medical  men  of 
Osceola  county.  He  is  a  native  Michigander.  Ijorn  at  r.enzonia.  Benzie 
county.  March  21.  18^)4,  and  is  a  son  of  Alonzo  and  Mary  E.  (McDonald) 
Barnard.  His  grandfather,  a  native  of  \'ermont,  left  that  state  after  the 
death  of  the  grandmother,  became  a  pioneer  farmer  of  (Jhio.  and  there 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  at  Lorain.  Alonzo  Barnard  was 
born  June  2.  1817.  at  Peru,  \'ermont,  and  was  still  a  youth  when  he  ac- 
companied his  father  to  Ohio.  He  was  ambitious  to  become  an  educator, 
but  his  father  was  in  modest  circumstances,  and  he  was  forced  to  teach 
country  schools  in  order  to  secure  the  money  with  which  to  pay  his 
tuition  through  Oberlin  College,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
in  1837.  At  that  time  he  entered  actively  into  the  practice  of  his  adopted 
calling,  teaching  at  various  points  in  Ohio  and  gradually  forcing  his  way 
to  the  forefront.  He  was  married  August  10,  1854,  at  Pittsfie'd,  Ohio, 
to  Mary  E.  McDonald,  who  was  born  at  St.  .\ndrews.  ^Manitoba,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  still  living: 
Sarah  L.,  John  J.  and  James  H.  For  fifty  years  Dr.  Alonzo  Barnard 
was  a  missionary  among  the  Indians  in  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas.  and 
in  the  field  of  his  labors  gained  national  reputation.  He  was  the  first  man 
to  trv  to  redeem  the  Ojibway  language,  having  text  books  printed  for 
the  Indians  of  that  tribe,  and  was  the  first  man  to  endeavor  to  translate 
the  Indian  language  into  English.  Seven  years  prior  to  his  death  lie 
went  to  Pomona.  Manistee  county,  Michigan,  and  there  passed  awa\' 
April  7,  IQ05,  his  wife  having  died  .\ugust  23,  1900. 

The  early  education  of  Dr.  James  H.  Barnard  was  secured  in  the 
l)ublic  schools  of  Bcnzonia.  and  after  graduating  therefrom  he  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine.  .After  some  preparation,  he  became  a  student  in 
the  Grand  Rapids  Medical  College,  from  which  instituiiun  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1900,  and  immediately  thereafter  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
calling  at  Pomona,  Manistee  county.  After  seven  years  spent  at  that 
place  he  came  to  Tustin.  and  here  has  continued  in  the  enjoyment  of  an 
excellent  practice  to  the  present  time.  His  knowledge  of  the  science  of 
medicine  is  comprehensive  and  accurate,  for  he  has  always  been  a  close 


HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN  2007 

student  of  the  profession  and  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  progress 
and  improvement  which  mark  its  advancement  at  the  present.  In  the 
practice  of  his  caUing  he  has  made  many  friends,  and  his  kindly,  sympa- 
thetic nature  has  proved  a  valuable  supplement  to  his  medical  skill  His 
career  has  been  characterized  by  devotion  to  duty  in  the  various  walks 
of  life.  Politically,  Doctor  Barnard  is  a  Republican,  but  his  profession 
has  kept  him  too  busily  engaged  for  him  to  think  of  activities  in  the 
public  arena.  His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  various  or- 
ganizations of  his  calling. 

Doctor  Barnard  was  married  at  Royston,  Ontario,  Canada,  Septem- 
ber 3.  1903,  to  Miss  Ethel  M.  Alexander,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of 
London,  England,  received  her  early  education  there,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  girlhood,  and  is  a  graduate  nurse  of  Butterworth  Hospital. 
Grand  Rapids.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Barnard  have  two  bright  and  lovable 
children :  George  A.,  who  is  nine  years  old ;  and  Alexander  J.,  aged 
seven  years. 

Hugh  J.  Jacksox.  \Mien  Hugh  J.  Jackson  first  arrived  in  the  city 
of  Flint  it  was  under  somewhat  unfavorable  circumstances  for  his  visible 
assets  consisted  of  five  cents  in  money  and  a  fairlv  respectable  suit  of 
clothes.  What  was  infinitely  better,  however,  he  possessed  a  stout  heart, 
a  strong  and  willing  pair  of  hands,  a  determination  to  make  a  place  for 
himself,  and  a  native  shrewdness  that  caused  him  to  choose  the  lumber 
business  for  his  field  of  activity,  and  withal  he  had  no  false  pride  to  keep 
him  from  entering  the  business  in  a  humble  capacity.  Today,  as  head  of 
the  Randall  Lumber  Company.  Incorporated,  he  directs  the  operations 
of  one  of  the  largest  industries  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and 
is  universally  accounted  one  of  Flint's  most  forcible  and  influential  men. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  born  in  Orleans  county,  Xev/  York,  April  15,  1852, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  W.  and  Emily  (Joyner)  Jackson.  His  father  was 
also  born  in  that  county,  while  his  mother  was  a  native  of  Sumner  county, 
Tennessee,  and  both  have  been  dead  for  many  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Hugh  J.  being  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  He 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  his  father  being  a  farmer,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  principally  in  the  schools  of  St.  Catherine's,  Canada, 
where  he  lived  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  At  that  time  his  mother  died, 
and  he  came  to  Flint,  penniless  and  friendless,  to  seek  his  fortune.  Here 
he  soon  secured  employment  with  the  lumber  manufacturing  firm  of 
Begole,  Fox  &  Company,  where  he  received  his  introduction  to  the  lum- 
ber business,  and  continued  to  remain  in  the  service  of  this  concern  for 
two  and  one-half  years.  Succeeding  this,  he  was  connected  with  various 
lumber  companies  in  the  Saginaw  A'alley  and  Bay  Shore  until  1875, 
then  going  to  work  for  Pifer  &  Thompson,  of  Five  Lakes,  Lapeer  county, 
continuing  there  until  1879.  In  that  year  Mr.  Jackson  took  a  trip  to 
Middleport,  Niagara  county.  New  York,  and  there  entered  business 
with  a  brother,  Thomas  W.  Jackson,  but  in  iSSo  returned  to  Michigan 
and  located  on  the  upper  peninsula.  He  continued  to  be  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber,  and  in  the  fall  of  1882  returned  to  Flint  and 
entered  into  a  partnership  with  Samuel  C.  Randall,  under  the  firm  style 
of  S.  C.  Randall  &  Company,  which  was  later  succeeded  by  the  firm  of 
Randall,  Newell  &  Company,  and  continued  as  such  until  1903.  Then 
was  incorporated  the  Randall  Lumber  Company,  Incorporated,  with  a 
capital  of  $200,000,  of  which  Mr.  Jackson  has  since  been  president.  The 
yards  and  offices  of  this  concern  now  cover  three  square  city  blocks,  and 
Its  materials  are  confined  in  large,  well-built  storage  houses,  of  which 


2008  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

there  are  eleven  in  number.  The  yards  have  three  railroad  switches, 
which  are  adjacent  to  the  storage  houses  and  make  the  receiving  and 
shipping  of  lumber  an  easy  and  inexpensive  task.  The  yards  also  con- 
tain a  large  planing  mill  and  manufacturing  plant  and  ii  dry  house  in 
which  all  manufactured  articles  are  thoroughly  seasoned  before  manu- 
facture. The  product  of  the  Randall  Lumber  Companv  finds  a  ready 
market  all  over  the  United  States  and  some  fifty  men  are  required  to 
handle  it.  Throughout  a  long  and  active  career  Mr.  Jackson's  opera- 
tions have  earned  him  a  reputation  for  integrity,  honorable  dealing  and 
strict  probity,  and  in  the  management  of  his  enterprise  he  is  displaying 
signal  business  talents.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  firm  and  a  director  of  the 
Imperial  Wheel  Compan)-,  and  a  stockholder  in  a  number  of  financial 
institutions,  also  having  various  and  varied  interests  in  Flint.  In  Masonry 
he  has  taken  the  degrees  up  to  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  also  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Flint  Country  Club.  He  \vas  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Board  of  Commerce.  He  is  a 
staunch  Democrat  and  while  not  an  office  seeker  has  always  been  in- 
terested in  community  affairs,  and  served  for  five  years  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education.  The  good  qualities  he  has  manifested  in  all  life's 
relations  have  won  him  the  confidence  and  trust  of  his  fellowmen  and 
gained  him  those  warm  personal  friendships  which  are  not  based  upon 
honor,  fame  or  success,  but  have  their  bases  in  individual  character. 
With  his  family,  he  attends  the  Episcopal  church. 

In  October,  1879,  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  A.  Buck, 
of  Sheboygan  Falls,  Wisconsin,  daughter  of  Lorenzo  and  Emily  Buck, 
and  she  died  in  March,  1901,  at  Flint,  leaving  five  children.  Mr.  Jack- 
son was  married  in  1904,  at  Flint,  to  Bessie  B.  Brow,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  J.  Brow,  a  native  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  They  have  had 
no  children.  The  Jackson  home,  pleasantly  located  at  Xo.  525  Garland 
street,  is  one  of  the  handsome  residences  of  the  city  and  is  the  scene  of 
numerous  social  gatherings,  in  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  dispense 
liberal  hospitality  to  their  many  friends. 

Edward  M.  Lawsox.  There  is  no  position  with  which  there  is  con- 
nected a  greater  amount  of  responsibility  than  that  of  the  head  of  -1 
reformatory  institution.  In  the  old  days  there  could  be  conceived  nothing 
more  forbidding,  grim  and  devoid  of  all  inspiration  than  the  house  of 
correction  of  a  great  state,  but  in  these  modern  times  the  conscientious 
superintendent  of  such  an  institution  voluntarily  burdens  himself  with 
the  moral  responsibility  of  those  placed  in  his  care  and  endeavors  to  re- 
turn them  to  society  with  softened  natures  and  worthy  ambitions.  Few^ 
men  in  the  country  are  doing  a  greater  work  along  the  line  of  moral 
reform  than  is  Edward  M.  Lawson,  superintendent  of  the  Michigan  In- 
dustrial School  for  Boys.  Connected  with  this  institution  since  1S89, 
when  he  joined  its  forces  as  a  teamster,  he  has  won  promotion  from 
position  to  position,  and  since  1906  has  been  its  directing  head,  a  capacity 
in  which  he  has  exerted  a  strong  and  far-reaching  influence  for  good. 

Mr.  Lawson  was  born  February  20,  1861,  in  the  city  of  Detroit, 
Michigan,  and  is  a  son  of  .Alexander  and  Mary  Jane  (Martin)  Lawson. 
His  father  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  May,  1S32,  and  there  learned  the 
business  of  saddlery  and  harness-making,  a  trade  which  he  followed 
after  emigrating  to  the  city  of  Detroit  in  1851.  Subsequently  he  en- 
gaged in  business  on  his  own  account,  having  a  shop  opposite  the  City 
Hall,  and  during  the  Civil  war  fitted  out  several  companies  of  cavalry- 
men of  this  state  with  their  ec|uii)ment  for  the  service.  In  1875  Mr. 
Lawson   removed  to  Grand   Ledge,   Eaton   county,   Michigan,   where   he 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2009 

continued  in  business  for  several  years,  and  then  retired  to  his  farm 
near  that  place,  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  The  mother,  Mary  J. 
(Martin)  Lawson,  was  born  near  Sligo,  Ireland,  in  1833,  and  is  still  living. 

Edward  AI.  Lawson  spent  his  early  years  in  Detroit,  where  he  attended 
the  Tappan  Union  school  until  reaching  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  His 
family  being  in  modest  financial  circumstances,  it  was  necessary  that  he  be- 
gin work  at  an  early  age,  and  as  a  youth  he  secured  employment  on  a  farm, 
being  employed  by  one  man  for  nearly  seven  years  and  thus  early  demon- 
strating his  fidelity  and  close  application.  W'hen  his  parents  removed  to 
Grand  Ledge,  in  1875,  he  accompanied  them,  and  remained  with  his 
father  until  1882,  when  he  began  work  in  the  lumber  woods  of  northern 
Michigan.  Here  he  displayed  the  ability  to  do  his  full  share  of  the  hard, 
unremitting  work  of  the  lumber  camps,  and  received  a  training  that  has 
been  of  much  value  to  him  in  later  years.  The  year  1885  found  Mr. 
Lawson  seized  with  the  western  fever,  and  in  company  with  a  number 
of  others  he  made  his  way  to  western  Kansas  and  took  up  from  the 
Government  a  homestead  and  timber  claim,  120  miles  ahead  of  the  rail- 
road, a  tract  upon  which  he  resided  four  years.  He  yearned,  however, 
for  the  activities  of  the  more  populated  regions,  and  in  18S9  returned  tp 
Michigan  and  secured  a  position  at  the  Michigan  State  Industrial  School 
for  Boys,  as  a  teamster.  After  several  promotions,  earned  through 
fidelity  and  industry,  he  was  given  charge  of  the  farming  department. 
During  the  administration  of  Governor  Winan,  Mr.  Lawson  engaged  in 
farming  at  Grand  Ledge,  but  in  1893.  when  the  late  J.  Edgar  St.  John 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  school,  Mr.  Lawson  returned  to  the 
institution  and  became  cottage  manager  and  farmer.  He  was  appointed 
assistant  superintendent  in  Decemljer,  1896,  by  Mr.  St.  John,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  appointed  superintendent  by  the  board  of  trustees. 
January  2,  1906.  In  his  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  institution, 
Mr.  Lawson  has  shown  himself  a  thoroughly  capable  official,  with  much 
executive  and  administrative  ability.  He  is  a  strict  disciplinarian,  but 
has  at  all  times  tempered  his  actions  with  sympathy,  gainetl  through  a 
broad  know-ledge  of  human  nature,  and  has  w^on  the  devotion  and  re- 
spect of  his  many  youthful  charges.  An  intensely'  earnest  man,  with  a 
supreme  faith  in  his  pupils,  he  continues  to  carry  on  a  work  that  should 
place  him  among  the  most  useful  citizens  of  the  state. 

Mrs.  St.  John,  widow  of  J.  Edgar  St.  John,  paid  a  fitting  tribute  to 
Mr.  Lawson"s  faithfulness,  by  saying:  "Xo  man  could  have  been  more 
loyal  to  another  than  was  Mr.  Lawson  to  Mr.  St.  John :  and  when 
obliged  to  be  away  from  the  school,  Mr.  St.  John  said  he  always  felt  that 
his  interests  as  well  as  those  of  the  institution  were  in  safe  hands.  I 
could  make  no  better  wish  for  him  than  that  he  might  have  as  faithful  an 
assistant  and  as  faithful  a  corps  of  officers  as  did  Mr.  St.  John."  .At 
the  time  of  Mr.  Lawson's  appointment  to  the  superintendency,  Treasrrei 
Horatio  H.  Earned  said :  "We  considered  Mr.  Lawson  distinctly  the 
best  man  we  could  find  for  the  place.  He  has  been  there  si.xteen  years : 
is  thoroughly  informed  in  regard  to  all  the  work  in  every  department. 
He  has  the  regard  of  the  employes  and  of  the  boys.  We  believe,  also, 
that  his  own  career  offers  one  of  the  best  object  lessons  for  those  boys 
that  could  be  put  before  them.  He  went  there  sixteen  years  ago  as  a 
teamster,  and  was  steadily  advanced  in  his  work.  We  believe  we  have 
put  him  in  a  place  where  he  will  grow  still  more.  There  is  one  thing 
that  can  be  said :  Mr.  Lawson  never  asked  for  the  place.  Neither  from 
him  nor  from  his  friends  has  there  been  one  word.  He  was  aware  that 
the  board  knew  of  his  work  there,  and  if  he  had  any  desire  for  the  place, 
he  rested  in  the  fact  that  the  board  did  know  him.     He  was  elected  antl 


2010  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

then  I  brought  him  in  from  his  work  and  introduced  him  to  the  board  as 
supernitendent.  He  was  nearly  overcome  with  the  surprise  of  it  "  The 
last  several  sentences  will  give  a  further  insight  into  Mr.  Lawson's  char- 
acter. He  has  no  false  sense  of  modesty,  vet  has  never  thrust  himself 
forward,  but  has  plodded  steadily  forward,  content  in  the  rewards  that 
his  industry  and  fidelity  to  duty  have  brought  him.  It  is  to  such  men 
that  our  state  institutions  owe  their  success. 

In  February,  1890,  Mr.  Lawson  was  married  to  :Miss  Alice  Russell 
of  Grand  Ledge,  Michigan,  daughter  of  Edward  O.  Russell,  a  native 
of  New  \ork  and  a  pioneer  of  Alichigan,  whose  father  built  the  nr-^t 
dam  in  Grand  river,  at  Grand  Ledge.  Mr.  and"  Mrs.  Lawson  are  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Edward  R.  Lawson,  deceased:  John  \V., 
Robert  and  Alice.  -Mr.  Lawson  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  his  fra- 
ternal connections  are  with  the  Alasons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Emil  C.  Pokorxy.  In  the  light  of  present  accomplishment  it  would 
be  interesting  to  recall  the  progressive  steps  by  which  a  beautiful,  well 
planned  and  sanitary  city  like  Detroit  of  today,  has  emerged  from  the 
past  through  the  skill  and  trained  ability  of  its  architects,  contractors  and 
engineers,  the  enormous  range  of  whose  activities  have  brought  tweniieth 
century  building  to  the  highe.st  point  of  durable  art.  Detroit  is  fortunate 
in  being  the  home  and  business  field  of  such  professional  men  as  those 
represented  by  Emil  Charles  Pokorny,  Iniilding  contractor  and  engineer, 
who  has  won  deserved  success. 

Emil  Charles  Pokorny  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  June  9,  1S77, 
and  is  a  son  of  Cenek  and  Anna  Pokorny.  Emil  Charles"  attended  the 
Detroit  public  schools  until  promoted  to  the  eighth  grade,  at  which  time 
he  decided  to  become  self-supporting.  He  happened  to  have,  however,  a 
very  sensible  and  practical  father,  one  who  realized  as  the  son  did  not. 
that  a  future  time  would  come  when  the  lad  would  need  the  higher  edu- 
cational training  that  boyish  impatience  led  him  to  forego,  and  only  con- 
sented that  his  son  should  leave  school  so  early  with  the  understanding 
that  he  continue  his  studies  in  a  night  school.  Emil  Charles  accepted  his 
father's  ultimatum,  although  it  entailed  much  self  denial  and  very  liard 
work,  and  under  these  conditions  learned  the  sheet  metal  trade,  subse- 
quently winning  a  correspondence  school  scholarship  after  taking  that  as 
a  supplementary  course.  He  continued  work  at  his  trade,  but  his  ambi- 
tion prompted  him  to  look  to  further  advancement  and  he  devoted  as 
much  time  as  possible  to  mastering  the  details  of  general  building.  In 
1902  he  determined  to  still  further  advance  himself,  in  another  direction, 
and  this  resulted  in  his  entering  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  al- 
though he  found  it  necessary  to  secure  private  tutoring  in  order  to  pass 
the  entrance  e.xamination.  In  the  meamvliilc.  in  1891).  Mr.  F'okornv  had 
married  Miss  Ida  Burger,  who  was  born  on  her  parents'  farm  in  Livona 
township,  St.  Clair  county.  Michigan.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Anthony 
Burger,  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  that  section.  Mrs.  Pokorny  not 
only  sympathized  with  her  husband  in  his  ambitions,  but  also  determined 
to  place  herself  under  a  private  tutor  and  thus  be  prepared  to  enter  col- 
lege with  her  husband,  which  admirable  [ilan  was  put  into  e.xecution  and 
husband  and  wife  spent  five  years  together  in  the  college  and  together 
were  graduated  in  1907,  both  securing^degrees,  Mr.  Pokorny  that  of  me- 
chanical engineer.  During  this  period  Mr.  Pokorny  found  a  way  to 
more  or  less  pay  his  expenses  through  his  own  industry,  doing  some  of 
the  slieet  metal  work  on  the  college  buildings  and  in  the  neighborhood, 
thereby  not  only  relieving  himself  of  all  indebtedness  but  being  able  to 
accumulate  enough  capital  to  enable  him  to  buy  a  lot  at  East  Lansing, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2011 

on  which  he  built  a  house  and  occupied  the  same  until  his  graduation, 
when  he  found  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  it.  In  his  subsequent  career 
Mr.  Pokorny  has  found  his  wife  a  real  helpmate.  She  it  is  who  draws 
the  most  of  his  plans,  aids  him  by  her  intelligent  advice  and  keeps  his 
accounts.  At  the  same  time  Mrs.  Pokomy  attends  carefully  to  her  house- 
hold duties  and  the  rearing  of  their  two  children,  Helen  aged  six  years, 
•and  Inez,  aged  three  years. 

After  leaving  college  Mr.  Pokorny  returned  to  Detroit  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  American  Blower  Company,  as  heating  and  ventilating 
engineer,  where  he  spent  one  year,  since  when  he  has  been  engaged  in 
general  contracting  on  his  own  account,  mider  the  lirm  name  of  Pokorny 
&  Company,  he  being  sole  owner  of  the  business.  He  has  made  a 
specialty  of  the  building  of  flats,  for  which  he  furnishes  all  the  plans  and 
does  all  the  work,  including  every  line  of  building,  employing  his  own 
carpenters,  masons,  painters,  plasterers,  plumbers  and  decorators,  in  the 
end  turning  over  a  completed  structure.  As  mentioned  in  the  opening 
paragraph,  Mr.  Pokorny  has  achieved  remarkable  success.  Beginning 
in  a  small  way  in  the  poorer  neighborhoods  he  has  advanced  year  by  year 
until,  for  some  seasons,  he  has  been  mainly  erecting  in  the  restricted  dis- 
tricts of  the  city,  building  the  finest  class  of  flats,  many  of  which  he  has 
built  on  his  own  capital  and  later  sold.  He  has  erected  twenty-eight 
family  apartment  houses,  a  large  number  of  flats  and  many  stores.  At 
the  time  of  writing,  August,  1914,  he  has  just  completed,  on  his  own  ac- 
count, an  eight-family  apartment  house  of  brick  construction  and 
modern  architecture  and  equipment,  at  Nos.  50-52  Palmer  avenue,  east, 
in  an  exclusive  neighborhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pokorny  occupy  their 
beautiful  residence,  a  handsome  brick  house,  modern  in  every  particular, 
standing  at  No.  275  Lysander  avenue.  In  the  rear  of  his  residence,  Mr. 
Pokorny  has  erected  a  three-story  building  extending  across  three  city 
lots,  which  is  said  to  be  the  largest  building  plant  owned  by  one  man  and 
also  to  be  the  best  equipped  plant  for  the  business  in  Detroit  Mr.  Po- 
korny is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Engineers'  Society. 

D.wiD  Walker  McKeighan.  On  the  pages  of  Saginaw  county's 
business  history,  the  name  of  David  Walker  McKeighan  stands  forth 
prominently  as  one  who  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  who 
has  labored  long  and  faithfully  and  who  has  builded  well.  Obliged  to 
cut  short  his  studies  at  an  early  age,  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  cheerfully  took  his  place  among  the  world's  workers,  and  in  the  years 
that  followed  laid  so  firmly  the  foundations  for  his  career  that  he  rose 
rapidly  to  business  success,  and  today  is  not  only  one  of  his  city's  sub- 
stantial men  of  business,  but  a  citizen  who  has  fulfilled  every  public  duty 
devolving  upon  him. 

David  Walker  McKeighan  was  born  November  21,  1S77,  in  the  city 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Alary  (Corcoran)  Mc- 
Keighan, natives  respectively  of  Albany,  New  York,  and  Jersey  City, 
New  Jersey.  The  father,  a  railroad  man,  was  for  a  number  of  years  a 
train  conductor,  traveling  on  various  lines  out  of  Cleveland,  and  died  in 
that  city  in  i8q8,  when  fifty-two  years  of  age.  The  mother,  who  still 
survives,  is  a  resident  of  Flint,  Michigan,  making  her  home  with  her 
sons,  John  James,  George  W.  and  William  McKeighan.  There  were  nine 
children  in  the  family  of  David  and  Mary  (Corcoran)  McKeighan,  of 
whom  three  are  now  deceased,  the  others  being:  Thomas,  of  Malaga, 
California,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Malaga  Packing  Company : 
David  Walker,  of  this  review:  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of  Paul  AIul- 
hauser,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio:    John    James,  of  Flint,   Michigan:    George 


2012  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

\\'..  of  that  irity  ;  and  William  H.,  also  of  Mint.  The  three  last-named 
are  in  partnership  at  the  AIcKeighan  Drug  Company,  and  are  the  owners 
of  several  leading  pharmacies  of  Flint. 

David  Walker  AIcKeighan  received  his  early  education  in  the  inihlic 
schools,  following  which  he  became  a  night  student  in  the  Cleveland 
Commercial  College,  an  institution  of  which  he  was  a  pupil  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  death.  The  latter  had  been  in  very  modest  circumstances 
and  the  mother  ^vas  left  with  a  large  family,  and  accordingly  David  W., 
as  the  next  to  the  oldest,  was  expected  to  contribute  to  the  family  sujjport. 
He  was  a  lad  of  only  thirteen  years,  yet  he  resolutely  set  to  work  to 
make  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and  while  working  at  whatever  hon- 
orable employment  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  night  school.  In  1897 
Mr.  McKeighan  came  to  Saginaw,  Michigan,  with  a  coal  testing  com- 
pany, and  in  the  meantime  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Kendrick, 
now  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Saginaw  county,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained one  year,  his  next  field  of  activity  being  at  St.  Charles,  he  coming 
to  this  city  to  become  bookkeeper  for  the  J.  H.  Somers  Coal  Company. 
After  seven  years  of  experience  in  that  field  of  business,  he  felt  com- 
petent to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account,  and  accordingly  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  Mark  Allen,  and  under  the  firm  style  of  Allen  iS: 
McKeighan  engaged  in  a  modest  way  in  the  hardware  and  implement 
business.  This  venture  pro\ed  a  successful  one  from  the  start  and  the 
association  was  continued  from  1905  until  1910,  in  July  of  which  year 
Mr.  AIcKeighan  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  since  has  continued 
to  conduct  the  business  alone.  The  enterprise  has  proved  a  profitable  one 
in  e\ery  particular,  and  Mr.  McKeighan  now  em])lovs  a  clerk  to  assist 
him  in  liandling  the  trade.  He  carries  a  complete  line  of  the  finest  goods, 
uses  modern  and  reliable  methods,  and  is  known  as  a  man  who  can  be 
absolutely  depended  ui^on.  In  addition  to  his  splendid  business  and  store 
building,  1.20  by  100  feet,  he  is  the  owner  of  a  handsome  residence  and 
much  \aluable  city  realty,  and  has  a  half  interest  in  an  eighty-acre  farm 
adjacent  to  St.  Charles.  Mr.  McKeighan  is  independent  in  his  political 
views,  and  has  acted  in  various  official  capacities,  having  served  three 
terms  as  supervisor,  three  terms  as  president  of  the  town,  four  terms  as 
township  treasurer  and  three  terms  as  Village  assessor.  He  has  always 
proved  himself  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  and  his  signal  services 
have  won  him  the  regard  of  the  general  ]>ublic,  while  his  straightforward 
methods  have  made  him  friends  among  the  members  of  all  political 
organizations.  With  his  family,  Mr.  McKeighan  attends  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  and  has  been  active  in  its  various  movements  and 
charities. 

In  1905  Mr.  McKeighan  was  married  to  Miss  Maud  Allen,  the  esti- 
mal)le  daughter  of  Mark  and  Adeline  (Simmons)  .Allen.  She  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  St.  Charles,  and  is  widely  and  fa\orably  known  in 
social  circles  of  the  citv.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKeighan  ha\e  had  two  chil- 
dren:   Iteatrice  Mav  and  David  Mark. 

Georcf.  \\'.  W'EADOCK.  Admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar  in  1876  and 
since  the  following  year  in  practice  at  Saginaw,  George  W.  Weadock 
has  had  a  career  of  active  practice  that  makes  him  not  only  one  of  the 
oldest  but  one  of  the  best  known  members  of  the  Saginaw  bar.  At  the 
same  time  he  has  been  identified  with  public  affairs,  and  was  honored 
with  election  as  the  first  mayor  of  the  consolidated  city  of   Saginaw. 

The  fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  George  \V.  Weadock  was 
born  at  St.  Mary's,  Ohio,  November  6,  1853.  His  parents,  Lewis  and 
Mary    (Cullen)    Weadock  were  natives  of  Ireland,  brought  three  chil- 


THE  MW  TORK 
PUSIICLURARY 

L.8"«k»X    A  KB 

HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2013 

dren  to  America,  and  George  W.  was  the  first  born  on  this  side  of  the 
water.  They  settled  at  St.  Mary's,  Ohio,  where  Lewis  Weadock  was  a 
practical  farmer  until  his  death  on  December  8,  1863,  at  the  age  of 
forty-three;  his  widow  died  October  11,  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one. 
Of  the  children  three  came  to  Michigan  and  all  entered  the  law,  T.  A. 
E.  Weadock  being  located  at  Detroit  and  John  C.  Weadock  formerly  of 
Bay  City  now  practicing  in  New  York  City. 

George  W.  Weadock,  for  his  early  schooling  attended  the  local 
schools  at  St.  Mary's,  Ohio,  followed  teaching  for  several  years,  and 
largely  with  the  means  acquired  in  this  work  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  October,  1875.  In  September  of  the 
following  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  after  a  brief  practice 
at  Bay  City  moved  to  Saginaw  in  January,  1877.  Foi"  niore  than  thirty- 
seven  years  he  has  been  an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the  Saginaw 
bar.  From  1878  to  1891  Mr,  Weadock  was  partner  of  Hon.  Timothy 
E.  Tarsney.  After  the  dissolution  of  that  partnership  Mr.  Weadock 
took  Miles  J.  Purcell  as  a  partner,  and  that  association  was  continued 
about  fifteen  years.  After  that  Mr.  Weadock's  three  sons,  John  Vin- 
cent, Jerome  and  Phillip  S.,  became  members  of  the  firm  under  the 
firm  name  of  Weadock  &  Weadock. 

At  the  consolidation  of  the  city  of  Saginaw,  Mr.  Weadock  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  mayor  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  during  two 
terms  gave  a  wise  and  efiicient  administration  of  local  affairs.  He  has 
been  honored  with  the  office  of  president  of  both  tlie  county  and  state 
bar  associations,  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  Association,  and 
belongs  to  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Saginaw. 

On  September  16,  1878,  at  Saginaw  Mr.  Weadock  married  Miss 
Anna  E.  Tarsney,  a  sister  of  Tiniothy,  E.  T.arsney.  Mrs.  Weadock  at 
her  death  on  March  16,  1893,  left  seven  children,  as  follows :  Lewis  T., 
George  L.,  John  V.,  Barnard  T.,  Mary  Louise,  Joseph  Jerome,  and 
Phillip  S.  All  the  sons  have  taken  up  the  practice  of  law.  On  April  16, 
1896,  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mr.  Weadock  married  Mary  Grace  McTavish. 
To  this  marriage  were  born  four  children ;  Arthur,  Mary  Frances, 
Edward  E.  and  Robert  Emmet. 

Michael  Chambers.  While  it  is  with  that  portion  of  upper  ]\Iichi- 
gan  known  as  St.  Ignace  that  the  career  of  Michael  Chambers  has  been 
especially  identified,  his  name  is  not  unknown  by  reason  of  his  public 
service  and  his  standing  as  a  business  man  in  many  other  sections  of  this 
state.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  has  been  active  in  local  aft'airs  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Chambers  Brothers,  which  were  the  first  to  en- 
gage in  general  merchandise  at  St.  Ignace,  and  their  enterprise  has  meant 
much  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  that  community. 

Michael  Chambers  was  born  in  St.  Ignace  June  12,  1850,  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (O'Malley)  Chambers.  His  father  and  mother  were 
both  born  iii  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  the  former  in  1801  and  the  latter  in 
181 1,  and  for  many  years  lived  in  St.  Ignace,  where  the  father  died  in 
1885  and  the  mother  in  1897.  Margaret  O'AIalley  had  two  brothers, 
Charles  M.  and  Tally  O'Malley,  whose  work  as  pioneers  in  the  Upper 
Peninsula  deserves  some  special  mention.  They  located  on  Mackinac 
Island  in  1834,  several  years  before  Michigan  entered  the  Union,  and 
were  employed  by  John  Jacob  Astor,  the  founder  of  the  great  American 
Fur  Company,  whose  operations  extended  throughout  the  Middle  West 
and  even  into  the  far  Northwest.  Leaving  the  fur  trade,  they  estab- 
lished a  mercantile  business  of  their  own.  They  were  both  men  of  fine 
intellectual  gifts  and  had  been  thoroughly  trained  in  Ireland  and  also 
in  the  University  of   Montreal.     Charles  was  elected  a  member  of  the 


2014  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Michigan  legislature  in  1846-47,  and  was  honored  as  speaker  pro  tern 
of  the  house.  He  was  also  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education,  and 
was  the  first  signer  of  the  report  of  the  committee  of  a  bill  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  L'niversity  of  .Michigan.  All  visitors  to  Mackinac  island 
recall  the  noted  Island  House,  which  was  established  as  the  first  transient 
hotel  on  the  island  by  Charles  O'Malley.  His  public  career  included 
service  as  probate  judge  of  Mackinac  county  and  in  the  same  ofiice  in 
Delta  county,  after  his  removal  to  Escanaba.  He  was  a  resident  of 
Escanaba  when  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  was  built  into  the 
Upper  Peninsula.  He  and  his  brother  Tully  were  prominent  lumbermen, 
and  the  latter  saw  public  service  as  sheriff  of  Mackinac  county  at  the 
time  the  ]\lormons  established  themselves  on  ISeaver  Island.  In  that 
official  cai)acity  he  arrested  a  number  of  Mormons  for  robbing  vessels 
at  Beaver  Harbor,  taking  a  detail  of  United  States  troops  then  stationed 
at  Fort  Mackinac  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  arrests.  The  Mormons 
were  then  at  the  zenith  of  their  power  under  King  Strang,  and  w'ere 
charged  with  the  commission  of  many  depredations  on  fishermen  and 
settlers. 

John  Chambers,  father  of  Michael,  in  184(1  immigrated  to  America 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  from  the  city  of  Philadeli)hia  made  his  way  into 
the  west  and  for  a  time  was  employed  during  the  construction  of  the  old 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  from  Chicago  to  the  Illinois  river,  and  had 
his  residence  in  Bridgeport,  which  is  now  included  within  the  city  limits 
of  Chicago.  In  the  spring  of  1849  he  moved  to  the  Upper  Peninsula  of 
Michigan,  establishing  his  home  on  Alackinac  Island,  where  he  was 
joined  by  his  wife  and  children.  The  four  children  born  in  Ireland  were: 
William,  Bridget,  Patrick  and  John,  and  after  coming  to  America  the 
other  four  children  that  came  into  their  home  were :  Michael,  Mary, 
Catherine  and  Charles.  John  Chambers  for  many  years  was  identified 
with  farming  and  fishing,  and  reclaimed  a  farm  near  Castle  Rock  at  St. 
Ignace.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  Catholics,  and  he  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics.  A  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  of  fine  mental  powers,  per- 
haps the  best  tribute  spoken  of  him  was  contained  in  the  following  words : 
"He  taught  his  children  the  essential  elements  of  industry  and  straight- 
forward dealing,  through  which  they  have  gained  prosperity  and  financial 
independence." 

In  the  locality  where  he  was  born  Michael  Chambers  attended  the 
somewhat  primitive  schools,  and  early  became  acquainted  with  the  duties 
of  his  father's  farm,  and  also  with  the  changing  life  and  activities  of 
this  lake  port.  In  1870  he  became  associated  with  his  brothers  in  the 
general  merchandise  business  at  St.  Ignace,  where  they  erected  a  store, 
and  thus  founded  an  enterprise  which  for  nearly  forty-five  years  has 
borne  the  original  title  of  Chambers  Brothers. 

The  history  of  this  firm  is  to  a  large  degree  that  of  St.  Ignace  as  a 
commercial  center,  and  a  brief  outline  of  its  growth  has  appropriate  con- 
sideration. The  firm  of  Chambers  Brothers  began  its  career  about  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war  and  marked  an  important  chapter  in  the  history  of 
modern  St.  Ignace.  This  city  has  three  distinct  historical  periods.  It 
was  founded  about  the  time  Philadelphia  sprang  into  existence,  and  the 
mission  reports  indicate  it  to  have  been  a  village  of  sixty  houses,  all  in  a 
row,  in  which  lived  ten  professors  and  five  hundred  students.  This  was 
as  earlv  as  1700,  and  the  Catholic  mission  at  this  ]ioint  was  one  of  the 
most  important  in  t'he  great  wilderness  of  Northern  .Xmerica  at  that 
time.  Its  existence  as  a  modern  city  began  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  when  it  again  became  a  commercial  point.  Fishing 
and  lumbering  for  nianv  vears  furnished  the  onlv  means  of  existence  to 


THE  K£W  fOKS 


c^^/il^l^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2015 

the  inhabitants  of  St.  Ignace,  and  fish  and  himber  were  the  articles  of 
commerce  that  were  sent  out  from  this  northern  country.  The  Chambers 
brothers  saw  an  opportunity  for  doing  a  good  business  at  St.  Ignace  in 
the  supplying  of  the  fishermen  with  merchandise.  For  this  purpose  the 
brothers  opened  a  small  store,  and  not  long  afterwards  extended  their 
operations  by  buying,  packing  and  selling  fish.  Still  later  they  also  en- 
gaged in  fishing,  in  which  connection  they  utilized  the  gill-net  and  the  old 
pound-net.  In  the  height  of  their  career  as  fishermen  they  operated  two 
tugs,  besides  numerous  smaller  boats,  and  eventually  built  up  a  large  and 
prosperous  business,  abandoning  the  industry  only  when  the  supply  of 
fish  became  too  small  to  make  their  operations  profitable.  Iw  the  mean- 
time their  mercantile  business  had  greatly  increased,  and  for  a  time  they 
conducted  a  branch  store  at  Naubinway.  In  1874  the  firm  of  Chambers 
Brothers  constructed  the  first  dock  at  St.  Ignace,  and  that  was  the  prac- 
tical beginning  of  the  town  as  a  lake  port.  Since  then  they  have  erected 
a  number  of  stores,  and  have  become  owners  and  improvers  of  local 
real  estate.  The  present  firm  is  composed  of  Patrick  and  Michael  Cham- 
bers, their  brother  John  having  died  in  1891. 

Michael  Chambers  has  long  enjoyed  a  secure  place  in  the  confidence 
of  his  community,  has  served  it  with  eminent  public  spirit,  and  for  two 
terms  was  honored  with  the  office  of  mayor  of  St.  Ignace.  A  higher 
honor  came  to  him  with  his  election  to  the  state  legislature  for  the  session 
of  1899-90.  While  at  Lansing  Mr.  Chambers  gave  close  attention  to  the 
work  of  the  legislature,  and  two  points  should  be  mentioned  as  showing 
his  public  spirit  in  behalf  of  his  home  community.  He  was  the  author 
of  the  bill  known  as  House  Bill  No.  115,  entitled:  A  bill  to  protect  fish 
and  preserve  fisheries  of  this  State  by  prohibiting  certain  deposits  in  the 
waters  of  the  State,  and  to  repeal  Act  No.  350  of  the  pulilic  acts  of  1865 
and  all  amendments  and  additions  thereto — the  immediate  purpose  of 
this  bill  being  to  protect  the  waters  of  the  straits  around  St.  Ignace  from 
being  used  as  a  dumping  ground  by  the  lumber  mills.  He  also  intro- 
duced the  bill  to  prohibit  the  fishing  of  nets  in  Les  Churaux  Island 
channels,  Mackinac  county.  In  1902  Governor  Wynans  appointed  Mr. 
Chambers  a  member  of  the  board  of  control  for  the  Michigan  School  of 
Mines  at  Houghton.  The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  Chambers  has  been 
with  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Catholic 
church,  in  which  he  was  reared.     Mr.  Chambers  is  unmarried. 

Fuller  Claflin.  The  Claflin  family  to  which  this  well  known  De- 
troit architect  and  theatre  builder  belongs  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  in  America,  and  has  given  some  notable  figures  both  to  poli- 
tics and  to  business.  Governor  Claflin  of  Massachusetts  died  in  ic)05, 
and  H.  B.  Claflin  was  a  New  York  merchant  who  ranked  with  the 
Stewarts,  the  Fields  and  other  merchant  princes  of  America.  The  great 
drv  goods  house  of  H.  B.  Claflin  Company  of  New  York  city  has  numer- 
ous branches  in  various  cities,  and  one  of  them  is  located  in  Detroit. 

The  family  name  is  a  corruption  of  the  old  Scotch  name  Mackcloth- 
lan.  The  founder  of  the  family  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  was  Robert 
Mackclothlan,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  in  the  Massachusetts  Colony  as 
early  or  before  1660.  The  records  of  the  town  of  Windham  in  Essex 
county  has  an  entry  showing  that  on  the  4th  of  November,  1661,  "Robert 
Mackclothlan  is  accepted  a  townsman."  A  family  tradition  is  that  this 
pioneer  settler  was  a  Scotch  soldier,  and  it  is  thought  probable  that  he 
was  one  of  the  Scotchmen  taken  prisoner  by  Cromwell  at  the  Battle  of 
Dunbar,  some  of  these  prisoners  having  been  sent  by  the  Protector  to 
New  England.     The  name  was  changed  to  Claflin  probably  during  the 


2016  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

first  generation  of  its  American  residence.  The  direct  line  of  descent 
from  this  Robert  Mackclothlan  down  to  the  present  is  as  follows:  Rob- 
ert Alackclothlan ;  Daniel  (i);  Daniel  (2);  Cornelius  (i):  Increase; 
Cornelius  (2);    Benajah  ;   Nelson;   and  Fuller. 

The  founder  of  the  Claflin  family  in  Michigan  was  Benajah,  in  the 
seventh  generation  from  the  original  American  of  that  name.  He  was 
born  in  Windiiam,  New  York,  on  July  II,  1812.  On  March  15,  1836, 
he  married  Polly.  AI.  Hatch,  and  his  death  occurred  at  Albion,  Alichigan, 
^lay  7,  1890.  He  came  to  Michigan  from  New  York  state  during  the 
early  thirties,  and  his  settlement  near  Jackson  made  him  a  pioneer  in  that 
portion  of  -the  state,  which  was  then  practically  a  wilderness.  Subse- 
quently he  moved  to  Iknton,  in  the  same  part  of  Michigan,  and  still 
later  to  Albion,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Nelson  Henry  Claflin,  father  of  Fuller  Claflin,  was  born  at  Benton 
near  Jackson,  Michigan,  on  Christmas  Day,  1839,  and  on  Christmas  Day, 
1855,  at  Jackson,  married  Lucina  Sheldon  Blakeman.  She  was  born  at 
Union  City,  Michigan,  June  25,  1842.  Nelson  H.  Claflin  was  educated 
for  the  medical  profession,  and  practiced  with  success  and  with  eminent 
usefulness  in  several  different  communities.  He  was  for  a  time  at  East 
Saginaw,  later  at  Albion,  and  finally  removed  to  Southern  California. 
He  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  regiments  of  Michigan  soUliers  who 
responded  to  President  Lincoln's  call  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  continued  in  service  until  the  final  surrender  of  the  Southern  troops. 

Fuller  Claflin,  who  was  born  at  East  Saginaw,  now  a  part  of  the  city 
of  Saginaw,  on  January  29,  1872,  was  about  nine  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  from  Saginaw  to  Albion,  and  about  four  years  later  they 
all  went  out  to  California.  His  education  was  principally  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Michigan  and  California.  In  1890  he  entered  the  office 
of  a  San  Francisco  architect,  and  architecture  has  been  his  study  and 
practical  work  throughout  his  entire  career.  In  1892  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Wood  and  Lovell,  San  Francisco  architects,  who  made 
a  specialty  of  theatre  construction.  When  that  firm  subsequently  moved 
its  headquarters  to  Chicago.  Mr.  Claflin  was  left  in  charge  of  all  its 
Pacific  coast  business.  In  1895  ^^^-  Claflin  removed  to  New  York  city, 
and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  B.  McElfatrick  and  Son,  theatre 
architects,  whose  services  were  of  national  scope,  extending  to  all  states 
and  cities.  ^Ir.  Claflin  continued  with  that  firm  about  five  years,  and 
eventually  became  a  partner  of  E.  C.  Horn,  a  general  contractor  with 
ofifices  in  New  Y'ork  city.  Together  they  built  many  theatres  both  as 
architects  and  contractors.  Mr.  Horn's  death  terminated  the  partner- 
ship, but  Mr.  Claflin  continued  building  theatres,  and  in  1909  established 
offices  in  Detroit.  He  has  built  theatres  in  many  cities  of  the  Union  and 
in  Canada,  and  has  a  very  notable  record  in  Michigan,  made  since  he 
opened  offices  at  Detroit.  Among  others  in  the  last  half  dozen  years  he 
has  built  the  Family,  the  Garrick,  the  Gayety.  the  New  Empire  and  the 
Forest  theatres  in  Detroit,  and  also  erected  the  Gladmer  Theatre  at  Lan- 
sing, which  is  one  of  the  finest  theatres  of  the  state.  Other  theatres  in 
many  smaller  cities  have  been  constructed  on  plans  drawn  In-  Mr.  Claflin. 
with  the  construction  supervised  from  his  office. 

Mr.  Claflin  married  Plleanor  R.  Winslow,  of  New  York  city.  They 
have  one  son,  Graham  Phillips  Claflin. 

Jonx  N.  Kemp,  M.  D.  In  many  respects  Saginaw's  leading  physician 
and  surgeon  is  Dr.  John  N.  Kemp,  who  has  practiced  there  upwards  of 
twentv  vears,  whose  patronage  is  found  among  the  best  families,  who  is 
himself  one  of  the  leaders  in  social  and  civic  affairs,  and  whose  career 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2017 

from  every  point  of  view  has  been  one  of  successful  accomplishment  and 
gratifying  attainments. 

John  N.  Kemp  was  born  in  St.  Clair,  Michigan,  February  i8,  1872. 
His  parents  were  Thomas  L.  and  Ellen  (Crompton)  Kemp.  The  father 
was  born  in  Liverpool,  England,  a  son  of  Rev.  John  N.  Kemp,  who  emi- 
grated to  America,  and  settled  at  St.  Clair,  Michigan,  when  Thomas  L. 
was  seven  years  of  age.  The  Rev.  Kemp  took  up  a  homestead  and  worked 
it  in  connection  with  his  ministerial  duties,  and  at  the  same  time  managed 
to  rear  his  family  and  provide  well  for  each  one  of  them.  Thomas  N. 
Kemp  spent  most  of  his  boyhood  in  St.  Clair  county  of  this  state,  had  the 
ordinary  district  school  education,  and  his  occupation  during  his  active 
life  was  chiefly  in  farming,  at  which  he  made  a  success  above  the  average. 
His  descendants  will  always  pay  him  a  tribute  of  honor  also,  because  of 
his  military  record.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-Sec- 
ond JNIichigan  Infantry,  and  saw  constant  and  arduous  service  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  He  was  twice  captured,  and  his  hardest  experience  was 
the  ten  months  in  which  he  was  confined  in  the  notorious  Libby  Prison  at 
Richmond,  Virginia.  After  his  exchange  and  release  from  that  prison, 
he  again  took  up  arms  and  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  was  recaptured, 
and  then  spent  six  months  at  Andersonville,  which  was  hardly  less  noisome 
as  a  prison  than  Libby.  He  went  into  the  army  as  a  sergeant,  and  came 
out  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  On  reaching  Michigan  he  bid  down  his 
arms  and  took  up  the  quiet  vocation  of  farming  in  which  he  prospered 
until  the  close  of  his  life  and  his  death  occurred  on  the  old  homestead 
at  St.  Clair  in  1904  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  His  wife,  who  grew  up 
and  was  married  in  Michigan,  died  at  St.  Clair  in  1909  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three.  On  his  mother's  side  Dr.  Kemp  is  descended  from  two 
patriots  who  saw  service  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

John  N.  Kemp,  who  was  the  second  of  four  children,  spent  his  early 
youth  at  St.  Clair,  attended  the  public  schools  until  graduating  from  the 
high  schools,  and  then  entered  upon  an  unusually  thorough  preparation 
for  his  chosen  work.  The  doctor  graduated  in  1894  from  the  Detroit 
College  of  Medicine,  continued  his  study  in  the  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
Hospital  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  while  there  served  one  year  as  in- 
terne in  the  St.  Louis  City  Hospital.  During  1906  he  took  post-graduate 
work  in  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  College.  The  doctor  began  indi- 
vidual practice  at  Saginaw,  in  1895.  His  ability  to  serve  the  people  skill- 
fully, and  with  the  best  knowdedge  of  the  science  of  medicine,  combined 
with  his  personal  popularity  to  bring  him  a  large  practice  almost  from  the 
.start,  and  in  later  years  it  is  generally  conceded  that  no  physician  in  the 
city  has  a  more  lucrative  business  than  Dr.  Kemp.  Dr.  Kemp  is  secre- 
tary of  the  County  Medical  Society  and  has  membership  in  the  State  So- 
ciety, and  the  American  Medical  Association.  Among  other  professional 
attainments  he  is  house  physician  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital  in  Saginaw,  for 
ten  years  had  charge  of  the  County  Hospital  for  contagious  diseases,  had 
charge  of  the  county  infirmary  fifteen  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Sagi- 
naw Board  of  Health. 

In  politics  Dr.  Kemp  is  Republican.  He  has  taken  the  Scottish  Rite 
degrees  in  ]\Iasonry,  up  to  and  including  the  thirty-second  degree,  also  is 
a  Knight  Templar,  is  affiliated  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  belongs  to  the  Saginaw  Club. 
At  Cleveland,  Ohio.  November  25,  1896,  Dr.  Kemp  married  ]\Iiss  Ethel 
Beelman,  a  daughter  of  M.  P..  and  ]\Iary  Beelman,  the  former  of  whom 
is  still  living.  The  two  children  of  their  marriage  are  Beelman  Kemp, 
born  December  28,  1897,  at  Saginaw,  and  now  a  student  in  the  local  high 
schools ;  Marion  E.  Kemp,  born  at  Saginaw,  January  19,  19CX),  and  also 
in  hiCTh  school. 


2018  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

Dr.  Kemp  has  in  the  course  of  his  residence  of  practice  at  Saginaw 
acquired  many  interests  outside  of  his  profession  in  the  more  formal  social 
and  fraternal  circles.  He  is  interested  in  some  of  the  leading  industrial 
establishments,  and  his  connection  in  a  financial  way  with  the  Coats  & 
Fordney  Timber  Company  of  Oregon,  and  the  Fordney  &  Faucett  Timber 
Company  of  Louisiana,  Congressman  J.  W.  Fordney  of  Saginaw,  being 
one  of  the  chiefs  in  these  well  known  concerns. 

Dr.  Kemp  owns  and  resides  in  a  splendid  home  in  west  Saginaw,  and 
possesses  a  fine  summer  cottage  at  Higgins  Lake,  where  the  summer 
months  are  spent  with  his  family,  and  in  a  colony  composed  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Bay  City  and  Saginaw.  An  ardent  sportsman,  the 
doctor  enjoys  nothing  more  than  hunting  and  fishing,  and  every  fall 
during  the  n^anth  of  November  with  a  select  party  of  associates,  he  spends 
two  or  three  weeks  in  the  northern  peninsula,  camping  and  hunting  and 
pursuing  the  many  interests  of  the  wild  and  open  woods.  In  his  home 
Dr.  Kemp  has  a  number  of  fine  trophies  of  his  skill  as  a  hunter,  and 
several  noble  animals  which  have  fallen  before  his  unerring  aim  have 
been  mounted,  including  a  giant  moose,  which  weighed  two  thousand 
pounds,  and  the  head  of  which  makes  a  magnificent  specimen.  Dr.  Kemp 
is  an  expert  automobilist,  and  has  one  of  the  fine  cars  seen  on  the  streets 
of  this  city. 

Wii.i.i;\M  H.  Morris,  M.  D.  A  physician  who  stands  high  in  his  pro- 
fession and  who  has  gained  success  through  his  own  efforts,  is  Dr.  Wil- 
liam H.  Morris,  who  for  more  than  ten  years  has  been  located  at  Port 
Huron,  and  has  spent  all  his  professional  career  in  this  state. 

I'.orn  in  Leeds  county,  Ontario,  October,  1871,  William  H.  Morris 
was  the  second  of  seven  children  born  to  Joseph  and  Mary  Jane  (Barker) 
Morris.  Both  parents  were  born  in  Ontario  in  the  year  1844.  The  mother 
lived  in  New  York  City,  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war.  Both  are 
still  living,  their  home  being  at  Owen  Sound,  in  Ontario. 

Dr.  Morris  attended  the  schools  of  Canada  when  a  boy,  and  early 
began  to  depend  upon  his  own  efforts  to  advance  himself  in  the  world. 
He  was  a  student  in  the  collegiate  institute  at  Owen  Sound,  and  in  1892 
matriculated  in  medicine  from  the  Trinity  Medical  College  at  Toronto. 
Later,  in  1896,  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Western 
University  at  London,  Ontario,  and  in  the  same  year  established  his 
practice  at  Dollarville  in  Luce  county,  Michigan.  That  was  his  home  un- 
til 1899,  after  which  he  spent  a  year  at  Mass  City.  Michigan,  and  was  at 
Ewen  in  Ontonagon  county,  until  1902.  Since  then  his  home  has  been 
at  Port  Huron,  where  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  extending  patronage. 
Dr.  Morris  was  vice  president  of  the  St.  Clair  County  Medical  Society 
in  1909,  and  is  a  member  of  the  State  Society.  While  in  Upper  Michi- 
gan he  was  health  officer  of  McMillan  township,  and  has  been  interested 
in  the  cause  of  public  health  as  well  as  in  looking  after  his  private  prac- 
tice. He  was  High  Court  Physician  in  the  high  court  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  of  Copper  Penninsula  in  1898-99. 

Dr.  Morris  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pyth'as, 
is  a  member  of  the  Fpiscopal  church,  and  has  been  president  of  the 
South  Park  Society  Hall  ever  since  its  organization.  At  ^Nlaniuette, 
Michigan,  in  December,  1899,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Moran  of  St.  Clair 
county.  Her  father,  Newell  Moran,  still  living,  was  an  early  settler  of 
"this  state  and  went  out  with  the  Michigan  Troops  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war.  Dr.  Morris  and  wife  have  two  children :  Irma  Irene,  born  at  Ewen 
in  ]March,  1901,  and  now  attending  the  Port  Huron  schools;  Flora  Mar- 
garet, born  at  Port  Huron,  in  Xovembcr,  1905,  is  also  in  school. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2019 

Albert  Berend  Kli.se.  Among  the  men  foremost  in  Petoskey  as  iden- 
tified with  Michigan  industrial  enterprises,  those  who  have  become  known 
far  and  wide  by  reason  of  the  magnitude  of  their  operations  and  the  vast 
extent  of  their  trade  connections,  none  there  is  whose  personality  is  of 
a  more  interesting  character  or  whose  career  has  been  more  impressive 
or  beneficial  as  an  object  lesson  to  the  community  at  large  than  Albert 
Berend  Klise,  president  of  the  Blackmer  Rotary  Pump,  Power  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  a  leading  and  successful  business  man  and  a  pioneer 
lumberman  of  the  state.  A  native  son  of  Michigan,  he  was  born  near 
Schoolcraft,  Kalamazoo  county,  October  29,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Berend 

A.  and  Anna  (Howard)   Klise. 

The  Klise  family  was  founded  in  the  United  States  by  Albert  Klise, 
the  grandfather  of  Albert  B.,  and  his  brother,  William,  they  coming  from 
the  Netherlands  with  the  Van  Ralte  Company  of  settlers  during  the 
early  'forties.  William  Klise  settled  three  miles  south  of  Holland, 
Michigan,  and  hewed  a  farm  out  of  the  wilderness,  spending  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life  in  its  cultivation.  Albert  Klise  located  on  a  prop- 
erty three  miles  north  of  that  point,  and  also  developed  a  farm,  but  did 
not  long  survive  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors,  as  his  death  occurred 
when  he  was  but  forty-five  years  of  age  and  his  widow  was  left  to  rear 
the  family.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  Berend  A.  Klise  was  a  lad 
of  but  twelve  years,  but  he  bravely  started  to  work  to  assist  his  mother 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  fields,  and  subsequently,  with  a  team  of 
oxen  took  a  man's  place  in  the  grading  of  the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road. At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Twenty-eighth  Regiment,  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  upon  re- 
ceiving his  honorable  discharge  returned  to  his  home  and  began  mer- 
chandising, farming  and  lumbering,  continuing  to  be  thus  engaged  until 
his  death  in  1889.  He  was  a  man  of  industry  and  integrity,  held  a  high 
place  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-men,  and  was  known  in  his  community 
as  a  helpful  and  ])ublic-spirited  citizen.  He  was  independent  in  his  po- 
litical views,  and,  with  his  family,  attended  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
His  widow  survived  him  until  1912,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years.  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Martha,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Edward  Frick,  and  resides  at  Grand  Rapids ;  Albert 
Berend ;  and  John  Albert,  who  is  a  prosperous  business  man  of  Granc* 
Rapids  and  manager  of  the  Klise  Manufacturing  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  machine-cut  moulding,  etc. 

Albert  Berend  Klise  secured  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Holland  and  the  old  Hope  College,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  be- 
gan his  business  career  in  the  employ  of  his  father,  commencing  at  the 
bottom  and  thoroughly  familiarizing  himself  with  every  detail  of  the 
lumber  business.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  he  had  been  admitted 
to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  and  following  the  elder  man's  demise 
went  to  Sullivan,  Michigan,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  land  busi- 
ness. Here  his  business  grew  to  large  proportions,  and  in  spite  of  a 
disastrous  fire  in  which  he  lost  every  dollar  he  possessed,  he  was  able 
to  build  up  a  handsome  and  paying  enterprise.  Owing  to  the  exhaustion 
of  the  forests  in  that  section,  Mr.  Klise  left  Sullivan  in  1895  and  went  to 
Sturgeon,  Michigan,  where  he  began  business  operations  on  a  large  scale 
and  for  three  years  was  alone.     In  1898,  however,  he  organized  the  A. 

B.  Klise  Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  still  continues  as  the  president, 
the  firm  now  operating  at  Gilchrist,  Michigan,  where  it  owns  large  tracts 
of  timber  land  and  engages  in  manufacturing  lumber,  broomhandles,  and 
other  forest  products,  employing  during  the  busy  season  some  200  or 
more  men. 


2020  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

In  1906  ^Ir.  Klise  came  to  Petoskey  and  engaged  in  a  general  hard- 
ware business,  under  the  style  of  the  Northern  Hardware  Company,  first 
taking  stock  in  and  later  becoming  sole  owner  of  the  largest  hardware 
store  in  the  city.  In  191 1  he  became  interested  in  the  Blackmer  Rotary 
Pump,  Power  and  Manufacturing  Company,  as  a  minor  stockholder. 
This  company,  up  to  that  time — a  period  of  five  years — had  never  been 
able  to  pay  a  dividend,  but  Mr.  Klise,  with  unerring  business  judgment, 
decided  that  this  iact  was  due  to  poor  management,  and  succeeded  in  buy- 
ing enough  stock  to  give  him  control  of  the  concern.  Knowing  that  he 
had  a  winning  proposition,  he  then  completely  reorganized  the  company 
and  began  a  systematic  course  of  advertising,  spending  $7,000  for  that 
purpose,  to  the  consternation  of  the  other  holders  of  £tock,  whose  strict 
conservatism  made  them  feel  that  such  a  course  was  fatal.  In  spite  of 
the  predictions  of  his  associates  to  the  effect  that  he  was  bringing  ruin 
upon  them,  the  business  began  at  once  to  show  the  beneficial  efl:'ect  of 
Mr.  Klise's  methods,  and  during  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Klise's  management 
the  company  paid  its  first  dividend.  The  mill  has  been  constantly  en- 
larged and  new  hands  employed  to  keep  abreast  of  the  increased  business, 
eighteen  men  are  now  on  the  pay  roll,  and  a  great  enlargement  to  the 
plant  is  contemplated  in  the  near  future.  These  pumps  are  now  in  use 
all  over  the  world,  including  Chili.  Argentine,  New  Zealand,  Holland  and 
Australia,  while  in  the  United  States  they  have  an  enormous  sale.  The 
Blackmer  Rotary  Pump  is  constructed  upon  entirely  new  mechanical  lines, 
dififering  very  materially  in'  every  respect  from  any  other  rotary  or  cen- 
trifugal pump  on  the  market.  It  is  used  by  brewers,  chemical  works, 
cottonseed  oil  mills,  bleachers,  tanneries,  soap  factories,  wine  houses,  dis- 
tilleries, farms,  packing  houses,  ships,  mines,  water  works,  quarries  and 
sugar  refineries,  and  is  used  to  pump  water,  kerosene,  gasoline,  linseed 
oil,  cottonseed  oil.  bilge  water,  lard,  butterine.  lye.  glue,  varnish,  milk, 
sugar,  vinegar,  asphalt,  tar,  etc.  The  office  and  factory  of  the  company 
are  located  at  the  corner  of  Sheridan  avenue  and  the  G.  R.  &  I.  Rail- 
way. Petoskey,  while  the  export  office  is  at  24  State  street.  New  York  City. 
The  present  officers  of  the  concern  are :  A.  B.  Klise,  president ;  G.  S. 
Rice,  of  the  Michigan  Tanning  and  Extract  Company,  vice-president ; 
Leon  Chichester,  of  the  First  State  Bank,  director;  and  O.  C.  Gregory, 
of  the  Petoskey  Wholesale  Grocery  Company,  secretary.  Mr.  Klise  has 
various  other  interests  and  is  a  large  property  owner,  having  extensive 
tracts  in  Howell  county,  Missouri,  and  Mackinaw  and  Ontonagan  coun- 
ties, Michigan,  and  a  pleasant  home  in  Petoskey.  Fraternally,  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons,  in  which  he  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a 
Shriner,  and  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is 
independent  in  his  political  views. 

Mr.  Klise  was  married  February  16.  1884,  at  Coopersville,  Michigan, 
to  Miss  Minnie  Shippey,  a  native  of  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  and  a 
daughter  of  Paul  G.  and  Sophronia  (Ashcraft)  Shippy,  natives  of  the 
Empire  state  and  early  settlers  of  Michigan.  To  this  union  there  have 
been  born  two  sons :  Elmer  L.,  born  near  Sullivan.  Muskegon  county. 
Michigan,  ]\Iarch  19.  1885.  educated  in  the  University  of  ■Michigan,  now 
a  member  of  the  Klise  Lumber  Company  and  a  resident  of  Petoskey.  mar- 
ried Bertha  Crandle,  and  has  had  two  children — Robert  and  Mrginia, 
both  born  in  Petoskey,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  April,  1914,  at  the  age 
of  eight  months ;  and  Bernard  S.,  born  at  Sullivan,  Muskegon  county, 
in  August,  1 89 1,  studied  law  at  Washington  (D.  C.)  University  for  two 
vears,  now  manager  of  the  Klise  Manufacturing  Company  of  Gilchrist, 
"^lichigan,  married  Miss  Nellie  Weaver. 

Mrs.  Klise  is  one  of  Petoskey's  leaders  in  social,  religious  and  club 


^k 


^^y, 


^^j-. 


/M-c^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2021 

life,  being  an  acti\e  member  of  the  Presbyterian  cliurch,  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution,  several  ladies'  clubs,  the  Eastern  Star  and 
the  White  Shrine,  and  has  traveled  extensively.  Mr.  Klise  has  also 
found  much  pleasure  in  traveling,  and  spends  a  large  portion  of  the  winter 
months  in  southern  climes.  This  record  of  a  career  that  has  been  so 
strong  and  forceful,  so  active  and  honorable,  is  necessarily  brief,  but  it 
is  full  of  useful  lessons  and  strong  incentive.  By  his  own  energy  and 
labor  Mr.  Klise  has  succeeded  in  achieving  a  high  position,  and  what  he 
has  accomplished  is  due  entirely  to  his  ambitious  nature,  his  patient  en- 
deavor and  his  unwearying  application.  Systematic  methods,  prompt  and 
decisive  action  under  all  circumstances,  good  judgment  and  tact  united 
to  a  high  sense  of  honesty,  and  an  absolute  fidelity  in  every  undertakmg 
have,  when  in  such  combination,  placed  Mr.  Klise  in  his  present  position 
and  given  him  a  reputation  of  which  any  man  might  be  proud,  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  a  truly  worthy  citizen,  a  helpful  participant  in  his  com- 
munity's activities,  and  a  thoroughly  representative  Michigander. 

William  B.^rie.  This  Saginaw  merchant  has  a  record  as  a  business 
builder  with  only  a  few  parallels  in  the  state.  With  several  hundred 
dollars  of  capital  he  opened  a  stock  of  goods  in  i860.  He  was  pro- 
prietor, clerk,  bookkeeper  and  looked  after  every  detail  of  the  business 
for  a  time.  The  history  of  the  Barie  store  has  since  been  one  of  steady 
progress,  of  reliable  and  straightforward  dealing  with  the  public,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Barie  has  supervised  a  large  department  store 
with  a  staff  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  employes.  It  is  possible  to  serve 
a  community  as  well  through  a  large  business  of  this  kind  as  through  the 
avenues  of  public  office,  and  the  Barie  store  is  not  only  a  fine  monument 
to  the  enterprise  of  a  great  merchant,  but  is  an  institution  affording  a 
very  practical  and  necessary  service  to  thousands  of  people  almost  every 
day  in  the  year.  ]\Ir.  Barie  is  still  in  active  affairs,  though  it  is  no  longer 
necessary  for  him  to  keep  his  supervision  directly  over  the  management 
of  the  store,  and  much  of  his  time  is  spent  in  travel  in  Europe  and  the 
south  and  west. 

William  Barie  was  born  at  Detroit,  ^Michigan,  February  16,  1839. 
His  father,  William  Barie,  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  came  to 
America  and  was  married  in  Pennsylvania,  his  wife  dying  when  their 
son  William  was  a  child.  An  early  settler  in  Detroit,  the  senior  Barie 
followed  his  trade  as  a  baker  and  conducted  a  shop  for  several  years.  In 
1850  the  family  home  was  established  in  Saginaw,  where  William  Barie 
Sr.  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel,  the  Germania,  on  Water  street  until  his 
death  in  1857  at  the  age  of  forty-five.  There  were  three  children  in  the 
family,  of  whom  the  Saginaw  merchant  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 
His  early  education  was  given  by  the  Saginaw  public  schools,  and  after 
his  father's  death  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
spending  several  years  while  there  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  _  Returning 
to  Saginaw  with  a  capital  of  three  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  in  i860,  he 
opened  a  small  stock  of  groceries,  and  later  added  a  line  of  dry  goods. 
With  the  increase  of  his  trade,  he  finally  disposed  of  his  grocery  stock, 
and  has  ever  since  devoted  his  energies  to  the  uplsuilding  of  a  dry 
goods  business  on  a  scale  which  now  makes  the  store  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  state.  The  Barie  store  occupies  four  large  floors  and  annex,  with 
thousands  of  feet  of  floor  space,  and  its  stock  includes  not  only  all  kinds 
of  dry  goods,  but  general  merchandising  including  furniture  and  a  com- 
plete line  of  household  equipments.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  people  are 
employed  in  this  store  as  clerks  and  general  office  employes. 

William  Barie  is  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Saginaw,  having  served 
since  its  organization;  has  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade 


2022  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  has  been  director  of  same  for  many  years,  his  membership  going 
back  forty-five  years ;  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Germania 
Turnverein,  in  1856,  and  in  early  life  one  of  its  leading  athletes;  is  a 
staunch  Republican  in  politics  and  was  an  alternate  delegate  to  the 
Philadelphia  National  Convention  of  1900;  and  his  church  is  the  Con- 
gregational. 

William  Barie  was  married  at  Saginaw  December  11,  1S61,  to 
Gabriel  Otto,  who  died  in  the  year  1890.  To  their  union  were  born  six 
children :  William  Barie,  Jr.,  who  was  born  at  Saginaw  and  died  in 
1909,  while  his  father  was  on  a  European  tour,  was  then  forty-five 
years  of  age,  and  left  one  son,  William  Barie  III;  Adelia  Schirmes, 
born  in  1870,  died  in  January  1912;  Mrs.  Elsie  Barie  James  living  in 
Saginaw ;  Mrs.  Tulia  Barie  Wesener  is  the  wife  of  the  vice-president 
and  secretary  of  the  Barie  Dry  Goods  Company ;  Mrs.  Blanche  Barie 
Bearinger  lives  in  Saginaw ;  Mrs.  Otto  Barie  Rice  lives  in  Saginaw. 

On  July  16,  1901,  Mr.  Barie  married  Mrs.  Emma  Malette  of  Bay 
City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barie  spend  their  summer  months  in  a  very  elegant 
residence  at  Saginaw,  while  the  winter  is  spent  either  in  travel  through 
Europe  or  in  Southern  California. 

James  H.  H.-\vs,  M.  D.  With  residence  and  professional  headquar- 
ters in  the  attractive  village  of  Cass  City.  Tuscola  county.  Dr.  Hays  con- 
trols a  practice  whose  large  proportions  and  representative  character  in- 
dicate alike  his  distinctive  technical  ability  and  his  personal  popularity. 
He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  this 
section  of  the  state  and  as  such  is  entitled  to  specific  consideration  in 
this  publication. 

In  the  village  of  Jeft'erson,  now  known  as  Frankfort,  Clinton  county, 
Indiana,  Dr.  James  Hampton  Hays  was  bom  on  the  17th  of  September, 
187 1,  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Allen)  Hays,  both 
likewise  natives  of  the  fine  old  Hoosier  state,  where  the  respective  fam- 
ilies were  founded  in  the  pioneer  epoch  of  its  history.  The  genealogy  of 
the  Hays  family  in  America  runs  back  to  a  period  antedating  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  William  S.  Hays  was  a  farmer  by  vocation  throughout 
his  active  career  and  he  was  but  thirty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1873,  in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was 
born  and  reared.  His  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Allen  resulted  in  the  birth 
of  five  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy.  Joseph  .Allen  Hays,  eldest 
of  the  four  surviving  children,  is  a  prominent  agriculturist  and  stock- 
grower  at  Hemingford,  Boxbutte  county,  Nebraska ;  Loyal  is  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  stock  man  of  Nanipa,  Canyon  county,  Idaho ;  Dr. 
James  H.,  of  this  review,  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth  ;  and  William  S. 
is  a  representative  farmer  at  Xaponee,  Franklin  county,  Nebraska.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (.Allen)  Hays  ultimately  contracted  a  second  marriage,  becom- 
ing the  wife  of  David  Foster,  in  1878.  Of  the  five  children  of  this 
union  four  are  living,  namely :  Lawrence,  Ellen,  Mary  and  Charles. 
While  on  a  visit  in  the  home  of  her  son.  Dr.  James  H.  Hays,  of  this  re- 
view, in  Cass  City.  Michigan,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Allen)  Foster  was  sum- 
moned to  the  life  eternal,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1907,  and  her  memory 
is  revered  by  all  who  came  within  the  sphere  of  her  gentle  influence. 

Dr.  Havs  passed  the  davs  of  his  childhood  and  early  youth  on  the 
home  farm  in  Clinton  county.  Indiana,  and  after  fully  availing  himself 
of  the  advantages  of  the  public  schools  he  accompanied  other  members 
of  the  family  on  their  removal  to  Nebraska.  There  he  finally  entered  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Peru,  and  after  his  graduation  in  this  institu- 
tion he  devoted  two  vears  to  teaching  in  the  public  schools  at  ^lason  City, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2023 

.  that  state.  His  success  in  the  pedagogic  profession  was  instinctive  and 
for  two  \'ears  after  his  initial  experience  he  was  the  popular  suiierintend- 
ent  of  the  village  schools  at  Ansley,  Nebraska.  With  a  delinite  purpose 
in  view  he  had  formulated  his  plans  and  had  carefully  conserved  his  earn- 
ings, and  with  the  means  by  which  he  thus  fortified  himself  he  set 'forth 
to  accomplish  the  desired  end.  In  1898  he  was  matriculated  in  the  great 
University  of  Michigan,  and  in  the  medical  department  of  this  institution 
he  was  graduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1901,  with  the  well  earned 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  the  junior  year  of  his  medical  course 
Dr.  Hays  gained  valuable  experience  by  serving  six  months  as  interne  in 
the  Jewish  Hospital  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

After  his  graduation  Mr.  Hays  went  to  Rockford,  Ohio,  and  there  he 
manifested  his  excellent  judgment  by  devoting  six  months  to  practice  as 
an  associate  of  one  of  the  oldest  physicians  and  surgeons  of  that  locality. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  period,  in  the  autumn  of  1901,  he  established  his 
residence  at  Cass  City,  Michigan,  where  he  soon  gained  a  substantial 
practice  and  where  he  has  since  continued  in  the  successful  work  of  his 
chosen  profession,  his  practice  ramifying  into  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
county  and  his  friends  in  the  community  lieing  in  number  as  his  accjuain- 
tances.  The  Doctor  has  insistently  availed  himself  of  every  possible 
means  of  keeping  in  touch  with  the  advances  made  in  the  sciences  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1907  he  completed  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  Philadelphia  Polyclinic,  in  which  institution  he 
worked  under  the  direction  of  the  most  eminent  authorities  of  the  metrop- 
olis of  Pennsylvania  and  specialized  in  the  diseases  and  treatment  of  the 
eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat.  At  the  expiration  of  his  si.x  months'  post-grad- 
uate course  he  was  graduated  in  the  Philadelphia  Polyclinic  with  high 
honors. 

Dr.  Hays  holds  membership  in  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society 
and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Progressive  party,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  memlier  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  by  transferring  his  alle- 
giance from  the  Republican  party.  He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  keeps  well  informed  concerning  the  questions  and  issues  of 
the  hour.  As  a  citizen  he  is  distinctively  progressive  and  public-spirited 
and  in  his  home  city  he  is  ever  found  ready  to  support  measures  and 
enterprises  projected  for  the  general  good  of  the  community.  That  his 
high  civic  ideals  meet  with  objective  appreciation  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1914,  he  is  serving  his  fourth  term  as 
mayor  of  Cass  City,  a  position  in  which  his  administration  has  been  most 
admirable.  The  Doctor  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  temperance  movements, 
he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  he  has 
been  prominent  in  local  educational  aft"airs,  as  he  served  five  years  as 
chairman  of  the  board  of  education  of  Cass  City. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1898,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Hays  to 
Miss  Anna  McCoy,  the  ceremony  having  been  performed  in  the  city  of 
Ann  Arbor,  site  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  Mrs.  Hays  was  born  at 
Yutan,  Saunders  county,  Nebraska,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  R.  and 
Mary  (Rogers)  McCoy,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Peter  McCoy  and 
five  of  his  brothers  were  gallant  soldiers  of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war. 
in  which  Peter  served  nearly  four  years  as  a  non-commissioned  officer  in 
Company  I.  Eighteenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Hays  likewise  was  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
as  were  also  three  of  his  sons.  Peter  McCoy  established  his  home  at 
Yutan,  Nebraska,  in  1868  and  was  one  of  the  sterling  pioneers  and  in- 


2024  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

fluential  citizens  of  Saunders  county.  He  died  at  Yutan  in  1913.  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years,  his  wife  having  passed  away  in  1897,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-two  years.  Mr.  McCoy  was  a  farmer  by  vocation,  was  an  ardent 
temperance  worker,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  devout  adherents  of  the 
Chui'ch  of  Christ.  Of  their  twelve  children  Mrs.  Hays  was  the  fifth  in 
order  of  birth,  and  of  the  others,  seven  are  still  living.  Mrs.  Hays  was 
graduated  in  the  Nebraska  State  Normal  School  at  Peru,  where  she 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  her  future  husband,  and  for  ten  years  she 
was  a  successful  and  popular  teacher  in  the  public'  schools  of  her  native 
state.  She  is  a  woman  of  gracious  personality  and  is  a  popular  figure  in 
the  representative  social  activities  of  Cass  City,  where  she  delights  to 
extend  to  her  many  friends  the  hospitality  of  her  attractive  home.  She 
is  active  in  church  and  club  work  and  is  appreciative  of  the  best  in 
literature  and  science,  to  which  she  devotes  much  attention.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Hays  have  two  children — Luvern,  who  was  born  June  13,  1902, 
and  James  H.,  Jr.,  who  was  born  May  14,  1905. 

J.  Martin  \'oorhees,  M.  D.,  ^I.  O.  ^Misfortune  is  not  infrequently 
the  medium  through  which  individuals  gain  success.  What  at  one  period 
may  seem  to  be  the  most  discouraging  of  circumstances  often  proves  to 
be  what  we  are  pleased  to  call  the  inexorable  workings  of  fate,  which 
change  men's  lives  and  direct  them  along  lines  in  which  they  eventually 
attain  positions  of  high  eminence.  A  case  in  point  is  found  in  the  career 
of  J.  Martin  Voorhees,  ]\I.  D.,  M.  O.,  of  Lansing,  who,  in  search  of  lost 
health,  found  not  that  alone  but  the  vocation  which  was  destined  to  be  his 
life  work,  and  in  which  he  has  become  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the 
state.  Doctor  Voorhees  was  born  at  Newburg,  Shiawassee  county,  Mich- 
gan,  June  7,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Lydia  (Gorham)  Voorhees. 

George  Voorhees  was  born  at  New  Hudson,  Michigan,  in  1843,  a  son 
of  George  Voorhees,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Oakland  county.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Michigan  Normal  school,  at  Ypsilanti,  and  taught  school 
at  New  Hudson  and  Newburg,  and  subsequently  was  the  proprietor  of 
a  hotel  at  Coruna.  the  county  seat  of  Shiawassee  county.  From  that 
point  the  father  removed  to  St.  Johns,  ^lichigan,  where  he  engaged  in  a 
wholesale  mercantile  business,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  1872. 
Lydia  (Gorham)  Voorhees,  the  mother  of  Doctor  A^oorhees,  was  born  in 
Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  the  daughter  of  J.  M.  Gorham.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  West  Rutland,  A'ermont,  removed  in  early  manhood 
to  C)hio,  where  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ruth  A.  Bascom, 
and  subsequently  went  to  New  York  state,  from  whence  he  came  to 
Shiawassee  county,  Michigan.  He  was  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Shiawassee  county  at  different  places,  but  still  later  moved  to  Genesee 
county,  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife  died,  being  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Coruna.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  \'oorhees,  Mrs.  Voorhees  married 
Theodore  D.  Creciue,  who  was  born  at  Lodi.  Ohio,  and  who  for  a  period 
of  twenty  years  was  traveling  auditor  for  the  Pere  Marquette  Railway. 
He  died  in  1907. 

T.  Martin  \'oorhees  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of 
?ilich.igan.  and  as  a  youth  learned  photography  at  Reed  City, 'subsequently 
embarking  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  owning  a  gallery  at  Bay 
City.  On  account  of  poor  health,  he  took  up  physical  training,  becoming 
an  assistant  in  the  Bay  City  Young  ]Men's  Christian  Association,  and  later 
attended  a  physical  training  school  at  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin,  for  two 
summers.  So  rapidlv  did  his  health  improve  that  he  became  physical  in- 
structor in  charge  of  that  department  of  the  Lafayette  (Indiana)  Young 
Men's  Christian   Association,  and   following  this  held  a  position  at   the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2025 

Central  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  at  Brooklyn,  Xew  York,  for 
four  years,  during  the  last  two  of  which  he  attended  Long  Island  Medical 
College,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
in  1897.  During  his  senior  year  at  the  medical  college,  he  gave  up  his 
association  work  and  took  up  in  addition  to  his  medical  studies  work  at 
the  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  where,  after  he  was  graduated  from  med- 
ical college,  he  was  appointed  medical  director  and  had  charge  of  the 
department  of  physical  training,  a  position  he  held  for  a  period  of  thir- 
teen years.  Resigning  this  appointment.  Doctor  \'oorhees  went  to  Kirk- 
ville,  Missouri,  where  he  was  graduated  from  the  Still  Osteopathic  Col- 
lege of  ]\Iedicine  in  191 1,  with  the  degree  of  ^Master  of  Osteopathy.  Dur- 
ing that  same  year  he  located  in  practice  at  Lansing,  and  here  has  con- 
tinued to  maintain  offices.  Here  he  has  built  up  an  excellent  professional 
business,  and  gained  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  line  of  his  calling.  He 
is  a  valued  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Osteopathic  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  the  American  Osteopathic  Association,  and  is  fraternally  con- 
nected with  Lansing  Lodge  Xo.  ^^.  F.  &  A.  AL,  and  of  the  Lansing  Lodge 
of  Elks. 

Doctor  \'oorhees  has  two  children :  Gladys  Marie,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  metropolis,  was  grad- 
uated from  St.  Mary's  College,  Monroe,  Michigan,  and  is  very  proficient 
in  stenography  and  typewriting :  and  George  C,  who  is  still  attending 
school. 

Peter  Herrig.  Some  men  seem  destined  by  nature  to  succeed.  No 
matter  what  obstacles  appear  in  their  path,  they  are  able  to  overcome 
them,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of  a  persistent  nature.  Michigan's  . 
best  citizenship  is  made  up  of  men  who  were  handicapped  in  their  earlier 
years,  and  whose  latent  abilities  have  been  brought  forth  through  the 
necessity  of  hard  work,  which  has  thus  developed  a  full  measure  of  suc- 
cess that  under  diflferent  conditions  might  never  have  attended  their  ef- 
forts. Of  this  class  Peter  Herrig  of  Saginaw  is  one  of  the  conspicuous 
representatives,  and  there  are  few  men  in  the  state  who  have  enjoyed  a 
larger  or  more  distinctive  position  in  business  affairs  in  recent  years 
than  Mr.  Herrig. 

Born  in  Bingen,  Germany,  October  22,  1848,  he  was  brought  in  in- 
fancy to  America,  by  his  parents,  Chris  and  Anna  (Rice)  Herrick,  who 
established  their  home  on  a  farm  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  in  1849.  The 
father  failed  to  emigrate  from  his  Fatherland,  owing  to  his  active  sym- 
pathies with  the  Republican  revolution  of  1848.  Although  he  had  been  a 
merchant  in  Germany,  he  followed  farming  in  Saginaw  county,  but  later 
took  up  merchandising,  and  proved  to  be  one  of  the  successful  and  promi- 
nent men  of  his  time.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-six  years 
of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1863.  Four  of  their  six  children  are 
now  deceased,  and  besides  Peter,  Nicholas  Herrig  is  living  retired  in 
Saginaw. 

Peter  Herrig  never  had  any  continuous  school  course  during  his 
youth,  and  hard  work  was  almost  from  his  earliest  recollections  the  reg- 
ular order  of  the  day  in  the  Herrig  household.  Early  in  his  career  he 
learned  the  trade  of  millwright,  and  followed  that  occupation Jor  thirty- 
three  consecutive  years,  chiefly  in  the  employ  of  the  Harding  Green  Ring 
Lumber  Company.  He  becanie  manager  and  superintendent  of  mills  for 
this  concern  in  1884,  and  from  that  position  graduated  into  many  of  the 
.  larger  responsibilities  of  Saginaw  business  aiifairs. 

A  number  of  years  ago  ^Ir.  Herrig  became  a  partner  in  the  Saginaw- 
Hardware  Company,  which  at  that  time  was  a  very  modest  concern.    Un- 


2026  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

dcr  a  later  reorganization  he  held  the  office  of  vice  president  since  1905, 
and  the  business  is  today  the  leading  wholesale  and  retail  establishment  in 
Saginaw  Valley,  employing  forty  salesmen  and  clerks,  and  having  a  rep- 
resentative place  in  the  larger  mercantile  establishments  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Herrig  was  the  organizer  of  the  Saginaw  Ice  and  Coal  Company,  and  that 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  city.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Saginaw  Build- 
ing &  Loan  Association,  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  its  president.  He 
is  also  vice  president  of  the  Fordney  Hotel  Company,  and  the  Fordney 
Hotel  is  an  institution  highly  crc<iitable  to  Saginaw,  and  one  of  the  best 
hotels  in  the  state.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Saginaw  Specialty  Com- 
pany, a  concern  employing  from  thirty  to  forty  people,  and  manufactur- 
ing boxes  of  all  kinds.  The  yearly  output  of  cigar  boxes  and  lal^els  by 
this  firm  numbers  more  than  four  hundred  thousand.  Mr.  Herrig  takes 
special  pride  in  this  com])any,  since  he  has  had  much  to  do  with  its  suc- 
cess, and  has  built  it  up  from  a  small  establishment  to  one  of  mucli  im- 
portance in  the  aggregate  of  Saginaw's  industry.  The  hardware  com- 
pany and  the  specialty  factory  occupy  nearly  the  entire  block  bounded  by 
Niagara,  Hamilton,  Ames  and  Cass  streets  in  West  Saginaw,  have  all  but 
two  hundred  feet  of  frontage  on  Hamilton  Avenue  in  that  square. 

Although  his  business  activities  have  been  of  a  very  absorbing  nature, 
Mr.  Herrig  has  found  much  time  for  public  afTairs,  and  has  been  one  of 
the  leading  Republicans  of  northeast  Michigan,  ha\ing  taken  an  active 
part  in  campaign  work,  and  being  one  of  the  popular  speakers.  From 
1893  to  1899,  he  was  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and  during  that  time 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  city  corporations.  He  also  served  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  Pingree,  and  among  his  public  services  as  a  legis- 
lature should  be  mentioned  the  authorship  of  important  railroad  legisla- 
tion. Mr.  Herrig  is  chairman  of  board  of  review.  His  fraternal  associa- 
tions are  with  the  Masonic  Order.  Mr.  Herrig  has  refused  many  offers 
of  high  political  honors,  and  it  has  been  his  steadfast  policy  to  work 
energetically  for  good  government  without  any  consideration  of  his  per- 
sonal ambitions  as  a  factor  in  public  Hfe.  His  fellow  citizens  credit 
him  with  much  important  service  in  the  upbuilding  of  Saginaw,  and  he 
probalily  has  as  many  close  personal  friends  and  admirers  as  any  man  in 
the  Saginaw  Valley. 

Wii.-SON  F.\MiLY  IN  Geneshe  County.  Few  Michigan  families  have 
for  a  longer  time  or  more  distinctively  been  identified  with  this  common- 
wealth than  the  Wilsons.  Genesee  county  was  the  first  to  receive  the 
stock,  two  or  three  years  before  Michigan  became  a  state.  As  pioneers, 
as  farmers,  as  business  men,  later  as  lumbermen,  and  men  of  large  affairs, 
the  Wilsons  have  had  an  influential  part  in  business  and  civic  develop- 
ment for  eighty  years.  The  following  paragraphs  contain  the  chief  facts 
in  the  family  history  during  the  three  generations  of  their  residence,  be- 
ginning with  the  old  pioneer  Naham  Newton  Wilson. 

Naham  Newton  Wilson  was  born  in  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  Janu- 
ary 10.  1805.  He  was  the  second  son  of  John  and  Mercy  Adams  (New- 
ton) Wilson,  the  mother  being  a  first  cousin  of  John  Q.  Adams.  The 
original  ancestor,  from  whom  this  branch  of  the  Wilson  family  is 
descended  in  direct  line,  was  Alexander  Wilson,  who,  because  of  valiant 
service  rendered  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  during  the  siege  of  that  city, 
was  granted  a  tract  of  land  near  Londonderry,  New  Ilampshire,  where 
he  located  in  1719.  That  land  was  exempted  from  taxation  until  the 
time  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

In  March,  1815,  wdien  Naham  Newton  \\'ilson  was  ten  years  old,  his 
parents  moved  to  Norwich,  \'crniont.     Here  he  worked  on  a  farm  and 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2027 

succeeded  in  getting  a  common  school  education.  \\'ith  books  which  he 
managed  to  secure  he  further  educated  himself  until  qualified  for  the 
work  of  a  school  teacher.  In  1825  he  bought  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  wild  land  in  the  township  of  Bolton  in  Lower  Canada,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  teaching  school  there.  In  March,  1828,  Naham 
Newton  Wilson  married  Phalle  R.  Slafter,  of  Norwich,  \'ermont.  On 
October  4,  1834,  leaving  his  wife  and  two  children  with  her  father  in 
Norwich,  he  set  out  for  the  west.  October  26,  1834,  was  the  date  of  his 
arrival  at  Grand  Blanc  in  Genesee  county,  ^Michigan,  and  from  that  place 
he  went  to  Flint,  where  he  took  part  in  the  early  activities  of  the  village, 
which  was  then  only  an  Indian  trading  post.  Naham  N.  Wilson  helped 
to  build  the  first  frame  building  at  Flint,  and  kept  the  first  grocery  store. 
He  worked  in  the  first  saw  mill,  operated  by  water  power,  and  his  name 
has  a  permanent  place  and  distinction  in  the  pioneer  annals  of  that 
locality.  Flint  being  an  Indian  trading  post,  he  had  considerable  deal- 
ings with  the  Indians,  who  at  one  of  their  gatherings  formally  adopted 
him  into  the  Chippewa  Tribe,  giving  him  the  name  of  W'in-e-bid-og-a-zis, 
meaning  "the  bright  morning  star." 

Mr.  Wilson  left  Flint  for  Illinois  to  visit  some  relatives  there,  and  by 
stage  coach  passed  through  Tecumseh,  Clinton  and  Kalamazoo,  at  each 
of  which  places  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpentering.  Chicago  when 
he  reached  it  was  only  a  village.  Later,  in  August,  1836,  he  set  out  on 
a  vessel  for  Detroit,  and  the  boat  encountered  stormy  seas  and  was  nearly 
wrecked  on  Lake  Michigan.  Finally  he  reached  Flint  again.  A  little 
later  he  went  on  to  \'ermont  to  bring  his  family  west.  They  arrived  at 
Flint  safely,  and  during  their  residence  there  of  about  a  year  suffered 
greatly  from  fever  and  ague,  which  was  very  prevalent. 

On  jMarch  31,  1838,  Mr.  Wilson  located  his  family  on  a  piece  of  new 
land  belonging  to  Judge  Hotchkiss  in  \'ienna  township,  Genesee  county, 
near  Pine  Run.  There  two  children  were  born.  On  April  i,  1843,  'le 
homesteaded  from  the  government  the  east  half  of  section  23,  Thetford 
township,  and  moved  his  family  there.  A  log  cabin  was  erected  and  occu- 
pied by  the  family  until  1872,  in  which  year  he  built  a  fine  frame  house, 
which  is  still  standing  (1914).  He  acquired  more  land,  and  eventually 
had  one  of  the  best  farms  in  that  section  of  the  country. 

On  August  13,  1863,  after  a  lingering  illness,  his  wife  died.  On  Octo- 
ber 13,  1867,  he  married  Mary  Woodward,  of  Barre,  Vermont,  but  no 
children  resulted  from  this  union.  In  October,  1883,  Mr.  Wilson  sold 
his  farm  and  moved  to  Flint,  living  with  his  youngest  son  there,  Naham 
T.,  until  May  7,  1887,  when  he  died  from  the  eft'ects  of  a  paralytic  stroke. 
He  is  buried  in  Glenwood  cemetery  at  Flint,  Michigan. 

Naham  Newton  Wilson  was  typical  of  those  pioneers  who  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century  were  subduing  the  wilderness  and  making  homes 
in  the  native  haunts  of  the  Indian.  He  came  to  ^Michigan  when  it  was 
still  a  territory,  and  lived  to  see  it  become  one  of  the  greatest  states  of 
the  Union.  He  held  several  local  offices  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  for 
many  years.  For  his  time  he  possessed  a  superior  education  and  was 
skilled  in  the  art  of  surveying,  and  a  large  portion  of  Genesee  county 
was  surveyed  by  him.  Mr.  Wilson  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
township  of  Thetford,  which  was  named  after  his  old  home  town  in 
A'ermont.  As  a  justice  of  the  peace  he  held  a  very  orderly  court,  and  a 
tradition  connected  with  his  judicial  experience  was  reduced  to  verse  by 
his  son,  Carlos  P.  Wilson,  and  read  at  the  family  reunion  on  his  seventy- 
eighth  birtliday.  Its  several  stanzas,  under  the  title  of  "The  Pioneer 
Justice,"  are  herewith  reproduced: 


2028  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

In  olden  time  in  Thetford  Town 

In  County  Genesee 

There  lived  a  backwoods  justice  sir 

His  mouth  it  was  squegee. 

Two  lawyers  came,  this  court  afore, 

To  try  a  civil  case. 

And  boistrous  grew  in  merriment. 

O'er  justice,  court  and  place. 

"We'll  wager  this's  a  basswood  court, 

Made  of  a  green  basswood  tree. 

For  country  courts  are  green  as  leeks, 

As  an_v  one  may  see." 

"This  court's  adjourned,"  the  Justice  said 

"One  minute  and  no  more  ;" 

Sprang  to  his  feet,  with  his  right  hand 

Sprawled  Tom  Drake  on  the  floor. 

Then  with  his  left,  young  Wisner  sprawled. 

On  wood  pile  don't  you  see. 

"No  city  lawyer  will  run  this  court, 

Though  made  of  a  basswood  tree. 

You'll  wager  this  is  a  basswood  court 

Made  of  a  green  basswood  tree  ; 

For  country  courts  are  strong  as  leeks. 

As  you  may  plainly  see." 

"This  court's  in  session.    Now  proceed. 

To  business  sirs,"  he  said. 

\Mien  crawling  up'the  city  squires. 

Each  scratched  a  wiser  head. 

"We  did  not  know  that  mauls  were  made 

Of  basswood  or  of  ash. 

Nor  city  courts  the  only  place 

A  lawyer  eats  his  sass.'' 

For  country  courts  are  made  of  men 

Whose  arms  bv  labor  strong. 

Alake  basswood  mauls  to  fall  like  oak 

Upon  attorneys  }oung. 

Long  years  have  passed:  the  justice  lives 

U])on  his  olden  farm. 

He  has  not  lost  his  love  of  fun 

Nor  all  his  strength  of  arm. 

Tom  Drake  long  since  has  passed  away. 

Perchance  to  a  warmer  clime. 

\\'hile  Wisner  lives  to  draw  his  breath 

Quite  often  into  rhyme. 

Long  live!    Long  live!  our  basswood  court. 

And  may  the  ripened  tree 

Be  strong  in  mind  as  when  in  youth 

He  came  to  Genesee. 

The  children  of  Naham  Newton  Wilson  and  Phalle  R.  Slafter  were, 
as  follows:  i.  Mercy,  born  at  Bolton,  Lower  Canada,  July  26,  1831,  and 
died  at  Salem,  Oregon,  in  \qo8:  married  Martin  L.  iMiller  in  Thetford 
township,  Genesee  county.  Michigan,  February  21,  184Q.  2.  Carlos  P.. 
born  at  Bolton,  Lower  Canada,  March  (),   1S34,  married  Esther  White. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2029 

November  i,  1857,  died  at  Clio,  Michigan,  in  1901,  and  is  buried  in  FHnt. 
3.  William,  born  in  \'ienna  township,  Genesee  county,  August  8,  1839, 
died  in  Flint,  September  23,  1914,  and  is  buried  there,  married  December 
I,  1861,  Amelia  Root.  4.  Farwell,  whose  prominent  career  as  a  lum- 
berman is  given  in  the  following  paragraphs,  was  born  in  \'ienna  town- 
ship, Genesee  count)',  July  18,  1841,  and  died  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan, 
January  22,  1896,  and  is  buried  at  Flint;  married  March  20,  1805,  Ann 
Hoover.  5.  John,  born  in  Thetford  township,  Genesee  county,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1843,  died  at  Auburn,  Indiana,  in  1905,  being  buried  at  Flint ; 
married,  October  3,  1862,  Elizabeth  Farnham.  6.  Persis,  born  in  Thet- 
ford township,  Genesee  county,  March  i.  1846,  and  died  at  Rogersville. 
Michigan,  in  1905,  and  buried  at  Flint ;  married  June  20,  1867,  \\'illiam 
Long.  7.  Samuel,  born  in  Thetford  township,  Genesee  county,  September 
3,  1849,  lives  in  Flint;  married  (  I  )  Elizabeth  Perry,  September  19,  1869, 
who  died  November  29,  1881  ;  married  (2)  Harriette  P.  Clark,  March  19, 
1882.  8.  Naham,  born  in  Thetford  township,  Genesee  county,  February 
22,  1852,  now  lives  in  Belt,  Montana,  where  he  located  in  1890;  married 
Rebecca  Perry. 

Farwell  /\lonzo  Wilsox,  son  of  the  Genesee  county  pioneer  of 
1834,  whose  career  has  been  briefly  sketched  above,  by  the  scope  of  his 
enterprise  foresight  and  vision  and  the  ability  to  do  which  marks  his 
business  career  was  a  Michigan  personality  entitled  to  first  rank  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Vienna  township,  Genesee  county,  Michigan,  July  18. 
1841.  Until  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age  his  time  was  spent  in  work 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  attending  districts  schools  during  the  winter 
months.  He  did  the  hard  manual  labor  which  was  necessary  in  the 
pioneer  days,  and  at  odd  times  made  sap  buckets,  thus  accumulating  suf- 
ficient funds  to  buy  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  30, 
Forest  township,  located  near  his  father's  homestead,  and  settled  down  as 
a  farmer. 

About  January  6,  1866,  he  and  his  brother,  William,  formed  a  part- 
nership and  entered  into  a  contract  to  cut  eighty  acres  of  pine  timber  and 
to  convert  the  same  into  lumber  for  one-half  the  profit.  They  l^ought  a 
portable  sawmill  for  this  purpose,  and  although  the  timber  was  as  fine  as 
any  that  ever  stood  in  Michigan  there  was  very  little  profit  in  the  deal, 
as  the  lumber  had  to  be  hauled  over  rough  roads  eleven  miles  to  Mount 
Morris,  a  station  on  the  Flint  &  Pere  Marquette  Railroad,  which  road  was 
then  just  being  built.  They  bought  other  timber,  however,  and  on  Janu- 
ary 3,  1868,  their  cousin,  \\'illiam  Henry,  who  had  recently  come  from 
Vermont,  joined  the  partnership,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  well 
known  lumber  firm  of  W.  H.  &  F.  A.  Wilson,  which  later  operated  in 
Isabella  and  Clare  counties,  Michigan.  William  Henry  Wilson  died  in 
Sarasota,  Florida,  January  21,  1914,  and  was  buried  at  Barre,  Vermont. 

In  1870  the  F.  &  P.  M.  Railroad  completed  its  survey  and  started  a 
construction  of  its  lines  west  from  Saginaw  to  Ludington.  Farwell  A., 
who  was  the  moving  spirit  in  this  emliryo  lumber  concern  made  arrange- 
ments with  the  railroad  to  buy  some  of  the  timber  granted  to  it  by  the 
government  and  located  some  choice  timber  in  Vernon  township,  Isabella 
county.  This  tract  of  timber  was  situated  five  miles  from  Clare,  to  which 
point  the  railroad  had  just  been  completed.  It  was  wholly  inaccessible  ex- 
cept by  trails  used  by  the  Indians  and  the  trappers. 

The  hardships  encountered  are  typical  of  those  experienced  by  the 
pioneer  lumbermen  of  that  day,  and  are  best  described  in  his  own  words : 
"In  May,  1871,  my  brother,  W.  H.,  and  myself  started  out  in  search  of 


2030  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

some  pine  timber,  and  finally  located  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  township  of  \'ernon,  Isabella  county,  belonging  to  the  F.  &  P.  M.  Rail- 
road Company,  which  was  bought  of  them,  making  a  small  payment 
down.  In  the  following  month  of  July,  \\  .  H..  with  a  crew  of  men, 
started  to  clear  the  ground,  erect  the  mill  frame,  build  a  dam,  etc.  He 
remained  until  November,  and  having  trouble  with  his  men,  came  down 
for  me  to  go  and  take  charge  of  them.  He  arrived  at  my  house  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  by  four  o'clock  the  following  morning, 
November  i6,  1871,  we  had  packed  niv  liousehold  effects  and  were  on 
our  way  to  the  woods. 

"Our  millsite  was  in  the  primeval  forest  fifty-four  miles  from  Saginaw 
and  five  miles  from  the  villages  of  Clare  and  Farwell,  which  were  then 
only  lumber  camps.  Arriving  at  our  location  I  found  a  board  house, 
18x30,  with  single  board  floor  and  sides.  Cracks  between  these  unsea- 
soned boards  were  at  least  one-half  an  inch  wide.  Soon  the  weather  be- 
came very  cold,  and  it  was  ahnost  impossible  to  keep  warm.  It  became 
so  cold  by  December  ist  that  our  millwright  left,  declaring  that  the  ma- 
chinery could  not  be  installed  until  spring,  and  the  other  men  followed  ex- 
cept one,  James  O'Connor,'  and  together  we  made  pulleys  and  installed 
the  remaining  machinery,  so  that'  we  were  ready  to  start  the  engine  by 
January  i,  1872. 

"We  ran  this  mill  until  October,  1873,  when  we  replaced  the  'Muley' 
saw  with  a  'Stearns'  mill,  having  a  daily  capacity  of  twenty-five  thousand 
feet.  All  went  well  until  (Jctober  19,  1874,  when  we  met  with  a  great 
misfortune.  The  boiler  exploded,  entirely  wrecking  the  building  and  ma- 
chinery. Our  loss  was  over  $10,000...  This  event  coming  as  it  did  at 
the  time  of  the  panic  of  i874,c_9me  near  being  our  finish.  We  succeeded, 
however,  in  rebuilding  and  Adien  ready  to  run  again  we  were  badly  in 
debt.  \'alues  were  decreasing  'daily  and  interest  increasing,  and  besides 
there  seemed  to  be  no  demand  for  lumber  and  shingles'. 

"We  persevered,  however,  and  purchased  eight  hundred  acres  of 
timber  from  Gebhard  &  Estabrook,  of  Saginaw,  to  be  paid  for  in  lum- 
ber, yearly  payments,  and  this  was  all  that  saved  us  from  failure.  By 
working  hard  early  and  late,  and  by  practicing  honesty  and  economy  we 
succeeded  later  on  in  getting  the  better  of  our  debts." 

In  1S79  '1  s'f^  ^o''  ^  "'^^^'  county  seat  of  Clare  county  was  selected  in  an 
unbroken  pine  forest  on  tlie  banks  of  Budd  Lake,  located  in  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  county.  To  this  point  the  1-".  &  P.  M.  Railroad 
projected  its  line,  which  was  built  in  1880. 

Farwell  A.  Wilson  for  his  firm  made  a  deal  with  the  railroad  com- 
pany for  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  pine  timber,  part  of  which  was  lo- 
cated on  the  present  site  of  Harrison,  the  county  seat.  Ilis  firm  bought 
more  timber  and  built  saw,  shingle  and  planing  mills  in  Harrison,  and 
continued  business  there  until  1892,  operating  a  large  general  store  and 
being  the  largest  lumber  manufacturing  concern  in  the  county  and  among 
the  largest  west  of  Saginaw.  They  platted  an  addition  to  the  village  of 
Harrison,  and  gave  to  the  people  a  beautiful  park,  which  is  now  greatly 
enjoyed. 

In  1882,  his  health  failing,  Farwell  .\.  decided  to  spend  the  winter  in 
the  south.  He  arrived  there  and  soon  discovered  that  pine  timber  had 
practically  no  value  except  for  turpentine.  He  forgot  the  object  of  his 
visit,  and,  obtaining  an  option  on  52.000  acres  of  the  finest  timber  in  the 
state  of  .•\labamn,  returned  to  Alichigan  full  of  enthusiasm  to  buy.     He 

1  Living  in  Clare,  Michigan,  September   i.   1914. 


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HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2031 

organized  the  Michigan  Land  Company,  composed  of  David  G.  Slafter, 
of  Vassar,  his  uncle ;  J.  &  G.  K.  Wentworth  of  Bay  City ;  and  Chester 
G.  White,  of  Lapeer,  his  own  firm  retaining  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
property.  The  Michigan  Land  Company  continued  to  deal  in  timber 
lands  for  many  years,  the  last  tract  being  sold  in  191 1. 

He  was  one  of  the  very  first  Michigan  lumbermen  to  foresee  the  value 
of  southern  pine.  A  certain  large  lumberman  whom  he  solicited  to  join 
the  Michigan  Land  Company  declined,  saying  that  it  would  be  fifty  years 
before  there  would  be  any  demand  for  it.  A  fitting  commentary  on  Far- 
well  A.  Wilson's  judgment,  however,  was  the  fact  that  this  same  lumber- 
man some  years  later  became  one  of  the  largest  investors  in  southern 
pine,  but  at  greatly  advanced  prices.  This  was  the  crowning  achieve- 
ment of  a  successful  business  career,  although  he  did  not  live  to  realize 
any  of  its  benefits. 

Farwell  A.  Wilson  was  one  of  those  men  of  undaunted  courage  which 
makes  for  leadership  among  his  fellowmen.  He  filled  a  large  place  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  Nature  had  been  generous  in  his  endow- 
ment, and  he  would  have  made  his  mark  in  any  sphere  of  action.  He 
was  fond  of  books,  a  diversified  reader,  and  well  informed  on  any  subject. 
Politics  especially  engaged  his  attention,  and  he  was  honored  by  the 
votes  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Clare  county  being  sent  to  the  state  house 
of  representatives  at  Lansing,  during  the  session  of  1887  and  1888.  It 
was  his  own  lack  of  early  educational  advantages  which  prompted  him 
in  1892  to  move  his  family  to  Ann  Arbor,  so  that  his  children  might  at- 
tend the  State  University.  He  built  a  new  home  there  and  was  just  begin- 
ning to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors  when  his  health  failed  him,  and 
after  a  lingering  illness  he  died  Janttary  22,  1896,  thus  cutting  short  a 
career  wdiich  should  have  been  blessed  with  many  more  fruitful  years. 
He  was  buried  in  Glenwood  cemetery  at  Flint. 

On  ]\Iarch  20,  1865,  Farwell  .A.  Wilson  married  Ann  W.  Hoover, 
daughter  of  Jacob  H.  and  Mary  Hoover,  of  Goodrich,  I-apeer  county, 
Michigan.  She  was  born  there  August  18.  1843,  and  at  this  writing 
is  living  in  Saginaw.  She  relates  many  interesting  experiences  of  the 
pioneer  days  of  Michigan.  To  this  marriage  were  born  four  children, 
as  follows :  Phalle  M.,  who  was  born  in  Forest  township,  Genesee  county, 
Michigan,  September  13,  1866,  and  is  now  Mrs.  E.  A.  Corrigan,  of  Sag- 
inaw; Earl  F.,  born  in  Forest  township,  Genesee  county,  January  31, 
1871,  is  living  in  Saginaw;  Floyd  A.,  born  in  Vernon  township,  Isabella 
county,  Michigan,  May  27,  1876,  is  also  a  resident  of  Saginaw;  Florence 
A.,  born  in  Vernon  township,  Isabella  county,  May  27,  1876,  is  now 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Signor,  and  lives  in  Ypsilanti. 

George  D.  Bostock.  One  of  the  oldest  officials  of  the  Elks  Order  in 
Michigan  is  George  D.  Bostock,  who  for  thirty  years  has  been  secretary 
of  the  Grand  Rapids  Elks  Lodge.  His  earlier  career  was  one  of  varied 
business-  activities,  and  for  some  time  he  was  in  the  internal  revenue 
service,  and  has  been  quite  active  in  city  and  county  affairs.  Mr.  Bostock 
has  been  a  resident  of  Grand  Rapids  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  is 
a  native  of  ]\Iichigan. 

Born  at  Marshall,  January  25,  1S48,  he  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Maria  (Banks)  Bostock.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  England  in 
1802  and  who  died  in  Michigan  in  i860,  early  in  life  learned  the  trade 
of  butcher,  and  for  many  years  was  in  the  retail  meat  business  at 
Marshall.  He  was  an  Episcopalian  in  religion,  a  Consistory  Mason,  and 
a  Republican  in  politics.  His  wife,  who  was  born  at  Richmond.  Vir- 
ginia, in  iSoo,  and  who  died  in  1882,  belonged  to  a  prominent  Virginia 


2032  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

family.  Her  father  owned  several  vessels  engaged  in  the  merchant 
trade  between  America  and  France,  and  the  Banks  family  at  one  time 
received  a  large  award  from  the  government  on  account  of  the  seizure 
of  two  of  their  vessels  during  the  war  of  1812.  George  and  Maria 
Bostock  had  three  children,  and  of  the  two  now  living  \\'illiam  B.  is 
chief  clerk  in  tlie  Internal  Revenue  Department  at  Grand  Rapids.  The 
son  Henry  was  Ivilled  during  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana,  serv- 
ing as  a  Union  soldier  in  the  war  between  the  states. 

George  D.  Bostock  was  reared  in  his  native  city  of  ^Marshall,  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools,  spent  several  years  as  a 
bookkeeper.  On  moving  to  Grand  Rapids  in  1872  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railway,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  cashier  in  the  general  offices  of  the  company.  His  resigna- 
tion from  the  railroad  office  was  followed  by  a  position  as  manager  for 
the  John  L.  Shaw  &  Company's  Transfer  Line  at  Grand  Rapids.  In 
1880  Mr.  Bostock  entered  the  internal  revenue  service  as  deputy  col- 
lector, and  on  leaving  that  office  in  1884  took  up  his  present  duties  as 
secretary  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Lodge  of  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  He  has  been  a  very  popular  and  efficient  manager  for 
that  social  organization  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  has  devoted  practically 
all  his  time  to  the  Order. 

In  Alarch,  1871.  he  married  Mary  F.  ]ilartin  of  ^Marshall,  Michigan. 
They  have  three  living  children:  Fred  G.,  who  has  a  men's  furnishing 
store  at  Grand  Rapids ;  Nora,  who  married  P.  C.  Peckham  in  the  auto- 
mobile business  at  Lowell,  Michigan ;  and  Margaret,  at  home.  The  fam- 
ily worship  in  the  Episcopal  church,  and  Mr.  Bostock's  fraternal  rela- 
tions are  with  the  Grand  River  Lodge  No.  34,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  with  the 
Grand  Rapids  Lodge  No.  48,  B.  P.  O.  E. ;  and  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  served  two  years  as  clerk  of  the 
superior  court  of  Kent  county. 

SoMMERs  Bkotiiers  ]\Ianufacturixg  Comp.xxv.  One  of  the  larg- 
est match  factories  independent  of  the  so-called  trust  is  the  Sommers 
Bros.  Company  at  Saginaw.  -The  name  Sommers  has  been  identified  with 
match  manufacture  in  this  country  for  upwards  of  thirty  years,  and  the 
founder  of  the  business  after  developing  a  large  enterprise  finally  sold 
out  to  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  and  his  sons  have  subsequently  as- 
sociated themselves  into  a  corporation  to  operate  independently  in  the 
same  line.  Charles  F.  Sommers  is  president  of  the  above  company.  Syl- 
vester A.  is  vice  president  and  Frank  F.  is  treasurer.  The  company 
was  incorporated  June  22,  1909.  and  in  Saginaw  has  built  a  large  six- 
storv  well  ventilated  and  splendidly  equipped  factory  in  which  are  em- 
ploved  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  people  in  the  various  departments 
of  match-making. 

Frank  F.  Sommers,  father  of  the  three  men  just  named,  was  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  the  L'nited  States  in  1844  when  two  years  old. 
started  out  in  life  as  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  invented  a  fence,  subse- 
quently becoming  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  fences  in  Detroit,  but 
finally  failed.  In  looking  around  for  something  in  which  to  engage,  he 
selected  a  situation  in  Schmidt  &  Schmidtdel's  Alatch  Factory.  He 
w-orked  for  this  concern  until  it  was  absorbed  bv  the  Diamond  Match 
Company  in  1879.  He  left  Detroit  and  went  to  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  as 
an  emplovee  of  the  Diamond  Match  Company.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
contract  with  them  he  began  the  building  of  match  machinery  at  his  own 
house,  where  his  son,  Charles,  got  his  insight  into  building  machinery, 
later  moved  to  Grand  Haven,  Michigan,  where  lie  started  a  match  fac- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2033 

tory  as  competitor  of  the  Diamond  Alatcli  Company.  His  eldest  son 
went  to  work  in  his  father's  factory  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  This 
plant  was,  in  a  short  time,  left  to  his  son,  Charles,  to  manage.  He  tlien 
started  another  plant  at  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin.  Before  the  completion  of 
the  latter,  sold  his  entire  business  to  the  Diamond  Match  Company.  He 
then  moved  to  Detroit  where  he  resided  for  some  years.  His  son,  Charles, 
at  nineteen  was  employed  by  the  Diamond  Match  Company  to  run  their 
Boston  plant  where  he  stayed  two  years,  but  was  finally  transferred  to 
Detroit  and  ran  the  first  Safety  Match  plant  in  this  country.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1899,  when  he  persuaded  his  father  to  again  try  to 
engage  in  the  match  business.  They  decided  to  locate  in  Saginaw,  Mich- 
igan, and  bought  the  old  McClellan  File  plant  on  South  Jefferson  .\ venue, 
for  a  match  factory.  They  were  in  Saginaw  about  six  months  when  it 
became  evident  that  the  father  had  been  out  of  business  entirely  too  long 
to  take  up  with  the  modern  ways  of  match  making  and  the  son  left 
and  was  hired  by  the  Diamond  Match  Company  and  sent  to  Mannheim, 
Germany,  to  run  a  plant  there.  It  was  at  this  time  that  F.  F.  Sommers, 
Jr.,  received  a  position  as  salesman  for  the  Diamond  Match  Company. 

The  Saginaw  plant  made  several  feeble  attempts  to  make  matches,  . 
none  of  which  were  successful  until  the  return  of  Chas.  F.  Sommers  to 
the  business  in  Saginaw  in  1903,  when  the  Saginaw  Match  Company  was 
organized,  and  F.  F.  Somers,  Jr.,  and  S.  A.  Somers  were  then  for  the 
first  time  engaged  in  the  match  business.  During  the  employment  of 
F.  F.  Sommers,  Jr.,  with  the  Diamond  Match  Company  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  noiseless  match,  two  years  later  the  Saginaw  Match  Com- 
pany began  the  manufacture  of  the  first  noiseless  match.  From  this 
time  on,  the  Saginaw  Match  Company  made  rapid  progress,  and  today 
is  rated  as  one  of  the  best  plants  of  its  kind  in  the  country,  and  is  known 
as  the  Sommers  Bros.  Match  Company. 

Thom.\s  p.  Sawyer.  In  the  gracious  domain  of  landscape  garden- 
ing and  floriculture  Mr.  Sawyer  is  a  recognized  authority,  both  along 
theoretical  and  practical  lines,  and  he  is  a  most  popular  representative 
of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  Petoskey,  which  he  considers  an  ad- 
mirable field  for  his  endeavors. 

Thomas  Parsons  Sawyer  was  born  at  Enfield,  Middlese.x  county, 
England,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  Ann  (Parsons)  Sawyer,  who 
still  reside  at  that  place,  where  the  father  is  a  prosperous  and  repre- 
sentative nurseryman.  The  father  has  devoted  close  attention  to  flori- 
culture and  has  achieved  distinctive  success,  especially  in  his  experi- 
ments with  begonias,  the  flowers  of  which  he  has  greatly  enlarged  through 
his  close  study  and  experimentation,  so  that  his  reputation  extends  far 
beyond  local  limitations.  He  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch  gained 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  and  he  acquired 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  landscape  gardening  and  floriculture  under  the 
direction  of  his  father.  He  was  retained  in  private  service  in  Enfield, 
as  a  gardener,  until  he  had  attained  to  the  age, of  thirty-five  years,  and 
he  early  specialized  on  fuchsias  and  gloxinias,  in  the  cultivation  of  which 
he  is  proving  remarkably  successful  at  Petoskey.  Mr.  Sawyer  severed 
the  ties  that  bound  him  to  his  native  land  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1909.  He  established  his  residence  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where 
he  remained  until  1912,  in  August  of  which  year  he  became  a  resident 
of  Petoskey,  where  he  has  since  Ijuilt  up  an  excellent  business  as  a 
landscape  gardener  and  flower  grower.  He  supplies  from  his  well 
equipped  grounds  and  green  houses  the  cut  flowers  utilized  liy  the  retail 
dealers  of  Petoskey,  and  his  trade  is  extending  gradually  into  other  cities 


2034  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

and  towns  of  this  section  of  the  state.  His  shipments  of  cut  flowers 
have  already  gone  to  Traverse  City,  Boyne  City  and  Mackinac  Island. 
At  Petoskey  he  has  two  fine  nurseries,  one  being  situated  at  Bay  View 
and  the  other  on  Waukazoo  avenue.  These  nurseries  and  conserva- 
tories attract  thousands  of  visitors  during  tiie  resort  season  and  invariably 
call  forth  expressions  of  admiration.  ]\Ir.  Sawyer  personally  superin- 
tends all  details  of  his  large  and  constantly  expanding  business,  in  con- 
nection with  whjch  he  gives  employment  to  a  corps  of  ten  assistants. 

Mr.  Sawyer  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles,  is  affiliated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  zealous  mem- 
bers of  the  local  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is  secretary  of  the 
business  men's  class. 

At  Enfield,  England,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1896,  was  solemnized 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sawyer  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hutchison  Methven, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  N.  (Putname)  Methven,  her  father,  who 
is  now  retired,  having  been  formerly  a  successful  baker  and  confec- 
tioner in  the  city  of  London.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyer  have  two  children, 
both  of  whom  are  attending  the  public  schools — Albert  Ernest,  born  in 
1898,  and  Hazel  May,  bom  in  1906.  The  son  is  a  student  in  the  high 
school  and  is  preparing  to  learn  the  business  in  which  his  father  has 
achieved  marked  prestige.  Mr.  Sawyer's  brother-in-law,  Ernest  Methven, 
likewise  came  from  England  and  is  now  associated  with  him  in  business. 

Michael  Demerv.  Among  the  prominent  and  successful  merchants 
of  Detroit,  none  have  achieved  more  merited  success  than  Michael 
Demerv,  who  is  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Demery  Company, 
owners  of  the  largest  department  store  in  the  North  Woodward  avenue 
district  of  the  city.  Mr.  Demery  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  liorn  in  the  city 
of  Cork.  August  10,  1874,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late  William  and  Mary 
(Bradley)  Demery,  both  born  in  the  same  city,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1884  and  the  father  in  1900.  William  Demery  was  a  younger  brother 
of  the  celebrated  Prof.  Bartholomew  Hackett  Demery,  the  noted  student 
and  authority  on  botany  and  winner  of  the  Queen's  Prize  in  that  art. 
He  was  a  professor  at  the  Mansion  House  school  in  the  city  of  Cork, 
where  his  brother,  William,  was  a  student.  The  latter  became  one  of 
the  noted  dry  goods  merchants  and  financiers  of  Ireland  and  was  for 
many  years  managing  director  of  the  most  extensive  business  of  that 
kind  in  the  country. 

Michael  Demery  was  prepared  for  college  in  a  private  school  in 
Cork,  but  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  financial  reverses  having  overtaken 
his  father  he  was  compelled  by  necessity  to  go  to  work.  He  accord- 
ingly served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  dry  goods  business  in  Cork  and 
worked  his  way  up  to  a  high  position,  but  in  1888  resigned  and  emigrated 
to  America.  Coming  to  Detroit,  his  first  position  in  this  country  was 
with  .Strong,  Lee  &  Company,  wholesale  dry  goods  merchants  of  Detroit, 
which  concern  made  him  its  city  salesman  at  once.  He  spent  about  one 
year  and  a  half  with  the  above  firm  and  then  became  identified  with  the 
Earned  &  Carter  Company,  whose  representative  he  was  in  introclucing 
its  overalls  to  the  western  country  for  a  year  and  a  hal'f,  next  becoming 
the  representative  of  a  New  York  City  wholesale  dry  goods  concern. 
In  March,  191 2,  he  organized  the  Demery  Company,  with  himself  as 
president  and  general  manager,  Daniel  E.  Murray,  vice  president,  and 
James  S.  Holden  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  company  does  a  gen- 
eral department  store  business  at  Nos.  1479-1481-1483  Woodward  ave- 
nue, employing  a  large  force  of  sales  people,  and  during  the  two  years 
it  has  been  engaged  in  business  has  doubled  the  selling  space  and  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2035 

volume  of  sales.  Mr.  Demery  is  a  straightforward  and  reliable  business 
man,  who  possesses  organizing  and  executive  powers  beyond  the  ordinary. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  well  disposed  and  serviceable,  giving  of  his  means, 
his  time  and  his  energies  in  the  promotion  of  interests  favorable  to  the 
city  of  his  adoption,  and  few  men  of  the  city  have  built  up  such  a  high 
reputation  in  so  short  a  period  of  time.  Mr.  Demery  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians. 

On  June  6,  189S,  Mr.  Demery  was  married  to  Miss  Celia  Duggan, 
and  ten  days  later  sailed  with  his  bride  for  America,  and  to  use  his  own 
e.xpression,  "has  never  regretted  it."  Mrs.  Demery  was  born  in  County 
Kerry  and  was  the  daughter  of  James  Duggan,  an  officer  in  the  British 
Navy.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  William,  Pauline  and 
Michael  Thaddeus. 

Herman  Henry  Eymer.  Since  1896  Mr.  Eymer  has  performed 
many  important  services  in  his  capacity  as  engineer,  both  in  public  and 
private  work  in  the  city  of  Saginaw  and  vicinity.  From  1896  to  the  fall 
of  1901,  Mr.  Evmer  was  assistant  city  engineer  of  Saginaw,  and  then 
for  two  years  filled  the  office  of  county  road  commissioner.  With  offices 
in  Saginaw,  he  also  did  a  large  business  in  general  civil  engineering  and 
contracting  for  some  years,  until  June,  1912,  at  which  time  he  retired 
from  the  private  practice  of  his  profession,  and  has  since  devoted  all  his 
time  and  energy  to  his  official  duties  as  city  engineer  of  Saginaw.  His 
appointment  as  city  engineer  came  in  February,  1912.  His  reputation 
in  his  profession  is  not  based  on  intangible  claims,  but  on  a  long  record 
of  practical  performance  and  efficiency  in  the  designing  and  carrying 
out  of  various  public  structures,  chiefly  bridges,  which  are  now  pointed 
out  with  a  feeling  of  pride  by  Saginaw  citizens. 

Herman  Henry  Eymer  is  a  native  of  Saginaw,  and  belongs  to  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  this  city:^  Born  January  i,  1870,  he  is  a  son 
of  the  venerable  Andrew  Eymer,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  immigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1834,  and  having  acquired  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  kept  a  shop  and  gave  his  service  in  that  ca- 
pacity to  the  people  of  Port  Huron  for  three  years.  While  at  Port 
Huron  he  was  married,  and  in  1857  came  to  Saginaw.  With  his  sav- 
ings from  his  work  as  blacksmith  he  invested  in  a  stock  of  groceries, 
and  never  returned  to  his  old  trade.  Thousands  of  Saginaw  people,  both 
among  the  older  and  younger  generation,  will  recall  the  grocery  estab- 
lishment of  Andrew  Eymer,  which  with  other  business  was  continued 
from  1857  to  1909.  In  the  latter  year  he  retired  from  active  affairs,  after 
devoting  more  than  half  a  century  to  their  conduct,  and  now  lives  in 
comfort  and  ease  at  his  home  in  Saginaw.  Long  years  of  honorable 
dealing  gave  him  a  reputation  and  a  character  equalled  by  only  few  among 
the  older  citizens.  While  most  of  his  time  and  energies  were  absorbed 
by  his  business,  he  also  served  the  public  as  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  Saginaw  for  several  years,  and  as  a  director  of  the  poor  for  several 
terms.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His  wife  died  at  Saginaw  in  1895. 
Of  the  five  children  in  the  family,  two  are  now  deceased,  the  others 
being:  Emelie  Eymer,  who  keeps  house  for  her  father;  Alfred  W.,  em- 
ployed in  the  engineering  department  of  the  city  of  Saginaw ;  and  Her- 
man H. 

Herman  H.  Eymer  is  a  graduate  of  the  Saginaw  high  school  with 
the  class  of  1889.  Entering  the  University  of  Michigan,  he  continued 
his  studies  there  until  1894,  when  graduated  with  the  degrees  of  Bachelor 
of  Science  and  mechanical  engineer.  His  first  employment  was  in  the 
engineering  department  of  the  Detroit  Bridge  &  Iron  Company,  Detroit, 


2036  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Michigan,  with  which  concern  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half.  The  next 
six  months  were  spent  with  the  American  Bridge  Works  in  Chicago.  He 
returned  to  Saginaw,  and  was  appointed  assistant  city  engineer,  and  his 
business  career  has  already  been  outlined  subsequent  to  that  date. 

During  his  work  as  civil  engineer,  Mr.  Eymer  designed  the  Gratiot 
Road  Bridge,  built  by  the  county,  a  steel  structure  eight  hundred  and 
ten  feet  in  length;  also  the  Swan  Creek  Bridge,  of  steel,  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length.  The  Court  Street  City  Bridge  over 
the  Saginaw  river,  a  steel  structure  was  designed  and  built  under 
his  supervision  in  1898  at  a  cost  of  sixty-two  thousand  dollars.  As  city 
engineer,  Mr.  Eymer  has  not  only  designed,  but  has  had  complete  charge 
of  the  construction  of  the  handsome  Johnson  Street  City  Bridge,  over 
the  Saginaw,  a  structure  five  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length,  and 
when  completed  its  cost  is  estimated  to  be  eighty-five  thousand  dollars. 
Mr.  Eymer  is  secretary  of  the  Saginaw  Bridge  &  Construction  Com- 
pany, and  vice  president  of  the  William  Poison  Lumber  Company.  He  is 
the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  property  in  Saginaw  county,  and  his  own  pleas- 
ant residence  is  at  402  Owen  street. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  has  always  been  ready  to  enlist  his  serv- 
ices in  behalf  of  good  government  and  civic  improvement.  Mr.  Eymer 
has  held  offices  in  the  local  lodge,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  a  member  of 
Salina  Lodge,  No.  155,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Chapter 
and  Knight  Templar  Commandery  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  mem- 
bership is  also  found  with  the  Germania  Society. 

In  December,  1900,  Mr.  Eymer  was  united  in  marriage  with  !Miss 
R.  Mary  Dudgeon,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  Dudgeon,  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Saginaw  county.     Their  two  children  are  Helen  and  Esther. 

Edwin  Porter  Sherman.  Since  early  years  in  the  history  of  the 
village  of  Bancroft,  the  enterprise  of  the  Shennan  family  has  been  one 
of  the  largest  factors  in  its  commercial  activities.  Both  Edwin  P.  Sher- 
man and  his  father  were  for  a  long  term  of  years  prominent  as  merchants, 
owning  and  conducting  the  largest  mercantile  establishment  in  the  town. 
At  the  present  time  the  name  of  Edwin  P.  Sherman  is  best  known  for 
his  extended  interests  in  farming  and  dairying,  and  his  herd  of  Holstein 
cows  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  part  of  the  state.  The  .Sherman  family 
has  been  identified  with  the  state  of  ^Michigan  nearly  eighty  years,  since 
the  territorial  period,  and  the  days  of  first  settlement. 

Edwin  Porter  Sherman  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  where  the 
family  first  settled  eighty  years  ago,  on  the  thirteenth  of  Februarv,  1870. 
His  parents  were  Roger  and  Emma  F.  (Swarthout)  Sherman,  both  na- 
tives of  Livingston  county.  Grandfather  Benjamin  Porter  Sherman, 
whose  birthplace  was  at  Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  brought  his  wife  and 
family  to  Michigan  in  1834,  and  they  were  among  the  first  white  people 
to  locate  in  Livingston  county.  There  he  cleared  a  farm  out  of  the 
woods,  and  for  many  years  was  successful  in  agriculture  and  stock- 
raising  and  took  much  part  in  public  aft'airs.  Five  years  before  his  death 
he  retired,  and  spent  his  latter  years  in  Bancroft,  where  he  passed  away 
in  1883.  Roger  Sherman  followed  largely  in  his  father's  footsteps,  and 
conducted  .a  farming  enterprise  on  a  large  scale  in  1880,  about  three 
years  after  Bancroft  was  established  as  a  village  he  moved  here'  and 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Exchange  Bank.  Plis  business  op- 
erations comprised  the  ownersliip  and  management  of  the  largest  mer- 
cantile enterprise  in  the  village.  He  had  two  large  stores,  one  for  hard- 
ware and  implements  and  one  with  a  general  stock  of  goods.  At  the 
same  time  he  carried  on   farming  and   was  a   director  and  one  of   the 


'20   l_( 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2037 

largest  stockholders  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Corunna.  Roger 
Sherman  in  politics  was  a  Republican,  and  served  one  term  in  the  state 
legislature,  but  could  never  be  induced  to  accept  any  more  political 
honors.  His  life  was  one  of  quiet  and  effective  industry,  of  much  public 
spirit,  but  his  desires  were  never  for  the  conspicuous  positions  in  the 
community.  The  death  of  this  honored  citizen  of  Shiawassee  county 
occurred  at  Bancroft  in  1905.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
two  children.  The  daughter,  Mary  L.,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Ward, 
a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  prominent  in  Illinois  politics.  Mrs.  Roger 
Sherman,  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  married  Luther  Kanouse, 
a  well  known  farmer  of  Livingston  county. 

Edwin  Porter  Sherman  spent  his  early  boyhood  in  Livingston  county, 
where  the  district  schools  sujjplied  his  early  training,  and  his  education 
was  completed  in  the  Detroit  University.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  his 
practical  business  career  began  by  association  with  his  father.  Later  he 
was  made  a  partner  in  the  large  business  conducted  at  Bancroft,  and 
continued  there  until  191 2.  Already  he  had  disposed  of  the  general 
store,  and  in  that  year  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  hardware  business. 
Since  the  burdens  of  mercantile  affairs  have  been  lifted  from  his  shoul- 
ders, his  entire  time  and  energies  are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  about 
six  hundred  acres  of  fine  farm  land,  all  in  Shiawassee  county  and  ad- 
jacent to  the  city  of  Bancroft.  His  chief  pride  as  a  farmer  consists  in 
his  dairy  enterprise,  and  his  herd  contains  one  hundred  high-grade  Hol- 
stein,  all  well  selected  and  each  individual  animal  possessing  a  high  value 
as  a  milk  producer. 

In  politics  a  Republican,  Mr.  Sherman  has  no  desire  for  office.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  On  February  25,  1891,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Myrtie  B.  Wilcox,  a  native  of  Portland,  Michi- 
gan, and  a  daughter  of  Myron  L.  and  Laura  S.  (Clough)  W'ilcox.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Celeste  Sherman,  now  a  student  in  the  local  high 
school.  In  1905  Mr.  Sherman  had  erected  a  private  residence  which 
without  doubt  is  the  finest  home  in  Bancroft.  Its  cost  was  about  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  Practically  all  the  timber  entering  into  its  construc- 
tion was  taken  from  Mr.  Sherman's  own  forest,  and  he  had  it  sawed, 
dried  and  milled  to  suit  the  exact  recjuirements  of  the  building  specifica- 
tions. The  material  is  some  of  the  finest  white  oak  to  be  found  in 
Shiawassee  countv.  The  dwelling  is  a  credit  to  the  town,  and  one  of 
the  points  of  interest  noted  by  all  visitors.  The  attractions  of  the  build- 
ing itself  are  well  set  off  by  the  beautiful  grounds  which  surround  it, 
and  there  are  terraced  lawns,  beautiful  shade  trees  and  other  adorn- 
ments in  landscape  gardening.  Mr.  Sherman  is  very  fond  of  travel, 
and  almost  every  winter  with  his  wife  and  daughter  goes  to  Florida  or 
other  winter  climates.  His  long  residence  and  active  participation  in 
business  affairs  have  made  him  known  to  the  community  about  Ban- 
croft since  his  youth,  and  he  possesses  that  genial  disposition  which 
makes  friends  of  practically  every  acquaintance. 

James  A.  Lomb.ard.  To  the  legal  talent  of  Grand  Rapids  has  been 
added  the  activities  of  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  of  American 
families  today  extant,  and  one  that  has  been  for  generations  identified 
with  the  east,  James  A.  Lombard  having  come  direct  from  Maine,  his 
native  state,  to  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  launched  out  into  the  legal  pro- 
fession as  a  newly  fledged  attorney.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he 
has  been  a  valuable  addition  to  the  profession  in  this  city,  and  he  ranks 


2038  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

high  in  professional  and  other  circles  in  the  city  which  has  been  his  home 
since  he  left  college  in   1883. 

As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Lombard  comes  of  an  old  and  well  estab- 
lished American  family,  the  first  American  progenitor  having  settled 
in  the  colonies  from  England  in  1630.  Three  Lombard  brothers  came 
to  Massachusetts  from  England  in  that  year,  and  from  that  single  fam- 
ily have  sprung  those  of  the  name  who  are  to  be  found  among  our  citi- 
zenship today.  A  descendant  of  one  of  them  was  Judge  Solomon  Lom- 
bard of  Boston,  who  died  there  in  about  1770.  Others  of  the  name 
have  been  devoted  to  the  legal  profession  and  have  won  fame  and  name 
in  that  field. 

The  parents  of  James  A.  Lombard  of  this  review  were  James  and 
Harriett  (Pickett)  Lombard.  The  father  was  born  in  Raymond,  Maine, 
in  1822,  and  died  in  1906,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Casco,  Maine,  in 
1831,  and  died  in  the  year  1873.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Pickett, 
also  a  native  born  resident  of  Casco,  Maine,  a  farmer  and  blacksmith, 
and  for  his  days  a  successful  man,  and  always  a  popular  one.  He  also 
was  of  English  ancestry.  The  father  of  the  subject  was  a  lumberman 
in  Maine  in  early  life,  though  he  later  devoted  himself  to  the  farm,  and 
enjoyed  a  typical  eastern  farmer's  success  in  that  enterprise.  He  was 
the  father  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living,  and  James  A. 
Lombard,  of  this  review,  was  the  third  born.  The  elder  Lombard  was 
long  a  member  of  the  L'nion  church,  and  in  his  politics  he  adhered  to 
Democracy  all  his  days.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his  township 
and  at  one  time  or  another  held  every  township  office  of  any  prominence, 
and  served  in  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  terms.  He 
was  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Susan  (McClucas)  Lombard,  of  whom  there 
is  no  definite  history  at  hand,  though  the  descent  of  the  family  from 
the  first  American  Lombards  is  well  authenticated. 

James  A.  Lombard  was  born  in  Casco,  Maine,  on  August  21,  1861. 
He  gained  his  academic  training,  after  the  public  schools,  in  Bridgeton 
Academy  at  North  Bridgeton,  Maine,  after  which  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  in  1883  was  graduated  from  the 
law  department.  It  should  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  he  gained  his 
education  in  the  free  and  easy  manner  common  to  the  boy  whose  parents 
are  well-to-do,  for  Mr.  Lombard  was  not  so  fortunate.  He  taught  school 
in  the  country  for  several  years,  beginning  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and 
in  numerous  other  ways  earned  the  money  that  provided  his  college 
training,  so  that  he  may  lay  his  education  directly  at  the  doors  of  his 
own   ambition   and  determination. 

In  1891  Mr.  Lombard  began  practice  at  Grand  Rapids,  entering  the 
field  alone,  and  from  the  beginning  of  his  practice  he  made  a  pleasing 
progress.  In  1899  Charles  P.  Hext  became  his  associate,  and  they  have 
since  continued  in  partnership.  Theirs  is  a  general  practice,  though 
they  have  for  some  time  specialized  in  personal  injury  cases  with  excel- 
lent success. 

On  May  7,  1S84,  Mr.  Lomliard  married  Aliss  Hattie  AI.  Hale,  a 
daugliter  of  \\'illiam  M.  Hale  of  Kalamazoo,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  three  children.  Grace  M.,  the  eldest,  married  Charles  P.  Hext,  the 
business  associate  of  I\Ir.  Lombard.  Eva  R.  and  Pern  have  passed 
through  the  Grand  Rapids  High  School  and  are  now  taking  special 
training  in  the  Grand  Rapids  School  of  Expression.  Botii  specialized 
in  the  study  of  French  and  German  and  are  accomplished  in  those  lan- 
guages, while  Miss  Fern  is  an  especially  talented  vocalist,  and  may  be 
said  to  possess  perhaps  the  finest  voice  in  Grand  Rapids.  Both  are  very 
prominent  and  popular  in  the  city  of  their  birth  and  the  entire  family 
enjoy  a  large  circle  of  friends  throughout  the  city.     They  are  members 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2039 

of  the  Baptist  church  and  Mr.  Lombard  is  especially  prominent  in  fra- 
ternal circles  of  the  city.  He  is  an  Elk,  a  Mason,  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
a  Woodman,  member  of  the  Royal  Woodmen,  the  Royal  Neighbors,  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Maccabees  and  the  Eastern  Star.  His  Masonic  con- 
nections are  far  reaching,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Consistory  and  the 
Shrine.  As  Exalted  Ruler  in  the  Elks  for  three  years,  he  has  initiated 
eight  hundred  members  in  that  time.  During  his  term  of  office  the 
Temple  was  built,  and  he  was  active  in  the  work  at  that  time.  Under 
Mr.  Lombard's  leadership  the  Elks  of  Grand  Rapids  won  the  state  prize 
for  ritualistic  work  in  191 1,  and  has  otherwise  demonstrated  his  capacity 
for  successful  and  telling  work  in  fraternal  circles. 

A  Democrat  in  his  politics,  Mr.  Lombard  still  does  not  enter  actively 
into  politics,  but  keeps  close  to  his  own  field  of  enterprise, — the  law, 
and  his  success  has  justified  his  withdrawal  from  other  lines  of  activity. 
Mr.  Lombard  may  properly  be  designated  as  one  of  the  successful  pro- 
fessional men  of  Grand  Rapids  today,  and  his  present  position  is  the 
more  pleasing  to  contemplate  when  it  is  remembered  that  he  began  at' 
the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  unaided  by  any  save  his  own  efforts.  It  is 
often  said  that  a  man  draws  success  from  any  given  enterprise  just  in 
proportion  to  the  qualities  he  puts  into  it,  and  in  the  case  of  'Sir.  Lom- 
bard he  is  drawing  out  secure  position,  prominence  among  his  fellows, 
and  solid  prosperity  in  return  for  hard  work,  intelligent  application  to 
business,  loyalty  to  his  fellow  man  and  faith  in  himself. 

Ch.^kles  a.  L.^wrexce.  About  fourteen  years  ago  Mr.  Lawrence 
came  to  Ovvosso,  bringing  with  him  considerable  experience  gained  in 
merchandising  while  a  resident  of  Ohio,  but  with  only  enough  capital 
to  enable  him  to  make  a  start.  He  e.xercised  good  judgment  in  his  choice 
of  a  location,  but  the  chief  factor  in  his  remarkable  success  has  been  less 
in  the  location  than  in  his  individual  ability  as  a  business  builder,  a 
merchant  who  knows  what  the  people  want,  and  who  has  never  spared 
energy  or  means  to  supply  the  mercantile  demands  of  a  large  and  grow- 
ing community.  His  first  location  was  in  a  small  building,  the  front 
part  of  which  supplied  one  room  with  limited  floor  and  shelf  space  for 
the  accommodation  of  a  very  modest  stock  of  goods.  In  the  rear  of  the 
small  building  was  his  home,  where  he  and  his  little  family  carried  on 
their  domestic  life,  while  diligently  watching  out  for  the  interests  of 
the  store  in  front.  As  a  noteworthy  instance  of  what  one  man  may  do 
in  tlfe  brief  space  of  a  dozen  or  so  years,  it  is  now  possible  to  refer  to 
Air.  Lawrence  as  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  one  of  the  largest  depart- 
ment stores  in  Owosso,  and  one  of  the  largest  in  this  section  of  Michi- 
gan. He  is  a  large  land  owner,  occupies  probably  the  most  attractive 
residence  on  one  of  the  finest  residence  streets  in  Owosso,  and  stands 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  successful  business  men  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens of  Shiawassee  county. 

Charles  A.  Lawrence  was  born  in  Birmingham,  Erie  county,  Ohio, 
March  4,  1873,  a  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Hannah  (Greene)  Lawrence. 
The  parents  are  both  still  residents  in  Birmingham,  Ohio.  The  mother 
was  born  in  the  state  of  ^lichigan,  while  the  father  was  a  native  of 
Vermont,  and  was  brought  to  Ohio  by  Grandfather  Amos  Lawrence. 
Charles  D.  Lawrence  was  a  millwright  by  trade  during  his  early  years, 
and  later  was  prosperous  as  a  farmer.  He  is  now  living  a  retired  life. 
The  four  children  in  the  family  were :  Amos  Lawrence,  a  resident  of 
Elyria,  Ohio;  Lillian,  wife  of  W.  P.  Almroth  of  Big  Rapids,  Michigan, 
where  Mr.  Almroth  is  a  prominent  merchant:  Charles  A.;  and  Grace, 
wife  of  Lewis  Heinzerling,  of  Elyria.  Ohio. 


2040  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Charles  A.  Lawrence  had  one  advantage  in  starting  life,  in  that  he 
was  well  educated.  From  the  puhlic  schools  of  Birmingham  he  entered 
the  National  Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated A.  B.  in  the  class  of  1894.  His  business  experience  began  as  clerk 
in  a  general  store  at  Birmingham.  Two  years  later  he  was  made  junior 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Garry-Shuster  Mercantile  Company  of  Birming- 
ham, that  being  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  the  place.  Two  years  later 
he  sold  out  his  interests  and  came  to  C)wosso  in  1899.  Something  of  his 
beginning  here  has  already  been  described,  and  nothing  need  be  added 
by  way  of  comment  except  to  refer  again  to  what  may  be  called  a 
phenomenal  success  as  a  merchant.  His  store,  easily  recognized  as  one 
of  the  best  and  largest  in  Shiawassee  county,  would  be  a  credit  to  a 
city  many  times  the  size  of  Owosso.  His  stock  of  merchandise  occupies 
floor  space  aggregating  twenty-two  thousand  square  feet,  and  the  store 
has  one  of  the  most  eligible  locations  on  Main  street.  Forty  employes 
are  on  the  payroll,  and  from  the  Lawrence  store  a  purchaser  may  obtain 
almost  anything,  from  a  yard  of  ribbon  to  a  complete  set  of  farm  imple- 
ments. Mr.  Lawrence  is  also  a  prominent  stockholder  in  the  Independ- 
ent Store  Manufacturing  Company  of  Owosso.  Both  as  a  diversion  and 
as  a  profitable  business,  he  owns  and  operates  two  very  fine  farms  in 
Owosso  township.  During  1911  Mr.  Lawrence  built  a  home  on  one 
of  the  fine  streets  of  Owosso,  costing  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

.\s  to  his  public  and  social  relations  it  can  be  stated  that  Mr.  Law- 
rence is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  had  political  aspirations.  Frater- 
nally he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  and  his  wife  worship  in  the  Methodist 
church.  All  his  time  and  attention  have  been  devoted  to  his  rapidly 
growing  business,  and  that  in  itself  is  a  splendid  monument  to  his  enter- 
prise and  progressiveness.  Though  he  has  accomplished  so  much,  Mr. 
Lav,  rence  impresses  one  not  by  his  external  qualities,  but  by  the  quiet 
self  possession  and  evident  force  of  his  inward  character. 

On  March  18,  1893,  Mr.  Lawrence  married  Kathrine  Hillberg,  a 
native  of  Birmingham,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  George  Hillberg.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Arlene  Lawrence.  Arlene  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Owosso  high  school  and  it  is  the  cherished  purpose  of 
her  parents  to  give  her  the  best  of  college  training. 

Sevmoi-r  Pi.\tt.  For  aliout  thirty  years  Mr.  Piatt  has  liecn  identi- 
fied with  the  grain  and  milling  business  in  Shiawassee  county,  and  the 
enterjirise  of  both  himself  and  father  has  been  a  familiar  and  valuable 
factor  in  local  commerce  throughout  this  time. 

Seymour  Piatt  was  born  October  21.  1S62,  in  Steuben  county.  New 
York,  a  son  of  Frank  B.  and  .\rvilla  (Sullivan)  Piatt.  His  father,  born 
in  New  York  City,  was  a  son  of  Enoch  Piatt,  an  expert  shipl)uilder  and 
mechanic.  His  tools  are  now  the  highly  ])rized  ])ossession  of  Seymour 
Piatt,  his  grandson.  These  tools  are  upwards  of  one  hundred  years  old, 
and  the  grandfather's  name  and  the  year  in  which  they  were  purchased 
are  engraved  in  fine  characters  upon  each  tool.  The  Grandfather  Piatt, 
who  was  of  French  ancestry,  died  in  Steuben  county.  New  York.  Arvilla 
Sullivan  was  a  native  of  Steuben  county.  The  parents  left  New  York 
state  and  moved  west  in  1871,  settling  in  Crawford  county,  Iowa,  where 
the  father  bought  and  operated  a  farm.  His  prosiierity  was  on  the 
increase  until  the  grasshopper  plague  and  the  financial  panic  of  1873. 
That  combination  of  disasters  left  him  limited  resources,  and  finallv 
he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Shiawassee  county,  Michigan,  in  1878.  He 
had  inherited  from  his  father  a  mechanical  ability,  and  was  an  expert 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2041 

in  different  lines.  In  Shiawassee  county  he  followed  his  trade  as  a  sta- 
tionary engineer  in  the  sawmills  of  Babcock  Brothers,  until  he  took  the 
place  of  engineer  in  the  flour  mills  of  Place  Brothers  at  Laingsburg. 
On  the  day  that  Guiteau  was  hanged  for  the  murder  of  President  Gar- 
field, these  mills  were  transferred  to  the  firm  of  Parker  &  Blood.  Frank 
B.  Piatt  continued  his  services  with  the  new  firm  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  and  his  son,  Seymour,  rented  a  mill  in  Clinton 
county,  and  operated  the  property  there  until  it  was  sold  in  order  to 
close  out  an  estate.  The  next  enterprise  of  the  senior  Piatt  was  the 
grocery  business  at  Laingsburg.  In  the  fall  of  1889,  he  and  his  son, 
Seymour,  secured  the  Place  Brothers  Alill,  and  organized  the  firm  of 
Lawler  &  Piatt,  James  Lawler  having  a  one-half  interest  in  the  concern. 
The  father  and  son  conducted  the  mill  successfully  until  Mr.  Lawler's 
death  on  February  28,  1905,  at  which  time  they  bought  the  entire  prop- 
erty and  the  mill  was  then  conducted  under  their  joint  proprietorship 
until  the  death  of  Frank  B.  Piatt,  on  December  12,  1910.  He  was  born 
December  31,  1832,  and  was  nearly  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  His 
wife,  who  is  still  living,  was  born  November  23,  1832.  After  the  death 
of  his  father,  Seymour  Piatt  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  mills  also  with  a 
one-quarter  interest  in  the  elevator  at  Laingsburg,  and  introduced  a 
number  of  improvements  into  their  equipment.  Among  their  improve- 
ments are  a  Corliss  engine,  and  modern  rolling  machinery.  The  mill 
has  a  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  of  flour  each  day.  and  its  product  has  a 
standard  reputation  throughout  this  part  of  Michigan.  On  August  5, 
J913,  Mr.  Piatt  leased  his  mills  and  elevator  to  the  Laingsburg  Elevator 
Company,  and  since  acted  as  general  manager  for  the  firm. 

Seymour  Piatt  was  the  oldest  of  three  children.  His  sister,  Elida 
Piatt,  is  a  teacher  in  the  county  normal  school  at  Mason  in  Ingham 
county.  The  other  sister,  Lillian  B.  Piatt,  is  assistant  postmaster  at 
Onaway,  Michigan. 

Seymour  Piatt  grew  up  in  Shiawassee  county  and  was  educated  chiefly 
in  the  Laingsburg  schools.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  large  inter- 
ests of  the  community,  has  served  his  town  for  five  years  as  supervisor, 
and  as  clerk  fifteen  years.  For  the  past  thirteen  years  Mr.  Piatt  has  been 
master  of  the  Laingsburg  Lodge,  No.  230,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  On  January 
24,  1885,  Mr.  Piatt  married  Elva  Sowersby,  who  was  born  in  Canada, 
a  daughter  of  William  D.  and  Eliza  (Niffin)  Sowersby.  To  their  mar- 
riage have  been  born  three  children:  Lloyd,  born  May  31,  1887:  Lucile. 
born  August  14,  1893;  and  Beatrice,  born  October  13,  1896.  The  family 
reside  in  one  of  the  pleasant  homes  of  Laingsburg,  and  have  long  en- 
joyed a  high  place  in  social  affairs  and  local  citizenship. 

John  J.  Kean.  Though  still  a  young  man  in  years,  but  with  many 
years  of  business  experience,  John  J.  Kean,  as  a  result  of  his  expanding 
interests  in  mining,  and  other  industries  has  advanced  to  a  place  among 
the  leaders  in  Michigan  commercial  affairs.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
has  been  a  citizen  of  Owosso,  but  his  business  connections  extend  over 
several  states,  and  he  keeps  his  offices  and  headquarters,  both  at  Detroit 
and  Owosso. 

John  J.  Kean  was  born  August  14,  1870,  at  Saginaw,  a  son  of  John 
and  Rose  (Salmon)  Kean.  Both  parents  were  born  in  Ireland,  were 
married  in  New  York  state,  and  in  1867  moved  to  Saginaw,  Michigan. 
For  thirty  years  the  elder  Mr.  Kean  was  actively  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  salt,  and  was  a  leading  citizen  of  Saginaw,  where  he  still 
lives  with  his  wife  and  youngest  daughter.  Since  1897  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  his  son,  John  J.,  in  the  coal  business  at  Saginaw  and  Owosso, 


2042  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

where  lliey  conduct  retail  coril  wirds.  There  were  eleven  children  in  the 
family  of  the  parents,  five  of  them  now  deceased.  Those  living  are : 
John  J.:  Rose,  wife  of  Christopher  liarwick,  of  Detroit;  Jennie,  wife 
of  William  Pesecker,  of  Detroit,  and  Anna,  wife  of  John  Salmon,  of 
Detroit :  Willia,  of  Detroit ;  and  Catherine,  living  with  her  jiarents  at 
Saginaw. 

John  J.  Kean  graduated  from  the  Saginaw  high  school,  and  then 
learned  the  ])rofession  of  engineering  and  boiler  making.  From  boy- 
hood he  has  been  dependent  upon  his  own  resources,  and  through  his 
individual  efforts  and  ability  has  advanced  himself  to  a  high  place  among 
^Michigan  business  men.  Early  in  life  he  became  a  contractor  for  the 
bm'lding  of  salt  works,  constructing  and  e(|uipping  plants  in  many  states, 
chiefly  in  Kansas,  Minnesota,  and  California,  and  remodeled  and  equipped 
the  largest  plants  in  the  states  of  New  York  and  Michigan.  That  was 
the  line  of  his  activities  for  twelve  years,  and  laid  the  basis  for  his  pres- 
ent diversified  enterprise.  Some  years  ago,  Mr.  Kean  organized  the 
Kay  Salt  Company  of  Detroit,  of  which  he  is  treasurer  and  one  of  the 
principal  stockholders.  This  companv  gives  steady  em])loynient  to  tw^enty- 
five  or  more  hands,  and  is  a  prosperous  concern.  Fried  Fork  Coal  Min- 
ing Company,  of  which  Mr.  Kean  is  president,  has  its  property  and 
works  at  Ethel,  West  A'irginia,  employs  a  force  of  seventy  men,  and  the 
industry  is  now  being  enlarged,  and  double  the  force  of  workmen  will 
be  em])loved.  These  mines  in  West  \'irginia  are  among  the  best  in  point 
of  ec|ui])ment,  being  siijiplied  with  electrical  power,  and  all  safety  de- 
vices. Mr.  Kean  is  treasurer -o-f  .the  Wand-Kean  Coal  Company  of 
Owosso ;  is  manager  of  ;Uie  New  River  &  Ohio  Coal  Company,  of  Charles- 
town,  owns  large  interests. in  oil  wells  in  Oklahoma,  and  his  interests 
are  such  that  much  of  his  time  is  spent  away  from  home.  His  Detroit 
office  is  in  the  Ford  building,  and  in  Owosso  his  offices  are  on  Wash- 
ington street. 

Mr.  Kean  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  he 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks,  and  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose. 

On  July  I,  1 891,  he  married  Miss  Rose  Leacher,  a  native  of  Saginaw 
and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Salmon)  Leacher.  As  there  were 
eleven  children  in  his  father's  family,  so  Mr.  Kean  himself  has  become 
the  father  of  eleven.  These  are  mentioned  as  follows :  Mary,  who  is 
manager  and  bookkeeper  in  the  Owosso  office  for  her  father ;  Grace, 
Helen  and  James  all  deceased;  John  J.,  Jr.;  Harold  \"inccnt ;  Robert 
Emmet;  Bernard  Russell;  Kathleen;  ATargaret  Rose;  and  Josephine. 
The  family  now  live  in  a  pleasant  home  at  (~)wosso,  but  a  fine  residence 
is  being  constructed  in  Detroit,  and  that  will  soon  be  occupied  as  the 
Kean  home.  Mr.  Kean  also  owns  a  summer  cottage  on  T.ong  T-ake, 
where  the  family  spend  the  school  vacations  each  year.  Politically,  Mr. 
Kean  is  a  Republican. 

Joseph  ScHEinr.F.R,  M.  D.  The  medical  profession  of  Michigan  is 
capably  represented  at  I-'lushing  by  Dr.  Joseph  Scheidler,  who  has  car- 
ried on  a  successful  practice  here  since  igoi.  He  deserves  great  credit 
for  what  he  has  accomjilishcd  in  life,  for  with  no  jjarticular  advantages 
to  aid  him  he  embarked  upon  his  career,  made  his  own  way  through 
college  and  by  his  resolute  purpose,  unflagging  perseverance  and  ability 
has  attained  to  a  leading  place  in  the  profession  of  which  he  is  now  an 
honored  representative.  Doctor  .Scheidler  was  born  January  18,  1872, 
at  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Alargaret  (Klien) 
Scheidler. 


'^^r, 


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^"^-*'^^^:?t'.-*i 


^  Jy^^cUc^H. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2043 

Peter  Scheidler  was  born  in  Luxemburg,  Germany,  was  there  edu- 
cated, reared  and  married,  and  in  1871  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
with  his  wife  and  several  children,  and  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1879  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Michigan,  taking  up  his  home  at  Maple  Grove,  Saginaw 
county,  where  he  contiiuied  operations  until  his  death  in  March,  191 1, 
when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Scheidler  married  Mar- 
garet Klien,  also  a  native  of  Luxemburg,  who  survives  him  and  lives  at 
Flushing.  They  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Joseph 
is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  there  being  seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Doctor  Scheidler  received  his  early  education  in  the  i)ublic  schools 
of  Owosso,  and  after  some  preparation  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  spent  five  years  and  graduated 
in  1901  with  his  degree.  He  was  studious  and  industrious,  and  paid 
his  way  through  the  university  by  working  at  whatever  honorable  em- 
ploynient  presented  itself.  When  he  received  his  diploma,  he  settled 
down  to  practice  in  Flushing  and  this  city  has  since  been  his  field  of  en- 
deavor and  the  scene  of  his  success.  Doctor  Scheidler  has  built  up  an 
enviable  practice  and  has  won  a  firmly-established  position  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  professional  brethren.  He  is  a  subscriber  to  the  leading 
medical  journals  and  owns  a  fine  and  comprehensive  medical  library, 
while  it  is  his  constant  endeavor  to  keep  posted  on  the  new  methods  and 
discoveries  in  medical  science,  and  his  leisure  time  is  always  spent  in 
study,  research  and  investigation.  He  belongs  to  the  various  organiza- 
tions of  the  profession,  in  which  he  takes  a  keen  interest  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  pension  examiners,  this  latter  being  his  only  public 
position,  for  he  has  found  that  the  duties  of  his  large  practice  preclude 
any  idea  of  his  actively  entering  the  arena  of  politics.  His  vote  is  cast 
with  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Lodge  and  Chapter 
Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  C)dd  Fellows.  Doc- 
tor Scheidler  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  for 
some  time  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  thereof. 

On  September  3,  1901,  Doctor  Scheidler  was  married  to  Miss 
Ora  Shanafelt,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  David  Shanafelt. 
Mrs.  Scheidler  died  December  26,  1905,  having  been  the  mother  of  one 
daughter,  Ruth,  who  was  born  July  10,  1902.  On  July  30,  1908,  Doctor 
Scheidler  was  married  at  Flushing,  to  Miss  Irene  Niles,  daugh- 
ter of  F.  A.  Niles,  an  old  pioneer  settler  and  banker  of  Flushing.  Mrs. 
Scheidler  was  well  and  favorably  known  in  social  circles  of  Flushing, 
and  at  the  time  of  her  death,  April  28,  1913,  at  Ann  Arbor,  was  matron 
of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

Duncan  Deemot  Stewart,  the  postmaster  in  the  city  of  Munising, 
was  born  in  Canada,  Wellington  county,  Ontario,  in  the  year  1858.  His 
parents  were  Duncan  Stewart  and  Katherine  McKenzie  Stewart  from 
Perthshire,  Scotland. 

Mr.  Stewart  moved  to  the  upper  peninsula  of  Michigan  in  the  year 
1882,  where  he  has  since  made  his  residence.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master on  the  4th  of  March,  1914,  by  Woodrow  Wilson,  in  recognition 
of  his  qualifications  and  services  to  the  Democratic  party. 

Harry  T.  Baldwin.  During  his  twenty-three  years  residence  in 
Grand  Rapids,  Mr.  Baldwin  has  not  only  succeeded  in  building  up  a 
large  private  business,  but  has  also  interested  himself  in  many  useful 
ways  in  connection  with  the  public  welfare,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  ]\Iasons  in  the  western  part  of  the  state. 


2044  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  born  in  Kent  County,  Michigan,  December  7,  1857. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Susan  S.  (Hastings)  Baldwin.  His  father 
was  born  at  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  in  1829,  and  died  in  1873.  Grand- 
father Jared  Baldwin  was  a  native  of  \'ermont,  of  good  old  New  Eng- 
land stock,  and  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  northern  Indiana,  locat- 
ing at  Michigan  City  at  a  time  when  that  place  was  a  flourishing  rival 
and  contender  for  all  the  commerce  of  lower  Lake  Michigan,  and  before 
the  city  of  Chicago  had  come  into  existence.  The  mother  of  Mr. 
Baldwin  was  born  in  England  in  1831,  and  died  in  1906.  Her  father, 
Jerry  Hastings,  was  an  early  settler  and  farmer  of  ^lichigan.  Susan 
Baldwin  died  in  1906.  James  Baldwin  w^as  a,  blacksmith  by  trade,  and 
on  moving  from  Indiana  to  ^lichigan  settled  at  Cannonsburg,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  industriously  until  his  death.  He  succeeded  in  pro- 
viding well  for  his  family,  and  was  a  man  of  no  little  influence  in  his 
community.  In  politics  he  was  Republican.  There  were  eight  children, 
and  the  four  still  living  are :  E.  G.,  a  blacksmith  at  Dublin,  Michigan : 
R.  J.,  in  the  same  business  at  Dublin ;  Harry  T.  and  Maude,  the  wife  of 
B.  F.  Lund,  a  tailor  in  Battle  Creek. 

Harry  T.  Baldwin  had  only  a  limited  education  in  the  country 
schools,  and  prepared  for  a  practical  career  in  his  father's  shop.  Coming 
to  Grand  Rapids  in  1891  he  established  a  business  on  a  small  scale,  and 
by  good  service  and  close  attention  to  details  has  built  up  a  large  and 
prosperous  establishment.  He  has  seven  men  employed,  and  besides  a 
general  line  of  repair  work,  does  a  great  deal  of  special  manufacturing, 
building  wagons,  making  chain,  ice  tongs,  and  other  ironmongery. 

In  1879  Mr.  Baldwin  married  Addie  F.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Gran- 
ville and  Abbie  A.  Brown,  formerly  from  the  state  of  Maine.  Mrs. 
Baldwin  died  in  1906,  and  on  August  22,  1908,  he  married  Burd  Gard- 
ner. .She  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Active  and  prominent  in 
fraternal  affairs,  Mr.  Baldwin  is  especially  well  known  in  Masonry,  re- 
ceiving his  degree  in  Luther  Lodge  Xo.  370.  He  affiliates  with  Grand 
River  Lodge  Xo.  34,  A.  F.  &  A.  ^L,  of  which  he  is  Past  Master;  with 
Grand  Rapids  Chapter  of  the  Royal  Arch  Xo.  7,  of  which  he  is  Past 
High  Priest ;  with  Tyre  Council,  R.  &  F.  M. ;  DeMolai  Commandery  Xo. 
5,  K.  T. ;  DeW'itt  Clinton  Consistory  of  the  Thirty-second  degree  Scot- 
tish Rite;  and  with  the  ^lystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  Past  Patron  of 
the  Eastern  Star,  and  belongs  to  the  White  Shrine  of  Jerusalem.  His 
public  record  began  with  his  election  as  alderman  in  1903,  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  He  served  six  years  continuously,  and  was  jjresident  of 
the  City  Council.  In  1913  Mr.  Baldwin  was  again  returned  to  the  City 
Council,  where  his  services  have  been  much  appreciated. 

Wellie  S.  M.\ckenzie,  M.  D.  Lenawee  county  has  always  had 
capable  and  faithful  physicians,  and  one  of  its  best  representatives  in 
this  field  of  work  is  Dr.  Wellie  S.  Mackenzie,  who  was  a  native  son  of 
Adrian,  and  has  recently  returned  to  this  city  to  pursue  his  profession. 

Wellie  S.  Mackenzie  was  liorn  at  Adrian,  Septcmlier  16,  1S7S.  and 
was  one  of  the  children  of  Samuel  D.  and  Mary  Emma  (Smith)  Mack- 
enzie. His  father  was  born  near  Devils  Lake,  Michigan,  September  10, 
1837,  followed  his  trade  as  stone  mason,  until  retiring  in  1910,  and  now 
lives  at  a  good  old  age  in  Adrian.  His  wife  was  born  at  Fruit  Ridge, 
Michigan,  in  1841.  Their  eight  children  are  named:  Fannie,  Justin, 
Flora,  Wellie,  George,  Mary,  Louis,  and  Wesley.  Fannie  is  now  Mrs. 
Teachout  of  Lenawee  county:  Justin  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at 
Clarkston,  Michigan:  Flora  is  Mrs.  Frank  Green  of  Lenawee  county: 
George  is  a  mason  by  trade  and  lives  at  St.  Elmo,  Tennessee;  Mary  is 
a   trained   nurse   at    .Adrian:    Louis   is   a    Lenawee   countv    farmer;   and 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2045 

Wesley  is  a  student  in  the  engineering  department  in  tiie  University  of 
Michigan. 

Dr.  W.  S.  Mackenzie  was  educated  in  the  local  schools  until  eight- 
een, then  left  the  Adrian  high  school,  and  for  one  year  superintended 
the  Adrian  Electric  Railway  and  for  a  similar  time  was  clerk  in  the 
waterworks  plant.  At  the  laeginning  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B  of  the  Thirty-first  Michigan  Volunteers,  went 
to  the  front  with  that  regiment,  saw  active  service  for  ten  and  a  half 
months,  with  two  and  a  half  months  at  the  actual  scene  of  hostilities  in 
Cuba.  After  his  return  from  Cuba  he  re-entered  high  school,  continued 
until  graduating,  and  spent  his  vacations  in  a  drug  store  at  .\drian.  Dr. 
Mackenzie  in  the  fall  of  1901  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  spent 
two  years  there,  and  then  became  a  student  at  Rush  Medical  College  in 
Chicago,  graduating  from  that  well  known  old  institution  in  1905  with 
the  degree  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  began  his  practice  in  the  Northern 
Peninsula  of  Michigan  at  Munising,  and  in  the  ne.xt  si.x  years  built  up 
an  extensive  patronage.  In  191 1  he  returned  to  Adrian,  and  in  the 
meantime  has  founded  a  liberal  and  practical  business  as  a  general  prac- 
titioner. 

Dr.  Mackenzie  affiliates  with  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  serving  as  city  physician  of  Adrian,  and  is  also  local  surgeon  for  the 
Wabash  Railroad.  While  at  Munising  he  served  as  county  physician  and 
as  house  surgeon  to  the  Munising  Hospital.  He  owns  a  good  residence, 
and  is  one  of  the  popular  leaders  in  this  community. 

At  Chicago,  on  June  27,  1906,  Dr.  Mackenzie  married  Maude  E.  War- 
ren. Her  father,  Arthur  A.  Warren,  is  a  resident  of  Chicago  and  a 
printer.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  two  children  :  Uouis  and 
Edna. 

James  J.  McVean.  Fifteen  years  of  conscientious  public  service, 
eight  years  as  under-sheriff,  and  eight  years  as  sheriff,  has  made  the 
name  of  James  McVean  familiar  to  the  people  of  Oceana  county,  and  his 
continued  investment  with  that  office  testifies  to  the  esteem  and  respect 
in  which  he  is  universally  held.  Mr.  McVean  came  to  his  present  office 
fully  qualified  to  handle  its  affairs,  and  has  brought  to  his  work  the  busi- 
ness sagacity  and  ability  necessary  to  an  administrator's  office,  his  early 
training  having  been  of  a  varied  nature  from  farming  in  Michigan,  and 
on  the  western  prairies,  to  merchandising. 

James  J.  McVean  was  born  in  New  York  State,  July  8,  1853,  a  son 
of  James  R.  and  Mary  (McPherson)  Mc\'ean.  The  grandparents,  Peter 
and  ]\Iary  McVean,  were  born  in  Scotland,  and  after  their  marriage  came 
to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  New  York  State,  where  the  former 
spent  his  active  career  as  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Genesee  county.  The 
maternal  grandparents  were  John  and  Jessie  (McPherson)  McPherson, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Scotland,  where  they  were  married.  John 
McPherson  held  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  regular  British  Army,  and 
after  leaving  the  service  located  in  Canada,  and  finally  at  Rochester, 
New  York,  where  he  died.  James  R.  McVean  was  born  in  New  York 
State,  June  6,  1810,  and  died  November  10,  1870.  On  November  16, 
1848,  at  Rochester,  he  married  Mary  McPherson,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, March  19,  1822,  and  died  March  28,  1904.  In  1869  the  family  came 
to  Michigan,  settling  at  Hart,  about  a  year  later  moving  to  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres.  A  year  after  their  location  on  that  farm,  the  father  died, 
and  the  mother  was  left  with  her  small  family  to  provide  for  as  best  she 


2046  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

could.  Of  their  four  children,  only  two  are  now  living,  James  J.  having 
been  third  in  order  of  birth.  His  sister,  Frances,  married  C.  Snitt,  who 
is  a  building  contractor  in  Hart.  The  father  was  a  very  active  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  held  several  church  positions,  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  during  his  residence  in  Xew  York  ser\-ed  in  the  state 
militia.  Although  he  died  Ijefore  reaching  old  age.  he  had  acquired  con- 
siderable property,  and  left  a  good  farm  for  his  widow  and  children. 

James  J.  }ikA"ean  grew  up  in  Xew  York  State  and  at  Hart,  Michigan, 
being  about  fifteen  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  this  state.  He 
was  seventeen  years  old  when  the  father  died,  and  he  at  once  had  to  take 
charge  of  the  homestead.  Somewhat  later,  by  his  management,  he  added 
forty  acres  more,  so  that  he  farmed  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
continued  to  manage  the  place,  until  1884,  when  he  went  out  to  North 
Dakota,  and  spent  four  years  in  operating  a  threshing  outfit.  While  he 
prospered  as  a  result  of  that  business,  a  disastrous  fire  eventually  caused 
him  the  loss  of  practically  all  his  accumulations  during  those  four  years. 
Returning  to  Hart  in  1888  he  sold  the  old  farm,  and  in  i88g  engaged  in 
the  shoe  and  grocery  business  at  Hart.  His  record  as  a  merchant  in  that 
city  lasted  for  eight  years. 

Mr.  Mc\'ean  is  now  serving  in  his  fourth  consecutive  term  as  sheriff 
of  Oceana  county.  Previously  for  eight  years  he  w-as  under-sheriff,  and 
has  also  served  as  marshal  and  councilman  of  Hart.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  Republicans  in  the  county. 

On  January  3,  1889,  Mr.  Mc\'ean  married  Louisa  Wright,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Lucina  ( Hunt)  Wright.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  September  30,  1827,  and  died  in  January,  1892;  while  her 
mother  was  born  in  Xortb  Carolina,  in  1829,  and  died  January  16,  1870. 
The  Wright  family  moved  to  Indiana,  where  the  mother  died,  and  the 
father  then  moved  his  little  household  to  Michigan,  where  the  rest  of 
his  days  were  spent.     He  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer  by  occupation. 

George  H.  Young.  It  is  generally  found  that  those  financiers 
of  Michigan  who  have  left  their  impress  upon  the  banking  world  have 
come  from  the  desk  or  the  counting-room  and  have  climbed  the  difficult 
self-made  road  to  success.  George  H.  Young,  president  of  the  Bay  City 
Bank,  of  Bank  City,  a  man  widely  known  in  banking  circles  in  Michigan, 
is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  devoted 
to  financial  matters,  and  from  a  humble  clerkship  he  has  risen  to  the 
position  of  directing  head  of  one  of  the  strongest  institutions  in  the  state. 
Mr.  Young  was  born  in  the  city  of  Albany,  New  York,  in  May,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Anna  M.  (McCormack)  Young.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  and  there  in  Albany  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store. 
With  the  industry,  thrift,  and  perseverance  for  which  his  race  is  noted, 
he  carefully  saved  his  earnings  and  ultimately  entered  business  on  a 
modest  scale,  gradually  branching  out  and  widening  his  scope  as  his 
finances  jiermilted.  Thus  he  became  the  owner  of  a  profitable  retail 
and  wholesale  business,  which  he  conducted  until  coming  to  Michigan 
in  1870.  .\t  that  time  he  became  interested  in  the  lumber  business,  soon 
had  extensive  interests,  and  finally  founded  the  Bay  City  Bank,  of  which 
he  continued  to  be  vice  president  until  his  death  in  1890,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  His  wife  was  bom  at  Bethlehem,  near  Albany,  New 
York,  and  died  at  Bay  City  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  80  years.  Four 
children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  George  H.  is  the  eldest. 

George  H.  Young  received  good  educational  advantages,  attending  the 
public  graded  and  high  schools  of  .Albany,  and  later  .\nthony  Institute. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  latter  institution  in  1866,  and  at  that  time 
entered  the  Union   National  Bank  of  Albanv,  where  he  remained  as  a 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2047 

clerk  and  teller  until  1870.  At  that  time  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Bay  City  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Bay  City  I'.ank,  of  which 
he  was  subsequently  elected  cashier,  and  continued  to  serve  in  that 
capacity  until  1900,  when  he  became  president.  This  position  he  has 
held  to  the  present  time.  The  continued  prosperity  of  this  institution 
may  be  accredited  in  large  part  to  Mr.  Young's  wise  and  capable  man- 
agement of  its  affairs.  In  a  statement  of  its  condition,  rendered  at  the 
close  of  business  August  9,  1913,  the  bank  was  shown  to  be  upon  a 
decidedly  substantial  footing,  as  follows :  Resources — Bonds,  Mortgages 
and  Collateral  Loans,  $1,274,975.33;  Loans  and  Discounts,  $855,621.01; 
Safe  Deposit  Vaults,  Furniture  and  Fixtures,  $30,000.00;  Cash  and  Due 
from  Banks,  $510,860.69;  Total,  $2,671,457.03.  Liabilities — Capital, 
$200,000.00;  Surplus,  $200,000.00;  Undivided  Profits,  net,  $52,106.98; 
Deposits,  $2,219,350.05;  Total,  $2,671,457.03.  The  officers  of  the  insti- 
tution at  this  time  are  as  follows:  George  H.  Young,  president;  J- 
Wentworth,  vice-president ;  W.  D.  Young,  vice-president ;  H.  C.  Moul- 
throp,  cashier;  J.  I.  P.  Shearer,  assistant  cashier;  J-  D.  Kinney,  assistant 
cashier;  board  of  directors,  Justin  Wentworth,  George  K.  Wentworth, 
Frank  E.  Tyler,  William  A.  Young,  Walter  D.  Young,  James  E.  Duft'yi, 
H.  G.  Wendland  and  George  H.  Young.  While  the  greater  part  of  his 
attention  is  given  to  his  banking  business,  Air.  Young  has  also  given 
the  benefit  of  his  wide  experience  and  thorough  training  to  other  ven- 
tures, and  he  is  at  this  time  a  director  of  many  of  Bay  City's  most  prom- 
inent industries.  He  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  has  been  a  promoter 
of  movements  for  the  city's  welfare,  although  not  a  seeker  after  public 
honors.  He  holds  independent  views  in  political  matters.  With  his 
family  he  attends  the  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Young  was  married  in  Albany,  New  York,  in  1866,  to  Miss  Mary 
C.  Phillips,  daughter  of  John  I'hillips,  and  to  this  union  there  were  born 
two  children :  Frank  P.,  born  in  Albany,  who  died  in  Bay  City,  leaving 
four  children,  all  of  whom  reside  in  this  city ;  and  May,  born  in  Bay  City, 
who  married  James  E.  Duffy,  a  prominent  attorney,  and  has  two  children. 

Cecil  C.  Peck.  Few  men  have  it  in  them  to  advance  so  steadily  and 
rapidly  and  to  fortify  themselves  so  securely  in  business  as  has  been  the 
case  of  Cecil  C.  Peck,  who  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years  is  one  of  the 
dominant  forces  in  the  general  commercial  activities  of  Port  Huron. 
Since  he  was  fifteen  years  old  he  has  been  self-supporting,  and  when 
he  entered  a  Port  Huron  Bank  about  fifteen  years  ago  it  was  in  a  minor 
position,  and  by  individual  merit  he  has  shown  himself  worthy  of  all 
the  responsibilities  which  have  been  placed  upon  him  in  subsequent 
years.  *• 

Cecil  C.  Peck  was  born  at  Auburn,  New  York,  February  22,  1880. 
His  paternal  ancestors  came  from  England,  and  the  lineage  goes  back 
to  the  fourteenth  century.  The  Pecks  were  early  New  York  residents, 
and  on  his  mother's  side,  Mr.  Peck  is  descended  from  an  old  English 
family,  from  which  country  the  Carvers  came  to  New  York  during  the 
colonial  days.  Linus  Jones  Peck,  father  of  the  Port  Huron  banker  was 
born  in  New  York  State,  was  a  contractor,  and  one  of  the  foremost 
men  in  Democratic  politics  for  a  number  of  years.  He  filled  dift'erent 
offices,  including  that  of  state  senator,  and  was  for  ten  years  superintend- 
ent of  the  old  Erie  Canal.  He  came  to  ^Michigan  in  1S81,  and  lived  in 
this  state  until  his  death  at  Albion,  on  August  29,  1895.  He  married 
Sophronia  A.  Carver,  who  was  born  in  New  York  and  now  lives  in 
Port  Huron. 

Cecil  C.  Peck  was  the  only  child,  and  spent  his  youth  mostly  in  St. 


2048  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Clair  county,  Michijjan,  where  he  gained  a  pubHc  school  education,  and 
in  1898,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  graduated  from  the  Albion  College.  With 
this  preparation  largely  ac(|uired  through  his  own  savings  and  economy 
he  entered  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Port  Huron,  starting  as  a  stenog- 
rapher, and  advancing  rapidly,  becoming  discount  clerk,  and  remained 
\vith  that  institution  until  1907.  Mr.  Peck  was  then  regarded  as  one  of 
the  mature  young  banking  men  of  Port  Huroti,  and  with  several  other 
gentlemen  in  that  year  organized  the  German-American  Savings  Bank  of 
which  he  became  cashier.  Mr.  Peck  is  now  not  only  cashier,  but  also 
vice  president  and  general  manager  of  that  prosperous  institution.  I'he 
German- American  Savings  bank  has  total  resources  of  nearly  six  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  its  capital  stock  is  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  its  deposits,  including  both  commercial  and  savings,  amount  to  more 
than  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand.  Besides  Mr.  Peck,  the 
officers  and  directors  of  this  bank  are :  Henrv'  F.  Mars,  president :  A. 
E.  Stevenson,  vice  president ;  E.  W.  Orttenbarger,  A.  T.  Slaght,  E.  J. 
Ottoway :  George  S.  Lovelate  and  M.  D.  Smith. 

Mr.  Peck  has  many  other  business  relations.  He  is  president  of  the 
Smith-Peck  Bank  at  Smiths  Creek :  president  of  Goodells  Bank  at 
Goodells;  president  of  the  Exchange  Bank  at  Lamb,  ^Michigan;  presi- 
dent of  the  St.  Clair  Central  Telephone  Company  of  Port  Huron ;  presi- 
dent of  the  large  mercantile  establishment  at  Port  Huron  conducted  by 
R.  S.  and  J.  D.  Patterson  Company ;  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
H.  F.  Marz  Insurance  Company :  and  a  director  of  the  Herald  Printing 
Company. 

Mr.  Peck  has  also  found  time  for  participation  in  public  affairs.  He 
is  an  active  Democrat,  is  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  control  of  the  Michigan  Home  and  Train- 
ing School  at  Lapeer.  Fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Lodge,  Chapter 
and  Commandery  of  the  ^lasonic  Order  at  Port  Huron  and  with  the 
Detroit  Temple  of  the  ^lystic  Shrine ;  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks ;  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and  the  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  at  Port  Huron.  He  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Bankers  Club. 
Mr.  Peck  is  unmarried,  and  his  home  is  at  1507  Military  Street. 

Joseph  Waltox.  One  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the  court  house  at 
Caro  is  Joseph  Walton,  Register  of  IDeeds  for  Tuscola  county.  Mr. 
Walton  is  a  young  man  who  has  seen  much  official  service,  and  belongs 
to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  families  of  Tuscola  county. 

Joseph  Walton  was  born  at  Watrousville  in  Tuscola  county.  May  23, 
1885,  a  son  of  William  Norton  and  Caroline  (Wilkinson)  Walton.  His 
father  was  born  in  England  and  his  mother  in  Tuscola  county.  Grand- 
father John  Walton,  founder  of  the  Walton  family  in  Michigan,  located 
within  the  borders  of  the  state  in  1858.  taking  up  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment. His  was  a  long  and  useful  career  as  a  farmer,  and  his  death 
took  away  one  of  the  substantial  early  settlers.  The  late  William  N.  Wal- 
ton, the  father,  learned  the  trade  of  wagonmaker,  and  for  many  years  was 
engaged  as  an  educator  in  the  schools  of  Watrousville  township.  An 
active  and  influential  Republican,  he  served  as  super\'isor~of  his  township 
and  for  two  terms  held  the  ollfice  of  county  clerk  of  Tuscola  county. 
While  in  the  county  clerk's  office,  he  utilized  his  spare  time  for  the  study 
of  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  subsequently  became  associated  with 
T.  W.  Atwood.  and  theirs  was  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Tuscola 
county.  They  practiced  with  offices  in  Caro,  and  Mr.  Walton  died  there 
several  years  ago.  His  widow  still  lives  in  Caro.  Their  four  children 
were  as  follows:    John  Norman  Walton,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Joseph; 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2049 

Lewis  Walton,  a  banker  in  Duluth,  [Minnesota;  and  Willoline  Walton  of 
Caro. 

It  was  in  the  grammar  and  iiigh  schools  of  Caro  that  Joseph  Walton 
was  educated,  and  his  school  career  was  followed  by  practical  participa- 
tion in  the  serious  business  of  life,  and  most  of  his  time  has  been  spent 
in  some  public  office.  For  six  years  he  served  as  town  clerk  of  Caro,  and 
in  igi2  was  elected  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds.  His  election  came 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  since  his  majority  he  has  been  an  efficient 
though  quiet  worker  in  the  ranks  of  that  party.  Fraternally  his  relations 
are  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Walton  was  married  July  ii,  igocj,  at  Caro  to  i\Iiss  Jessie  Stevens, 
a  native  of  Howard  City,  Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Stevens. 
Mr.  Walton  commands  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  by  his  intelligent  and 
efficient  administration  of  his  duties  as  register  of  deeds  has  a  secure 
place  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  citizens  of  Tuscola  county. 

Rus.SELL  B.  Odle.  For  more  than  forty  years  the  name  Odle  has 
signified  business  and  civic  prominence  in  Lapeer  county.  R.  B.  Odle  is 
a  man  of  vigorous  enterprise,  who  has  made  himself  an  important  factor 
in  the  community  through  the  coal  and  ice  business,  and  supplies  more 
coal  and  ice  to  the  local  retail  trade  than  any  of  his  competitors,  and  the 
wholesale  branch  of  his  business  makes  him  one  of  the  largest  in  that 
field  in  Lapeer  county.  As  a  citizen  Mr.  Odle  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  in  Lapeer,  has  served  the  Fourth  ward  as  its  alderman  in 
the  common  council  for  a  number  of  years,  and  his  public  spirit,  his  gen- 
erosity, his  exceptional  success  as  a  business  man,  has  created  for  him  a 
position  in  the  city  such  as  only  a  true  leader  can  attain. 

Russell  Byron  Odle  was  born  at  Utica,  Macomb  county,  Michigan, 
November  27,  1861,  a  son  of  Theodore  Byron  and  Alary  J.  (Gillett) 
Odle.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Utica,  New  York,  and  the  mother  was 
bon:  in  Vermont.  Both  were  brought  to  ^Michigan  as  children  in  1839, 
and  the  Odle  and  Gillett  families  were  pioneers  and  neighbors  of  the  same 
community,  so  that  the  father  and  mother  grew  up  together  and  their 
association  was  cemented  by  marriage  on  July  4,  1851.  The  late  Theodore 
B.  Odle  was  not  an  ordinary  man.  A  cooper  by  trade,  he  became  man- 
ager of  the  largest  stave  mills  and  cooperage  concern  in  his  section,  bought 
extensively  of  farm  lands,  and  during  the  four  years  prior  to  his  removal 
to  Lapeer  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Macomb  and  Muskegon  counties. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  an  enrolling  officer,  and  held  a  number  of 
local  offices  and  places  of  trust  in  Macomb  county  and  Aluskegon  county. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  was  a  founder, 
he  steadfastly  advocated  its  principles  and  was  always  found  a  willing 
worker  for  its  success.  In  1871  occurred  his  removal  to  Lapeer,  where  a 
large  cooperage  plant  was  built  up  under  his  management,  employing  from 
eight  to  twelve  men,  and  manufacturing  a  large  quantity  of  barrels.  Dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  his  life  his  work  brought  him  many  arduous  expe- 
riences, and  he  often  traveled  on  horseback  or  by  vehicle  over  roads  at  a 
great  distance  from  his  home,  and  a  number  of  times  had  to  make  trips  in 
this  way  into  Canada.  At  Lapeer  he  served  the  town  as  alderman  from 
the  Fourth  ward.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  and  his  wife  and 
other  members  of  the  family  were  also  active  in  the  same  church.  His 
death  occurred  December  29,  1908,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  while  his 
wife  died  in  1909  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  Their  remains  are  now 
resting  in  Utica  in  the  family  burying  ground,  where  four  generations  of 
the  family  are  represented.  There  were  seven  children :  Rev.  Edwin  L. 
Odle,  now  deceased,  was  a  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ; 
Harold  Odle,  deceased;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Luther  E.  Ferguson,  of 


2050  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

White  Pigeon,  Micliigan  ;  Russell  B.,  who  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth ; 
I'rank  Howard,  an  office  man  with  C.  M.  Hays  Company  of  Detroit; 
Fred  Seward,  a  rancher  of  RoHins,  Montana ;  and  Harry,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  R.  B.  Odle  received  most  of  his  education  in  the  schools  of  La- 
peer, which  city  has  been  his  home  since  he  was  about  ten  years  of  age. 
liis  training  was  also  suplemented  by  four  years  of  study  in  the  Chautau- 
qua courses.  In  his  father's  shop  he  acquired  a  thorough  skill  in  the 
cooperage  business,  and  remained  as  his  father's  assistant  for  twelve 
years.  The  beginning  of  his  independent  enterprise  was  in  1891,  on  a 
small  and  modest  scale  as  a  coal  merchant  of  Lapeer.  From  that  begin- 
ning has  developed  the  Xeppessing  Coal  Company,  with  a  large  yard  and 
all  the  facilities  for  furnishing  coal  in  any  amount  and  of  any  quality  to 
his  customers  in  and  about  Lapeer.  His  business  has  grown  perhaps 
chiefly  because  he  has  given  it  his  close  personal  supervision.  His  whole- 
sale trade  for  coal  is  of  even  greater  value  than  his  retail,  and  the  facil- 
ities and  equipments  which  are  chiefly  employed  in  the  winter  season  in 
the  coal  business  find  an  additional  use  in  the  summer  in  the  distribution 
of  the  ice  which  he  stores  during  the  winter  time.  He  employs  a  large 
force  of  men  and  teams  and  wagons  and  besides  coal  and  ice  has  also 
developed  considerable  business  in  produce.  In  politics  a  Republican  like 
his  father,  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  jjublic  affairs,  has  the  welfare  of 
his  home  community  always  at  heart,  and  besides  four  years  of  service  as 
alderman  was  tax  coUecter  of  Lapeer  for  one  year.  Mr.  Odle  affiliates 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  and  his  family  enjoy  the  comforts  of  one  of  the  beautiful  homes  of 
Lapeer  county.  He  was  married  October  16,  1912,  at  Detroit  to  ^liss 
Grace  Osmun,  who  was  born  in  Lapeer,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mar- 
garet (Allison)  Osmun. 

Adri.-\n  C.  Johnson.  When  John  B.  Johnson,  father  of  Adrian  C. 
Johnson,  died  in  Grand  Rapids,  in  1910,  the  latter  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  printing  business  the  father  had  established  here  some  years 
previous,  and  he  has  since  conducted  the  establishment  alone.  He  has 
prospered,  and  shown  himself  a  capable  man  in  the  business,  increasing 
its  annual  business  about  fifty  per  cent  since  he  came  in  charge  of  the 
plant.  Mr.  Johnson  is  one  of  the  wide-awake  young  business  men  of  the 
city,  and  though  his  experience  in  his  present  enterprise  is  comparatively 
new  to  him,  his  progress  has  been  excellent,  as  none  will  deny.  The 
more  salient  facts  of  his  career  are  much  as  follows : 

.Adrian  C.  Johnson  was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  on  Xovcmb^r  27. 
1887,  and  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Gertdina  (  Krumpermann)  Johnson. 
The  father  was  a  native  product  of  this  state  and  citv.  bnrn  here  in  1S55. 
and  he  died  in  the  city  that  had  all  his  life  been  his  home,  in  the  year 
1910.  The  wife  and  mother  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Netherlands,  in 
1858,  and  was  married  in  November,  18S1.  Her  people  came  to  the 
United  States  in  April,  1869. 

John  B.  Johnson  had  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  began 
active  life  as  a  drayman.  He  later  learned  the  plastering  trade,  but  his 
health  would  not  withstand  the  work,  so  he  gave  it  up  and  engaged  on 
the  police  force  as  one  of  the  original  sixteen.  He  served  continuously 
on  the  force  for  twelve  and  a  half  years,  and  was  court  clerk  and  officer 
for  a  long  period.  Retiring  from  public  ser\'ice,  he  engaged  in  business 
with  John  Henson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Henson  &  Johnson,  Printers. 
After  eight  years  with  Mr.  Henson,  the  latter  withdrew  and  for  two 
years  the  firm  was  known  as  Johnson  &  Gibbs.  Then,  in  1901,  the  busi- 
ness became  known  as  the  John  B.  Johnson  Printing  Company.     When 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2051 

Mr.  Johnson  died  in  1910,  his  son,  Adrian  C,  of  this  review  entered 
the  business  and  it  became  known  as  J.  B.  Johnson's  Son,  and  it  is  now 
a  private  company.  Mr.  Johnson,  the  father,  has  served  as  past  chan- 
cellor of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  has  also  served  as  Royal  Vassar 
in  the  D.  O.  K.  K.,  in  which  he  was  said  to  be  the  only  man  qualified 
to  give  the  work  properly. 

Adrian  Cornelius  Johnson  attended  the  public  schools  of  Grand 
Rapids,  followed  by  a  course  in  the  University  High  School  of  Chicago 
and  he  later  attended  the  University  of  Chicago,  taking  the  course  in 
commerce  and  administration,  with  a  view  to  the  diplomatic  service,  in 
which  branch  he  specialized.  When  he  left  college,  young  Johnson  went 
to  Old  Mexico,  that  being  in  the  time  when  Porfirio  Diaz  was  at  the 
height  of  his  power,  and  for  a  time  he  rode  the  range  along  the  western 
American  frontier  in  the  employ  of  the  Byrd  Cattle  Company.  Returning 
to  Grand  Rapids,  Mr.  Johnson  became  a  salesman  for  the  Alabastine 
Company,  but  he  was  called  from  the  road  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
and  since  that  time  has  had  his  father's  well  established  printing  business 
in  charge. 

In  the  three  years  of  Mr.  Johnson's  management  of  the  business 
it  has  increased  fifty  per  cent,  and  now  occupies  two-thirds  more  space 
in  its  new  quarters  in  the  Campau  buiUhng  than  it  formerly  did,  while 
it  is  constantly  adding  new  departmentgand  improving  the  old  ones,  so 
that  it  bids  fair  to  become  the  leading  printing  establishment  in  the  city. 
A  general  printing  business  is  here  conducted,  anything  in  the  print 
line  coming  from  the  Johnson  presses  in  the  finest  possible  shape  and  at 
the  lowest  reasonable  cost. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  one  of  the  three  children  of  his  parents.  Henriska  W. 
is  unmarried :  Lulu  married  Orange  Sackett,  of  this  city,  and  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Leader  Engine  Company  here.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Park  Congregational  church,  and  his  fraternal  affiliations  are 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  the  D.  O.  K.  K. 

John  B.  Johnson  was  a  son  of  Adrian  Johnson,  who  was  born  in 
the  Netherlands,  and  came  to  America  in  his  young  manhood.  He  was 
a  successful  contractor  in  Grand  Rapids  for  years,  but  died  in  early  life 
in  this  citv.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Adrian  C.  Johnson  of  this  re- 
view was  Lubertes  Kumperman,  who  was  born  in  Netherlands  and  came  to 
America  in  young  life.  He  was  a  skilled  cabinet  maker,  and  was  long 
known  in  Grand  Rapids  for  the  delicacy  and  neatness  of  his  carvings 
and  expert  cabinet  work.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  the  celelarated  Katz 
family  of  the  Netherlands. 

Wright -Gregory.  A  successful  Bay  City  business  man,  proprietor  of 
the  largest  marble  and  general  monumental  work  in  that  part  of  the  state, 
Wright  Gregory  came  to  America  a  poor  young  man,  and  bv  a  combina- 
tion of  exceptional  skill  as  a  workman,  industry  and  good  judgment  has 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  substantial  prosperity. 

WVight  Gregory  was  born  in  the  famous  manufacturing  city  of  Shef- 
field, England,  February  23,  i860.  His  parents,  David  and  Mary 
fCharlesworth)  Gregory,  who  lived  and  died  in  Sheflield  were  of  the 
industrious  and  thrifty  English  stock.  His  father  for  many  years  was 
connected  with  the  Brown  Steel  Works  at  Sheffield,  and  held  the  position 
of  superintendent.  There  were  two  sons  in  the  familv  and  Rev.  John  W. 
Gregory  is  pastor  of  a  Wesleyan  Methodist  church  at  Glasgow,  Scotland. 

The  education  of  Wright  Gregory  was  continued  through  the  schools 
of  Sheffield  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He  then  began  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  trade  of  machinist  under  his  father  at  the  Browm  Steel  Works. 
However,  not  being  satisfied  with  the  prospects  there,  two  years  later  he 


2052  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

came  to  America  and  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  began  learning  the  trade 
of  marble  cutting  with  Frank  W.  Peel,  who  had  his  work  at  the  Wood- 
mary  Cemetery.  Two  years  later  he  moved  to  Ann  Arbor,  and  followed 
his  trade  there  a  year  and  a  half.  Early  in  his  experience  he  showed  not 
only  the  skill  of  a  good  cntter.  but  the  originality  of  a  creative  artist,  and 
this  quickly  brought  him  the  highest  wages  of  his  trade,  and  opened  the 
way  for  independent  advancement.  In  1892,  Mr.  Gregory  came  to  Bay 
City  and  took  charge  of  the  monument  business  of  Beard  &  Son,  with 
whom  he  remained  a  year,  and  then  started  for  himself,  establishing  a 
plant  on  the  west  side.  His  monumental  works  were  conducted  success- 
fullv  there  for  fifteen  years.  In  1906  Mr.  Gregory  bought  a  suitable  loca- 
tion opposite  Elm  Lawn  cemetery,  erected  commodious  shops  which  are 
equipped  with  electrical  power  and  tools  and  all  other  facilities  for  the 
best  of  workmanship.  Since  locating  at  Elm  Lawn  he  has  abandoned 
his  west  side  establishment  altogether.  Mr.  Gregory  now  has  what  is 
conceded  to  be  the  largest  business  of  its  kind  in  Bay  City.  Besides  his 
large  mechanical  equipment,  he  requires  the  services  of  four  expert  work- 
men to  keep  up  with  his  orders,  and  has  two  traveling  representatives  in 
the  field.  Outside  of  Bay  City,  his  orders  come  largely  from  the  city  of 
Alpena,  and  others  in  the  northern  territory,  but  his  shipments  are  by  no 
means  confined  to  Michigan.  Locally,  perhaps  the  best  known  examples 
of  his  work  are  the  monuments  for  Congressman  R.  O.  Crump  in  Elm 
Lawn,  costing  fifteen  hundred  dollars ;  the  Henry  Vallez  monument,  to 
the  memory  of  his  wife,  erected  in  St.  Patrick's  Cemetery,  at  a  cost  of 
nearlv  two  thousand  dollars :  and  the  splendid  monument  over  Dr.  D.  E. 
Stone  at  Elmwood. 

Mr.  Gregory  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church,  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason 
and  a  Republican  in  polities.  In  July,  1S92,  he  married  Miss  Anna  Mc- 
Guire.  a  native  of  Jackson,  Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  McGuire. 
Mr.  Gregory  has  no  children,  but  to  an  adopted  son,  a  cousin.  David 
Gregory,  he  has  given  all  the  advantages  which  he  would  have  afforded 
a  son  of  his  own.  and  this  adopted  son  is  now  student  in  the  Bay  City 
high  school. 

Hex.  Henrv  Rom.mne  P,\ttengili„  of  Lansing,  whose  long  connec- 
tion with  educational  affairs  and  institute  work  and  activities  on  the  lec- 
ture platform  have  made  him  one  of  the  best-known  public  figures  in  the 
state,  and  whose  qualities  of  leadership  have  led  the  Progressive  party  to 
choose  him  as  its  candidate  for  gubernatorial  honors,  is  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  born  at  Alount  ^Tsion,  Otsego  county,  January  4,  1852,  a 
son  of  Rev.  Lemuel  Cleft'  and  Mary  (Gregory)  Pattengill. 

Mr.  Pattengill  belongs  to  one  of  America's  old  and  honored  families, 
its  genealogy  being  as  follows:  Richard  Pattengill,  the  first  of  the  fam- 
ily in  this  country,  was  born  in  England  about  the  year  1620,  and  was  a 
resident  of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  prior  to  1641,  on  June  2nd  of  which 
year  he  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the  colony.  He  was  married  before 
1644  to  Johanna,  daughter  of  Richard  Ingersoll,  the  latter  having  come 
from  Bedfordshire.  England,  in  1629,  to  Salem,  Massachusttts,  where  he 
died  in  1644.  Richard  and  Johanna  (Ingersoll)  Pattengill  became  the 
parents  of  Samuel  Pattengill,  who  was  born  at  Salem  in  1644,  and  mar- 
ried February  13,  1673,  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Poore,  of  Newbury, 
Massachusetts,  she  being  born  June  5,  1655.  Samuel  Pattengill  died  in 
171 1.  He  was  the  father  of  Daniel  Pattengill,  who  was  born  at  Newbury, 
Massachusetts,  February  16,  1679,  and  died  at  Abington.  Massachusetts, 
May  12,  1726.  He  married  first  Mary  Stickney,  who  died  March  7, 
1706,  and  second  Esther,  daughter  of  Samuel  French,  of  Salisbury. 
Daniel  Pattengill  was  the  father  of  Daniel,  who  was  born  at  Newbury, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2053 

January  5,  1705,  and  married  Abigail  Leonard.  Their  son,  Lemuel  Pat- 
"tengill,  was  born  at  Stoughton,  Massachusetts,  November  16,  1729,  mar- 
ried and  died  at  Westminster,  Connecticut,  October  27,  1798.  Their  son, 
Lemuel  Pattengill,  was  born  at  Canterbury,  Connecticut,  September  15, 
1775.  and  married  November  3,  1803,  Sabra  Fitch,  who  was  born  in  1748 
and  died  September  17,  1852,  at  New  Lisbon,  New  York.  He  was  a 
leading  citizen,  and  was  captain  in  the  New  York  Militia,  serving  on  the 
Niagara  frontier  during  the  War  of  1812,  and  being  taken  a  prisoner  at 
the  battle  of  Queenstown.  He  served  as  a  presidential  elector  for  the 
Democratic  party  in  1830.  His  son,  Lemuel  Cleff  Pattengill,  the  father 
of  Llenry  Romaine  Pattengill,  was  born  at  New  Lisbon,  New  York,  June 
3,  1812,  and  was  married  April  2,  1837,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Seth 
and  Irene  (Bennett)  Gregory.  He  d^ied  at  Ithaca,  Michigan,  March  20, 
1875,  and  Mrs.  Pattengill  at  Lansing,  February  16,  1902,  she  having  been 
bom  at  New  Lisbon,  New  York,  February  14,  1814.  Rev.  Lemuel  C. 
Pattengill  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Akron,  Erie  county, 
New  York,  for  six  years,  removed  from  that  point  to  Wilson,  Niagara 
countv,  New  York,  where  he  spent  seven  years,  and  then  came  to  Litch- 
field, Hillsdale  county,  Michigan.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  with 
the  Christian  Commission,  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

Henry  Romaine  Pattengill  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents  during 
the  fall  of  1865.  He  attended  the  graded  schools  of  Litchfield,  subse- 
quently took  a  preparatory  course  at  Hudson,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  class  of 
1874,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  During  that  same  year 
Mr.  Pattengill  entered  upon  his  educational  career  as  superintendent  of 
schools  of  St.  Louis,  Gratiot  county,  Michigan,  and  thus  continued  for 
two  years,  his  administration  of  the  duties  of  his  office  giving  general 
satisfaction,  while  his  progressive  citizenship  won  him  general  popularity 
in  that  section.  He  next  became  superintendent  of  schools  at  Ithaca, 
I\Iichigan,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years,  his  career  as  an  educator  in 
Gratiot  county  being  one  of  continued  success,  in  which  he  formed  a 
wide  acquaintance,  in  which  were  to  be  found  many  warm  and  enthus- 
iastic friends  and  admirers.  In  1881  Mr.  Pattengill  was  elected  president 
of  Ithaca  village,  an  office  to  which  he  was  reelected  in  1882,  and  in  18S4 
became  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  a  seat  in  the  legislature, 
to  represent  Gratiot  county,  but,  that  being  a  "fusion  year,"  met  with  de- 
feat. In  the  winter  following  Mr.  Pattengill  moved  to  Grand  Rapids,  and 
in  that  year  purchased  an  educational  magazine.  Moderator  Topics,  of 
which  he  is  still  owner,  editor  and  publisher. 

From  1886  until  1890,  Mr.  Pattengill  was  assistant  professor  of 
rhetoric  at  th©-  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  and  in  1892  was  elected 
state  superintendent  of  pulilic  instruction,  an  office  to  which  he  was  re- 
elected in  1894  and  1896,  and  in  which  he  made  a  record  and  reputation 
in  the  administration  of  the  afl:'airs  of  the  department  of  education  which 
have  not  been  equalled  by  any  one  of  his  successors.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  president  of  the  state  board  of  library  commissioners  and  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  and  ex-secretary  of  the  ^Michigan  State  Historical 
Society.  Mr.  Pattengill  has  been  very  active  and  prominent  in  institute 
work  and  the  lecture  field,  where  he  is  probably  the  best-known  man  in 
Michigan.  He  has  lectured  in  nearly  500  towns,  cities  and  villages  in 
fifteen  states,  making  many  return  dates  in  some  of  them,  owing  to  the 
general  popularity  which  he  has  gained.  He  has  done  institute  and  Chau- 
tauqua work  in  nearly  200  counties,  returning  to  some  of  them  four  and 
five  times,  and  at  all  times  his  efforts  have  met  with  the  greatest  public 
favor.  A  stalwart  Progressive  in  politics,  in  1914  he  was  chosen  to  lead 
his  partv's  forces  as  candidate  for  the  governor's  chair. 


2054  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

'Mr.  Pattengill  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sharpsteen, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortimer  Sharpsteen,  of  Bethany  township, 
Gratiot  county,  Michigan,  and  to  this  union  there  have  come  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Edith  Lille,  who  became  the  wife  of  Austin  Trafton 
Brant,  of  Boston ;  X'ictor  Romaine.  who  married  Edwina  Prudden,  of 
Lansing;  Margaret  Irene,  who  is  the  wife  of  Theodore  G.  Foster,  of 
Lansing;  and  Craig  Lemuel,  who  assists  his  father  in  the  Moderator 
Topics  office. 

H.\RRY  McDonald.  A  public  official  who  has  a  high  sense  of  his 
duties  and  responsibilities  and  who  gives  his  time  and  attention  punctili- 
ouslv  to  the  same  is  the  present  efficient  and  popular  register  of  deeds 
of  Huron  county.  He  has  held  precedence  as  one  of  the  progressive  and 
representative  agriculturists  of  the  county  and  as  a  citizen  ever  loyal  and 
public-spirited.  Since  assuming  his  present  office,  in  1908,  he  has  main- 
tained his  residence  at  Bad  Axe,  the  county  seat,  but  he  still  retains 
ownership  of  his  well  improved  farm,  in  Bloomfield  township,  and  prior 
to  assuming  his  present  position  he  had  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  every 
township  office.  There  are  many  interesting  features  in  the  personal 
and  ancestral  history  of  Mr.  AIcDonald,  and  these  will  be  incidentally 
revealed  within  the  paragraphs  that  follow. 

Harry  McDonald  was  born  in  the  fortified  city  of  Hydrabad,  India, 
long  a  ^lohammedan  stronghold,  and  situated  on  the  Musah  river,  this 
city  being  the  capital  of  the  native  state  of  the  same  name,  known  also 
as  the  Nizam's  Dominions.  The  date  of  his  nativity  was  February-  2, 
1856,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Ronald  and  Elizabeth  (Stanley)  McDonald, 
scions  of  the  staunchest  of  Scotch  and  English  stock,  Henry  Stanley, 
maternal  grandfather  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  hav- 
ing been  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  British  army,  in  which  he  was  an 
active  participant  in  the  historic  battle  of  Waterloo.  Ronald  McDon- 
ald served  most  gallantly  as  a  soldier  in  the  Crimean  war  and  was  color 
sergeant  of  his  command  when  it  took  part  in  suppressing  the  mutiny 
in  India,  he  having  been  a  member  of  the  infantry  regiment  known  as 
the  Forty-second  Scotch  Greys.  Ronald  McDonald  served  twenty-one 
years  as  a  British  soldier,  and  took  part  in  many  important  polemic  con- 
flicts, including  such  famous  engagements  as  the  battle  of  Balaclava,  the 
battle  of  Inkerman  and  the  siege  of  Sebastopol.  .After  the  Crimean  war 
he  was  transferred  to  India  with  his  command,  under  Colonel  Colin 
Campbell,  to  assist  in  quelling  the  insurrection  of  the  natives,  and  there 
he  took  part  in  manv  engagements,  enduring  to  the  full  the  hardships 
and  manifold  perils  of  C^riental  warfare.  In  one  charge  in  which  2.000 
British  soldiers  were  involved  he  was  one  of  only  200  that  returned  from 
the  conflict,  and  this  was  but  one  of  many  thrilling  incidents  in  his  long 
and  \aliant  military  career.  He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  powers  of 
endurance,  as  he  must  needs  have  been  to  imdergo  all  tliat  he  did  as  a 
soldier,  and  at  the  same  time  he  showed  in  the  home  life  and  other  social 
relations  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  "the  bravest  are  the  tenderest, 
the  loving  are  the  daring."  He  gave  the  best  years  of  a  noble  life  to  the 
service  of  his  native  country,  and  when  well  on  in  middle  age  he  decided 
to  come  to  America,  making  provision  for  the  future,  his  devotion  to  his 
wife  and  children  having  ever  been  of  the  most  insistent  type.  In  1S71 
he  immigrated  with  his  family  to  the  I'nited  States  and  made  Alichigan 
his  destination.  Within  that  year  he  settled  on  a  tract  of  forty  acres  of 
wild  land  in  Huron  township,  and  here,  with  characteristic  courage  and 
unfaltering  purpose,,  he  faced  another  order  of  battles — those  of  the 
pioneer.    He  hewed  the  logs  from  which  he  erected  his  primitive  log  cabin. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2055 

and  then  gave  himself  zealously  to  the  reclaiming  of  his  land  to  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  prospered  in  his  efforts  as  the  years  passed  and  he  not  only 
succeeded  in  developing  a  fine  landed  estate  in  Huron  county  but  also 
in  giving  excellent  educational  advantages  to  his  children  and  in  gain- 
ing the  peace  and  happiness  for  which  he  had  long  yearned.  He  was  one 
of  the  loved  and  revered  pioneer  citizens  of  Huron  county  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  his  homestead  farm,  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1897,  and  he  attained  to  the  veneral3le  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His 
devoted  wife  still  survives  him,  had  accompanied  him  in  his  travels  in 
virtually  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  she  now  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years  (1914)  maintains  her  home  at  Flint,  Michigan.  Ronald  McDon- 
ald espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party  after  he  had  established 
his  home  in  Michigan  and  become  a  naturalized  citizen.  He  was  justice 
of  the  peace  of  Bloomfield  township  for  many  years  also  served  in  other 
township  offices.  He  retained  his  mental  and  physical  powers  in  almost 
phenomenal  degree  even  when  of  patriarchal  age,  and  in  his  advanced 
years  no  man  in  his  neighborhood  could  endure  a  longer  pedestrian  trip 
than  this  sturdy  and  venerable  soldier  and  noble  man.  He  held  the  faith 
of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which  his  widow  likewise  is  a  devout  member. 
Concerning  their  children  the  following  brief  record  is  given  :  Margaret, 
who  became  the  wife  of  William  Beckton,  died  in  the  city  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
and  her  remains  were  brought  back  to  Huron  county,  Michigan,  for 
interment  in  the  Bad  Axe  cemetery  ;  Harry,  of  this  sketch,  was  the  sec- 
ond child ;  Mary  Ann  is  the  wife  of  James  Gordon,  of  Flint,  and  with 
her  remains  the  loved  mother,  who  receives  from  all  of  her  children  the 
deepest  filial  solicitude ;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  George  Booth,  of  Har- 
bor Beach,  Huron  county ;  Jane  is  the  wife  of  Riley  Fuller,  of  Hastings, 
Wisconsin ;  and  James  G.  is  engaged  in  the  photographic  business  at  Bad 
Axe,  Michigan. 

At  the  age  of  seven  years  Harry  McDonald  began  his  specific  educa- 
tional work,  which  he  continued  in  his  native  India  until  he  was  eleven 
years  old.  There  he  attended  a  school  founded  by  Sir  Henry  Lawrence, 
at  one  time  governor  of  India,  and  established  primarily  for  the  education 
of  the  children  of  British  soldiers.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years,  1868, 
Mr.  McDonald  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  return  to  England, 
where  he  attended  school  one  year.  After  the  family  came  to  America 
and  established  a  home  on  the  pioneer  farm  in  Huron  county,  Michigan, 
young  Harry,  the  elder  of  the  two  sons,  soon  began  to  lend  his  aid  in 
the  reclaiming  of  the  home  farm,  besides  attending  the  pioneer  schools 
when  opportunity,  afforded.  Finally  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account,  and  he  literally  hewed  out  his  farm  from  the  forest  wilds  of 
Bloomfield  township,  where  he  still  owns  this  fine  homestead  of  120 
acres,  under  eft'ective  cultivation  and  improved  with  excellent  buildings. 

From  the  time  of  attaining  his  legal  majority  to  the  present  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald has  given  unqualified  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
has  admirably  fortified  himself  in  knowledge  of  matters  of  national  and 
local  importance.  He  has  served,  at  dift'erent  times,  in  nearly  every  pub- 
lic office  in  Bloomfield  township,  and  in  1908  there  came  still  further  rec- 
ognition of  his  ability  and  sterling  character,  in  that  he  was  then  elected 
register  of  deeds  of  his  county.  The  best  assurance  of  the  efticiencv  of 
his  administration  and  voucher  for  his  definite  hold  upon  popular  confi- 
dence and  esteem  is  that  aft'orded  by  the  fact  that  in  the  autumn  of  1912 
he  was  re-elected  to  this  important  comity  office,  for  a  second  term  of 
four  years. 

Mr.  McDonald  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  including  the 
Saginaw  temple  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  ]\Iystic 


205G  HISTORY  Ol''  MICHIGAN 

Shrine,  and  he  also  holds  membership  in  tlie  Knights  of  Pytliias  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Cileaners.  Uoth  lie  and  his  wife  are  zealous  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  chureh  in  their  home  city. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  1879.  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
McDonald  to  Miss  Maria  Wressel.  who  was  born  in  England  but  who 
was  reared  to  maturity  in  Huron  county,  Michigan.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  the  late  George  Wressel,  wdio  was  another  of  the  honored  pioneers 
and  successful  farmers  of  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]\IcDonald  have 
seven  children — James  H.,  who  assists  his  father  in  the  office  of  the 
register  of  deeds ;  Emma,  who  remains  at  the  attractive  parental  home 
in  Bad  Axe ;  Edgar,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Detroit  and 
Ina  Ma)',  Jennie,  George  and  Isabel,  who  likew^ise  remain  with  their 
parents,  the  ideal  home  circle  conserving  the  gracious  hospitality  that  is 
ever  in  evidence  at  the  McDonald  residence. 

Judge  Nath.^niei.  Hammond  Stewart.  During  more  than  forty- 
two  years  of  active  connection  with  the  Kalamazoo  bar,  and  in  a  pro- 
fessional career  which  has  brought  him  into  connection  wath  probably 
more  varied  business,  of  greater  intrinsic  importance,  than  has  been 
enjoyed  in  the  same  length  of  time  by  any  other  member  of  the  local  bar, 
Judge  Stewart  has  never  held  an  office  to  which  any  remuneration  has 
been  attached,  until  in  the  summer  of  1913,  after  the  indorsement  of  the 
Kalamazoo  County  Bar  Association  of  which  he  was  president,  he  re- 
ceived appointment  from  Governor  Ferris  as  circuit  judge  for  the  Ninth 
Judicial  Circuit,  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Frank  E.  Knappen,  de- 
ceased. Seldom  has  an  appointment  to  an  office  met  with  more  complete 
favor  than  that  of  Judge  Stewart. 

Nathaniel  Hammond  Stewart,  was  born  at  Johnstown,  in  Fulton 
county.  New  York,  July  20,  1847,  a  son  of  Charles  Nelson  and  Pauline 
(Westgate)  Stewart.  Grandfather  Captain  Charles  Stewart  got  his  title 
by  service  in  the  militia,  and  the  great-grandfather  of  the  judge  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  The  Stewart  family  is  of  Scotch  origin,  and  four 
brothers  emigrated  from  Perth  after  having  joined  the  Bold  ^McGregor 
and  having  suffered  defeat  along  with  their  leader,  three  of  the  brothers 
came  to  America  in  1746,  locating  in  New  York.  One  of  these  brothers 
was  named  Charles,  and  he  was  a  direct  ancestor  of  Judge  Stewart,  the 
latter  being  in  the  sixth  generation  of  descent.  Judge  Stewart  is  also  a 
descendant  of  the  Nelson  family  of  England,  and  from  ]\lajor  John  Lyttel 
of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  commandant  of  the  Fort  at  Johnstown,  New 
York.  Through  four  distinct  lines,  Judge  Stewart  is  eligible  to  member- 
ship in  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  an  order  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Judge's  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Titus  .-Xudrus,  of  an  old  New  England  family,  that  moved 
from  Massachusetts  to  New  York.  Her  death  occurred  in  1894.  Charles 
Nelson  Stewart,  father  of  the  judge  was  educated  for  the  Presbyterian 
ministry,  by  jirivate  instruction,  but  later  adopted  mechanical  and  manu- 
facturing pursuits  as  his  vocation.  He  became  a  master  mechanic,  and 
followed  tuanufacturing,  developing  the  water  powers, in  the  vicinitv  of 
Johnstown,  where  he  constructed  several  mills.  He  liecame  well  known 
as  a  builder  of  factories  for  the  dressing  of  leather  to  make  gloves  and 
mittens.  His  death  occurred  at  Johnstown  in  t8i)6,  and  he  was  born  in 
i8tx).  Judge  Stewart  was  the  second  in  a  family  of  three  children,  by 
the  second  wife  of  Charles  N.  Stewart,  who,  by  a  previous  marriage  to 
an  older  sister  of  the  Judge's  mother,  also  had  three  children. 

Nathaniel  1 1.  Stewart,  spent  his  boyhood  in  his  native  town,  at- 
tended  the  local   schools,  aiul  got  a  thorough   and   jiractical   mech.-uiicnl 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2057 

training  in  his  father's  shops.  As  a  large  part  of  Judge  Stewart's  prac- 
tice as  a  lawyer  has  been  in  connection  with  patent  law,  this  training  in 
mechanical  work  has  naturally  had  a  very  useful  relation  to  his  profes- 
sional success. 

In  May,  1868,  Nathaniel  H.  Stewart  arrived  at  Kalamazoo  with  only 
seven  dollars  in  his  pocket.  Entering  the  office  of  Stuart,  Edwards  and 
May,  lawyers,  he  worked  the  first  year  without  salary,  except  such 
money  as  he  could  earn  by  copying  documents  and  legal  papers  at  three 
cents  per  folio.  The  firm  subsequently  became  Edward  &  Sherwood. 
The  senior  member  of  the  original  firm  was  Hon.  Charles  E.  Stuart,  the 
last  Democratic  United  States  Senator  from  the  State  of  Michigan.  In 
March,  1869,  Mr.  Stewart  accepted  a  position  in  the  village  of  Plainwell, 
taking  charge  of  an  elevator  at  a  salary  of  seventy-five  dollars  per 
month.  During  that  time  he  studied  his  law  books  far  into  the  night.  He 
remained  at  Plainwell  for  one  year  and  then  returned  to  Kalamazoo. 
Resuming  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Edwards  &  Sherwood,  in  1S70, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  ]\Iarch  26,  1872,  and  then  signed  up  for  his 
services  for  three  years  at  three-hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  per  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1876,  Mr.  Stewart,  opened  an  office  for  himself  renting 
a  room  in  the  suite  occupied  by  the  firm  of  Edwards  &  Sherwood.  In 
1878,  was  formed  a  partnership  between  Air.  Stewart  and  John  AI.  Ed- 
wards, the  firm  of  Edwards  and  Sherwood  having  been  dissolved.  That 
partnership  lasted  until  November,  1896,  when  Mr.  Edwards  retired 
from  the  firm,  and  Mr.  Stewart  then  remained  alone  until  the  fall  of  1910, 
when  he  took  in  his  son,  Gordon  L.,  making  the  title,  Stewart  &  Stewart. 

His  practice  during  more  than  forty  years  has  been  more  or  less  of  a 
general  nature.  He  has  served  as  local  attorney  for  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  Company,  the  Chicago  and  Grand  Trunk,  and  other  large  cor- 
porations, and  also  has  had  a  very  large  patent  practice,  and  he  has  been 
before  more  courts  probably  than  any  one  lawyer  in  Central  Michigan. 
Judge  Stewart  conducted  the  defense  for  Stockbridge,  Eggleston  &  Com- 
pany, Chase,  Taylor  &  Company,  Lawrence  and  Chapin,  and  other  manu- 
facturers at  Kalamazoo,  in  their  fifteen  years  of  spring-tooth  harrow 
litigation,  involving  several  millions  of  dollars  in  value,  and  during  its 
long  course,  over  fifteen  hundred  separate  cases  on  the  patents  were  won 
by  Judge  Stewart  on  the  defense  worked  out  by  himself.  These  cases 
stand  today  as  one  of  the  heaviest  patent  contests  ever  conducted  in  the 
country.  Judge  Stewart  also  was  with  the  complainants  in  the  Gordon 
selfbinder  cases,  and  many  other  noted  patent  cases.  Ever  since  his 
admission  to  the  bar  he  has  been  attorney  for  the  Alichigan  Central 
Railroad,  and  is  iit)w  the  oldest  counsel  on  the  railroad  company's  staff. 
He  has  also  been  counsel  for  the  Bell  Telephone  Company,  the  -American 
Express  Company,  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  and  other 
large  corporations. 

Always  a  leading  figure  in  Democratic  politics  in  this  section  of  Mich- 
igan, Judge  Stewart  has  been  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  party.  Under  his 
management,  perhaps,  more  substantial  victories  have  been  won  than 
can  be  credited  to  any  other  individual  in  his  section.  He  was  delegate 
to  the  Lansing,  Convention  in  1883,  and  upon  the  unanimous  urging  of 
the  party  leaders  became  active  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Central 
Committee,  and  conducted  the  first  successful  Democratic  campaign  in 
Michigan  since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  and  elected  the 
two  Democratic  Supreme  Court  Judges  and  Regents  of  the  University. 
Under  his  management,  George  L.  Yaple  of  Mendon,  was  elected  to  con- 
gress, in  1882,  beating  Julius  C.  Burrows.  He  has  served  as  committeeman, 
and  delegate  to  numerous  conventions,  and  was  the  Democratic  candidate 


2058  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

for  congress  from  his  district  in  1S94.  Judge  Stewart  was  the  first  to  sug- 
gest the  candidacy  of  Governor  Ferris  in  1912.  Judge  Stewart  has  from 
time  to  time  been  offered  many  of  the  valued  positions  in  state  and 
national  public  affairs,  in  recognition  of  his  services,  and  among  these 
proffered  honors  was  that  of  commissioner  of  patents  at  Washington  in 
18S5.  But  he  has  always  declined  to  accept  any  appointment,  carrying 
with  it  a  salary,  preferring  to  use  his  efforts  and  influence  for  the  good 
of  the  party  without  reward.  His  first  real  exception  to  this  rule  was 
in  the  case  of  his  present  office,  to  which  his  appointment  was  urged  by 
the  Kalamazoo  Bar  Association,  and  which  was  confirmed  by  Governor 
Ferris  on  August  7.  191 3. 

Judge  Stewart  has  been  identified  with  many  of  those  places,  where 
the  opportunities  of  service  are  great,  and  the  duties  vitally  essential  to 
the  general  welfare,  but  in  which  practically  the  only  individual  reward 
is  the  sense  of  public  duty  well  done.  He  served  six  years  as  trustee  of 
the  Michigan  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  for  a  similar  length  of 
time  as  member  of  the  Kalamazoo  City  School  Board.  It  was  mainly 
through  his  efforts  that  the  location  of  the  State  Normal  School  was 
made  at  Kalamazoo,  and  the  selection  of  the  site,  the  securing  of  options, 
and  many  other  details  were  left  wliolly  to  his  care.  While  strictly  a 
professional  man.  Judge  .Stewart  has  ac(|uired  many  important  business 
interests.  He  is  connected  w'ith  the  large  pa])er  mills  which  constitute 
the  leading  industry  of  Kalamazoo,  also  with  b^nks  in  that  city,  and  in 
Detroit,  and  owns  much  real  ^§t3^te  at  Kalarnazoo  and  elsewhere. 

It  is  a  matter  of  particular  gratification  that  Judge  Stewart,  though 
he  started  penniless,  has  earned  every  dollar,-  by  hard  work,  and  has  never 
owed  any  one  financially  or  otherwise.  His  policy  has  been  to  pay  spot 
cash  or  go  without.  Ht  has  won  high  standing  and  wide  actjuaintance 
in  the  profession,  and  in  public  affairs,  and  his  practice  has  taken  him 
into  every  state  and  territory,  even  to  .\laska,  and  also  well  over  Europe, 
his  duties  have  at  various  times  called  him.  Judge  Stewart  has  served 
as  president  of  the  Kalamazoo  County  Bar  Association,  and  his  only 
fraternity  is  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

.\t  Kalamazoo,  December  14,  1875,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Nathaniel  H.  Stewart  and  Eleanor  Frances  Gates,  daughter  of  Chaun- 
cey  Gates,  and  Jane  (Thornton)  Gates,  of  Watertown.  New  York.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  two  sons :  Donald  Argyle,  a  graduate  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  at  Boston,  as  a  mechanical 
engineer,  and  now  assistant  general  manager  and  treasurer  of  the  Kalama- 
zoo Railway  Supply  Company :  and  Gordon  Lyttel.  who  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Chicago  as  a  B.  .-K.  and  then  read  law,  and  was  admitted 
before  the  .Supreme  Court  of  Michigan  as  an  attorney,  is  associated  with 
his  father,  as  already  stated.  The  family  home  is  at  213  Elm  Street  in 
Kalamazoo. 

John  Everett  Bird.  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  was 
born  at  Clayton,  Lenawee  County,  Michigan,  December  19,  1862.  He  is 
the  son  of  Reuljen  Everett  and  Caroline  (Cannift')  Bird. 

Reuben  Bird  w^as  born  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  when  a  lad  his 
father  removed  to  the  neighliorhood  of  Ira,  in  Northern  New  York.  In 
t83(>  Reuben  Bird  came  to  Michigan  with  a  brother.  They  located  first  at 
Trenton  in  \\'ayne  County.  InU  the  next  year  removed  to  Lenawee  County, 
where  Reuben  founded  and  named  the  X'illage  of  Clayton.  In  184 1  he 
.started  a  general  store  and  for  twenty-fix'e  years  was  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits.  After  coming  to  Michigan  he  married  Caroline  Canniff,  who 
was  bom  near  Batavia,  New  York,  and  who  had  come  to  Michigan  with 
relatives,  her  father  and  mother  having  died  when  she  was  a  child.    Rcu- 


1  tit    i><-  '■ 


HISTORY  OF  MICH-IGAN  2059 

ben  Bird  died  in  October,  1885,  and  his  wife  died  on  January  17,  1903. 
The  family  home  is  now  in  possession  of  Judge  Bird  and  his  sister. 

John  Everett  Bird  began  his  education  in  the  pubhc  schools.  He  at- 
tended Adrian  College,  and  after  two  years  spent  in  the  study  of  law  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  November,  1888.  In  i8g4  he  was  elected  prose- 
cuting-attorney  of  Lenawee  County,  was  re-elected  and  served  until  1899. 
In  1904  he  was  elected  attorney-general  of  Michigan  and  was  reelected  in 
1906  and  1908.  Since  the  days  of  Jacob  M.  Howard,  the  first  Republican 
attorney-general  of  Michigan,  no  other  person  besides  Mr.  Bird  has  been 
three  times  elected  to  that  office.  During  his  term  of  office  the  constitu- 
tional convention  of  1908  occurred,  and  at  the  succeeding  session  of  the 
Legislature,  Mr.  Bird  formulated  and  recast  many  of  the  laws  of  that 
session  to  make  them  accord  with  the  new  constitutional  provisions.  Mr. 
Bird's  service  covered  the  period  in  the  history  of  Michigan  when  the 
state  undertook  to  deal  with  the  railroad  corporations.  The  Legislature 
repealed  the  charter  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  and  provided  for 
an  ad  valorem  tax  on  railroad  corporations  to  replace  the  tax  on  income. 
The  amount  of  money  involved  in  pending  litigation  at  the  time  Mr.  Bird 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  office  exceeded  twenty-five  million  dollars.  The 
collection  of  $15,000,000  depended  upon  the  ad  valorem  tax  law  held  to  be 
valid  by  the  Supreme  Court.  Moreover,  the  state  had  been  sued  by  the 
Alichigan  Central  Railroad  for  $6,000,000,  the  amount  claimed  to  be  due 
the  road  from  the  state  because  of  the  repeal  of  its  special  charter.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  state  was  suing  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  to  re- 
cover $4,000,000  claimed  to  be  due  for  delinquent  taxes. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  declared  the  ad  valorem  tax 
law  valid  and  as  a  result,  $15,000,000  was  paid  into  the  primary  school 
fund  of  Michigan.  The  litigation  with  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad 
resulted  in  the  payment  by  that  corporation  to  the  state  of  $125,000  to 
cover  the  expenditures  made  by  the  state  in  preparing  and  prosecuting  the 
cases  against  the  road.  Mr.  Bird's  services  in  bringing  to  a  satisfactory 
close  this  litigation  without  the  payment  of  damages  for  the  repeal  of  the 
Michigan  Central  charter,  were  pecuniarily  the  most  valuable  of  all  the 
services  he  rendered  the  state  as  attorney-general.  His  aggressive  prompt- 
ness and  thorough  preparation,  together  with  the  reasonableness  of  his 
views,  brought  to  a  speedy  conclusion  litigation  that  might  have  dragged 
in  the  courts  for  many  years. 

On  lune  6.  1910,  Governor  Fred  M.  W'arner  appointed  Mr.  Bird  a  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Justice 
Charles  A.  Blair.  The  appointment  when  made  was  regarded  as  a  fitting 
recognition  of  his  services  as  attorney-general.  On  the  8th  day  of  the  fol- 
lowing November  the  people  elected  him  to  complete  the  unexpired  term, 
and  on  April  3,  191 1,  he  was  reelected  for  the  full  term,  which  will  expire 
December  31,  1919. 

Justice  Bird  maintains  his  membership  in  the  Adrian  Bar  Association 
and  the  ^Michigan  State  Bar  Association.  He  is  also  a  Mason  and  a 
Knight  of  F'ythias. 

In  1895  Mr.  Bird  married  Miss  Katherine  Brown,  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
Gilbert  Brown,  of  Troy,  New  York,  and  they  have  three  children:  Ever- 
ett Gilbert,  sixteen  years  old ;  Major,  a  lad  of  twelve ;  and  Gertrude,  aged 
ten  years. 

RowL.\XD  F.  Webb.  M.  D.  While  a  graduate  doctor  of  medicine. 
Dr.  Webb's  special  qualifications  and  practice  have  been  in  the  field  of 
surgery,  and  his  membership  in  the  American  College  of  Surgeons  serves 
to  classify  him  better  than  the  usual  title  of  M.  D.  Dr.  Webb  is  one  of 
the  leading  surgeons  of  western  Michigan,  has  had  a  large  hospital  and 
private  practice  at  Grand  Rapids  for  the  last  Jifteen  years,  and  possesses 


2060  HISTORY  OK  MICHIGAN 

a  thorouj,--!!  equipment  tor  the  most  delicate  department  of  his  profes- 
sion. 

Dr.  Rowland  F.  Webb  was  born  at  Granton,  Ontario,  April  7,  1875. 
His  parents  were  C.  M.  and  Fannie  I.  (Foreman)  Webb.  His  father 
was  born  in  Ontario  in  1844,  and  his  mother  in  England  in  1846,  and 
they  were  married  in  the  Province  of  Ontario  in  1807.  (jrandfather 
Thomas  A.  Webb  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  successful  citizen  at 
Granton,  Ontario.  The  maternal  grandfather  was  Rowland  Foreman, 
who  was  a  native  of  London,  England,  and  came  to  Canada  in  1850.  being 
a  wood  carver  by  trade,  and  found  much  employment  on  government 
buildings  in  Canada.  C.  M.  Webb  was  for  many  years  a  country  mer- 
chant, in  1883  moved  to  Toronto,  and  conducted  several  stores  in  that  city 
until  he  retired  ten  years  ago.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  he  has  served  as  warden,  and  both  have  been  active 
workers  in  church  affairs.  Mrs.  Webb,  the  mother,  was  for  a  number 
of  years  a  school  teacher  at  Granton,  Ontario,  and  is  a  woman  of  high 
education  and  culture.  Dr.  Webb's  father  is  a  Conservative  in  politics, 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  Order.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mabel,  the  wife  of  William  J.  McNamee,  of  Norfolk, 
Nebraska;  Clarence  M.,  who  runs  the  old  store  in  Granton,  Ontario; 
Olive  G.,  wife  of  James  Scott,  in  business  in  Toronto ;  Dr.  Webb ;  Daisy 
M.,  teaches  school  at  Toronto;  Fannie,  who  lives  at  home;  Jessie,  a 
graduate  nurse  in  a  New  York  hospital ;  and  Christopher  E.,  civil  engi- 
neer, of  \'ictoria,  British  Columbia. 

Dr.  Webb  received  most  of  his  early  education  in  the  Parkdale  Col- 
legiate Institute  of  Toronto,  and  after  graduating  in  1892  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine  in  Toronto  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1897.  He  also  pursued  his  studies  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
New  York  State  University,  and  after  coming  to  Grand  Rapids  took  the 
post  of  house  surgeon  to  the  U.  B.  A.  Hospital.  After  one  year  he  trans- 
ferred his  services  to  the  Butterworth  Hospital,  and  all  his  work  was 
in  connection  with  that  institution  for  three  years.  He  has  always  been 
much  interested  in  this  hospital,  and  is  identified  with  its  management 
ami  in  a  professional  cajiacity.  Dr.  Webb's  private  practice  at  Grand 
Rapids  began  in  1902  and  he  has  confined  his  attention  almost  entirely 
to  surgery. 

In  1902  Dr.  \\'eh\)  married  Bessie  H.  Smith  at  Chatham.  (Jntario. 
Their  two  children  are  Kathleen,  aged  ten  years,  and  Elizabeth,  aged 
eight.  The  family  have  membership  in  the  Episcopal  church,  and  Dr. 
Webb  affiliates  with  Malta  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  being  a  charter  member 
of  that  lodge,  and  with  Dewitt  Consistory  and  Saladin  Temple.  He  has 
membership  in  the  Kent  County  Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State 
Society,  and  the  American  College  of  Surgeons. 

William  II.  Hill,  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit,  where  he  is  presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  the  W.  H.  Hill  Company,  manufacturers  of 
drug  specialties,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  born  at  Coshocton, 
New  York.  Tulv  iTi.  1852,  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  John  J.  and  Emeline 
(Tracy)  Hill. 

John  J.  Hill,  M.  D.,  was  a  native  of  \  ermont,  where  the  family  re- 
sided for.  several  generations,  and  from  which  state  they  ultimately  re- 
moved to  New  York.  Doctor  Hill  was  educated  in  .\uburn.  New- 
York,  and  read  medicine  in  that  city,  and  first  practiced  his  profession 
in  the  city  of  Genc\a,  New  York,  from  whence  he  moved  to  King's 
Ferry,  that  .state,  in  1871,  coming  to  Michigan  and  locating  at 
Coldwater.  He  had  just  settled  himself  nicely,  and  was  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  practice  which  promised  to  grow  to  large  proportions,  when  liis 
death  occurred  in   1872,  less  than  one  year  after  he  had  come  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2061 

state.  He  was  a  Republican  and  an  Abolitionist,  and  was  connected 
with  the  historic  "Underground  Railroad"  just  prior  to  the  Civil 
War,  when  slaves  from  the  southern  states  were  assisted  to  freedom  over 
the  Canadian  border.  His  widow  survived  until  February,  1884,  when 
she  passed  away  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  at  Albion,  New  York. 

William  H.  Hill  attended  the  public  schools  of  King's  Ferry,  New 
York,  until  1867,  and  then  entered  Cayuga  Lake  Academy  (now  the 
Cayuga  Lake  Military  Academy),  Aurora,  New  York,  working  his  way 
through  same.  The  death  of  his  father,  in  1872,  threw  upon  his  shoulders 
the  responsibility  for  the  support  of  his  mother  and  sister,  and  the  latter's 
two  children,  and  he  faithfully  performed  this  duty,  caring  for  them  all 
until  the  death  of  his  mother  and  the  remarriage  of  his  sister.  Mr.  Hill 
came  to  Michigan  in  1S70,  preceding  his  father  and  the  family.  His  first 
work  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Coldwater,  where  he  spent  one 
year,  and  following  this  went  to  Kalamazoo,  where  for  a  like  period  he 
held  the  position  of  chief  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  establishment.  He  then  went 
to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  learned  the  drug  business.  Mr. 
Hill  began  the  manufacture  of  drug  specialties  in  1880,  at  Fairport,  New 
York,  under  the  firm  name  of  DeLand,  Hill  &  Company.  In  February, 
1885,  the  establishment  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  ]\Ir.  Hill,  purchasing 
his  partner's  interest,  came  to  Detroit  and  founded  his  present  business, 
under  the  firm  name  of  W.  H.  Hill  &  Company.  In  September,  1895, 
the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  firm  name  of  the  W.  H.  Hill 
Company,  of  which  he  became  president  and  general  manager,  in  which 
he  continues  to  act.  This  company  is  one  of  the  principal  manufacturers 
of  drug  specialties  in  Michigan  and  ranks  among  the  leading  manufac- 
turing enterprises  of  Detroit.  The  plant  is  one  of  the  most  up-to-date  to 
be  found  and  is  housed  in  a  model  manufacturing  building,  built  and 
owned  by  Mr.  Hill.  In  his  capacity  of  president  and  manager  of  this  con- 
cern, Mr.  Hill  is  the  directing  head  of  an  enterprise  which  has  direct 
bearing  upon  the  commercial  prosperity  and  industrial  activity  of  the  city, 
in  which  connection  he  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern 
thought  and  progress  in  the  business  world  and  manifested  an  aptitude 
for  successful  management  that  has  made  the  business  of  which  he  is  the 
head  a  profitable  industry. 

Mr.  Hill  has  always  been  a  strong  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  been  more  or  less  active  in  the  campaigns, 
and  always  keenly  and  intelligently  interested  in  the  same.  He  has  always 
been  an  ardent  admirer  of  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and  after  the  meeting 
of  the  Republican  National  Convention  at  Chicago,  in  June,  1912,  he 
was  among  the  first  to  telegraph  the  ex-president  suggesting  that  he 
form  a  new  party.  He  thus  iDecame  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  new  Pro- 
gressive party,  and  at  the  primaries  was  chosen  the  candidate  of  that 
party  for  the  office  of  congressman-at-large  for  ]\Iichigan.  He  gave 
his  time  and  means  to  that  campaign,  made  a  gallant  contest,  and,  while 
defeated,  next  to  Colonel  Roosevelt  polled  the  largest  vote  on  the  ticket. 
Mr.  Hill  is- in  no  sense  a  politician  or  office  seeker.  He  went  into  the 
Progressive  party  purely  from  principle,  and  when  called  upon  to  take 
a  place  on  the  ticket  thought  it  in  line  with  both  principle  and  duty 
to  respond.  He  claims  that  he  is  still  a  Lincoln  Republican  and  always 
intends  to  be  one.  Mr.  Hill,  in  a  business  way,  is  president  of  the  Ideal 
Register  and  Metallic  Furniture  Company,  of  Detroit,  and  was  form- 
erly president  of  the  Silk  Glove  Company  of  that  city.  He  belongs  to 
the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  where  he  has  been  able  to  contribute 
greatly  to  the  business  welfare  of  the  city,  and  is  widely  and  popularly 
known  in  club  circles,  being  connected  with  the  Wayne,  Rushmere,  De- 
troit Golf,  Detroit  Power  Boat  and  Detroit  Automobile  clubs. 

Vol.  IV— 20 


2062  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

At  Grass  Lake,  Michigan,  March  15,  18S2,  Mr.  Hill  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Dwelle. 

P.  J.  CoNXELL.  The  career  of  Mr.  P.  J.  Connell,  who  for  a  number 
of  years  has  had  a  successful  place  in  business  affairs  in  Muskegon,  is 
that  of  a  man  who  began  life  early  in  boyhood,  who  depended  upon  his 
resources  of  mind  and  body  to  earn  his  living,  and  make  himself  useful 
in  the  world,  and  who  through  that  same  self  reliance  and  honesty  of 
purpose  has  long  since  acquired  both  prosperity  and  influence. 

P.  J.  Connell  was  bom  in  Ireland,  September  25,  1840.  His  parents 
were  James  and  Mary  (Malone)  Connell,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  the 
father  bom  in  1810  and  died  in  1847,  ^"d  the  mother  born  in  1806  and 
died  in  1883.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  Watson  Connell,  who  spent 
all  his  life  in  Ireland  as  a  farmer.  The  maternal  grandfather  was 
Thomas  Malone.  who  also  lived  and  died  an  Irish  farmer.  The  parents 
two  years  after  the  birth  of  their  son,  P.  J.,  crossed  the  ocean  and  located 
in  Canada,  in  1842,  and  from  there  moved  to  Oswego.  New  York,  where 
the  father  died.  The  mother  then  came  out  to  Michigan  in  1849,  and  her 
family  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Ottawa  county.  Here  she  married 
Edward  McCue,  and  they  lived  on  a  farm  in  that  county  until  her  death. 
Mr.  McCue  died  in  1901  in  Aluskegon.  They  were  the  parents  of  four- 
teen children,  of  whom  two  are  living.  Mr.  Connell's  brother  is  Captain 
Richard  Connell,  for  many  years  a  captain  on  the  great  lakes,  and  he  has 
the  distinction  of  opening  the  first  life  saving  station  on  Lake  ^Michigan 
at  Grand  Haven. 

Before  the  construction  of  railways  he  carried  on  horseback  the  first 
mail  north  of  Grand  Haven  to  the  settlements  along  the  Lake  Shore.  The 
Connell  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mrs.  Connell, 
the  mother,  was  very  active  in  church  affairs.  The  first  Catholic  church 
established  in  Ottawa  county  was  located  on  her  brother's  farm,  and  roads 
had  to  be  cut  through  the  woods  for  five  miles  in  order  to  attend  church. 
Their  first  home  in  Ottawa  county  was  a  log  cabin  and  that  sheltered  the 
members  of  the  household  for  a  number  of  years. 

P.  J.  Connell  had  only  six  months  education  in  the  schools  of  Ottawa 
county.  During  1852-53  he  worked  for  his  board,  while  attending  school, 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  left  home  to  make  his  own  way.  For  some  time 
he  was  employed  in  a  saw-mill  at  thirteen  dollars  a  month,  including 
board,  after  which  he  was  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  during  1857  learned 
the  Mason's  trade.  It  was  as  a  Alason  that  he  made  his  real  start  in  life, 
and  has  worked  at  the  trade  and  as  a  contractor  for  many  years.  His 
contracting  business  began  in  1870,  and  the  last  important  building  erected 
by  him  was  the  Muskegon  Courthouse,  a  piece  of  construction  which  is 
highly  creditable  to  his  ability  and  business  management.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  handles  general  building  supplies,  and  for  a  man  who  had 
not  a  cent  to  start  on  has  prospered  exceedinglv  well. 

In  1S63  Mr.  Connell  went  to  Chicago  with  the  purpose  of  joining  the 
L^nion  army.  His  enlistment  was  refused,  and  while  in  that  citv  he  met 
and  married  Miss  Maria  J.  Curley.  Their  children  are:  Jennie,  the 
wife  of  John  W.  Grandfield  of  Muskegon,  where  her  husband  is  a 
bricklayer;  and  Julia  ^L,  who  married  the  late  Thomas  J.  Holmes,  and 
she  now  has  her  home  with  her  father.  The  familv  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church,  and  Mr.  Connell  is  a  past  grand  knight  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  and  in  August,  1913,  represented  the  state  of  Michigan  at 
Boston.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Good  Templars  and  has  held  the 
highest  offices  in  the  state.  His  politics  is  Repul)lican.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Connell  served  two  years  as  chief  of  the  Muskegon  fire  department. 
For  sixteen  years  he  operated  a  brick  kiln  at  Muskegon. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2063 

Alfred  |.  Weaver.  One  of  the  well  known  carpenter  contractors 
of  Detroit  is  Alfred  J.  Weaver,  whose  business  headquarters  are  in  the 
Springwells  district  of  that  city.  His  father  was  a  contractor,  and  from 
him  the  son  inherited  mechanical  abihty,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years 
has  followed  his  trade  and  business  with  a  growing  success. 

Born  in  Canada,  in  Walpole  township  of  county  Haldiman,  Ontario, 
June  26,  1872,  Arthur  J.  Weaver  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Forsythj 
Weaver.  Both  the  Weaver  and  Forsyth  families  were  originally  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  of  Dutch  stock.  The  grandparents  on  both  sides  left 
Pennsylvania  and  moved  into  Canada,  and  Mr.  Weaver's  parents  were 
born  in  Walpole  township  in  Ontario,  the  father  in  1848  and  the  mother 
in  1 85 1.  The  father  became  a  contractor  and  followed  the  business  for 
a  time  in  Canada,  later  moved  to  Sanilac  county,  Michigan,  locating  thirty- 
five  miles  west  of  Port  Huron,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  was  a 
leading  business  man  of  Melvin.  He  then  returned  to  Canada,  and  he 
and  his  wife  still  live  in  Haldiman  county. 

The  early  youth  of  Mr.  Weaver  was  spent  chiefly  at  Melvin  in  Sanilac 
county,  and  his  education  was  a  product  of  the  public  schools.  Under  his 
father  he  learned  to  handle  tools  with  proficient  skill  at  an  early  age,  and 
worked  under  his  supervision  until  1894.  His  first  independent  location 
was  at  Mount  Pleasant  in  Isabel  county,  Michigan,  and  after  eight  years 
there  he  spent  three  years  in  Port  Huron,  followed  by  his  removal  to 
Detroit.  During  these  years  he  engaged  in  his  trade  and  did  some  con- 
tracting up  till  1 91 2.  This  was  followed  by  an  experience  as  a  practical 
farmer,  beginning  with  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land  at  Milan,  Michi- 
gan, but  he  soon  returned  to  his  original  business  at  Windsor,  Ontario. 
Since  his  return  to  Detroit  Mr.  Weaver  has  done  a  large  contracting 
business  and  has  erected  many  of  the  better  residences  in  the  Spring- 
wells  district  of  Detroit. 

At  Mount  Pleasant,  Michigan,  on  July  2,  1895,  Mr.  Weaver  married 
Ada  Sutton,  who  was  born  at  Ludington,  Michigan,  and  reared  at 
Mount  Pleasant.  Her  parents  were  Josiah  C.  and  Alvira  Sutton.  Mr. 
Weaver  and  wife  have  four  children:  Anna  May,  Jesse  Josiah.  Cecil 
Martin,  and  Edna  Alvira.  In  politics  Mr.  Weaver  supports  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

Carl  A.  Johnson.  To  have  reached,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  the  position  of  secretary  and  manager  of  a  newspaper  such  as  the 
Grand  Rapids  Evening  Nrzi's.  is  an  achievement  that  not  every  young 
man  can  claim.  But  that  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  Carl  A.  Johnson, 
and  though  it  may  seem  that  the  circumstances  in  his  instance  have 
been  unusually  fortuitous,  still  one  cannot  deny  that  his  native  talent  and 
splendid  energy  have  been  the  mainsprings  of  his  success — qualities  that 
must  always  bring  a  degree  of  prosperity  to  their  possessor,  regardless  of 
chance  or  change. 

Carl  A.  Johnson  was  born  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  on  July  22, 
1891,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Charles  A.  and  Hannah  (Hammer)  Johnson, 
both  natives  of  Sweden.  The  father  was  born  there  on  August  24,  1857, 
and  still  lives,  while  the  mother  died  at  the  family  home  in  1893.  They 
came  to  America  in  1888  and  settled  in  Minneapolis,  where  so  many  of 
their  countrymen  have  found  homes  and  prosperity.  The  father  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  he  also  gave  some  time  to  the  work  of  a  station- 
ary engineer,  but  for  the  most  part  carpentering  formed  his  occupation. 
Though  he  never  acquired  more  of  this  world's  goods  than  he  could  com- 
fortably make  use  of,  he  was,  in  the  main,  a  successful  man,  and  reared 
his  family  well,  giving  them  fair  educations  and  doing  as  well  as  his 
circumstances  would  permit. 


2064  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

Of  the  six  children  born  to  these  parents,  four  are  living.  A.  P.  John- 
son, the  eldest,  is  employed  in  a  responsible  capacity  on  the  Chicago  Rec- 
ord Herald;  Anna  H.,  married  a  Mr.  Schaefle,  who  is  engaged  in  the  au- 
tomobile business  in  Minneapolis,  and  Lillian  became  the  wife  of  a  Min- 
neapolis jeweler  of  the  name  of  Norde.  The  family  were  reared  in  the 
Methodist  faith,  the  parents  having  membership  in  that  church,  and  the 
father  has  been  a  stanch  Republican,  though  he  has  not  engaged  actively 
in  politics. 

Carl  A.  Johnson  attended  the  Alinneapolis  public  schools  until  he  was 
in  his  'teens,  and  subsecjuently  he  entered  the  press  room  of  the  ]Min- 
neapolis  Tribune,  and  was  there  engaged  for  a  year.  He  then  secured 
employment  in  a  grocery  store,  and  continued  until  1909,  when  he  secured 
cmplovment  in  the  editorial  rooms  of  the  Tribune.  This  training  was 
followed  bv  a  season  spent  on  the  staff  of  the  Chicago  Record  Herald, 
where  his  brother  is  now  employed,  and  in  1912  he  came  to  Grand  Rapids 
where  he  became  identified  in  a  leading  capacity  with  the  Evening  News. 
He  has  since  become  a  stockholder  in  the  paper,  and  is  now  acting  sec- 
retary and  general  manager  of  the  publication,  a  jiosition  which  despite 
his  youth  he  has  demonstrated  his  fitness  to  hold.  He  is  deeply  interested 
in  his  work,  devoting  his  every  moment  to  the  paper  and  its  best  inter- 
ests, and  it  is  freely  predicted  that  he  will  continue  to  advance  in  the  field 
of  Journalism.  The  Nezi's  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
papers  in  Michigan  today,  and  it  is  destined  to  take  a  leading  jilace  among 
the  better  journals  of  the  state.  ■•  It  has  inade  splendid  progress  under 
the  careful  work  of  its  manager,  and'  it-cannot  fail  to  continue  on  its 
upward  wav  while  in  charge- of  Mr.  Johnson. 

CriARi.i-N  Newton  Goodknow.  For  more  than  forty  years  Detroit 
has  had  a  Goodenow  among  its  leading  mason  contractors.  Expert  crafts- 
mr.nshi]).  reliable  contractual  performance  and  solid  business  integrity 
are  characteristic  of  the  familv  record.  Charles  N.  Goodenow,  whose 
father  began  work  as  a  brick  mason  in  Detroit  forty-five  years  a,go,  has 
been  in  business  for  himself  fifteen  years  and  is  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Goodenow  &  Ginn,  well  known  mason  contractors. 

The  birthplace  of  Mr.  Goodenow  was  on  Indian  avenue,  now  known 
as  Hubbard  avenue,  in  Detroit,  where  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day  on 
August  22,  1872.  His  parents  were  Charles  Marcus  and  Catherine  ( Mc- 
Claren)  Goodenow.  The  Goodenow  family  is  of  French  origin,  was 
founded  in  .America  by  Josiah  Goodenow,  great-grandfather  of  Charles 
N.,  and  this  progenitor  came  from  France  as  a  soldier  and  a  follower  of 
General  Lafayette,  and  helped  to  win  independence  for  the  American 
colonies  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  After  the  successful  de- 
termination of  the  war,  he  settled  in  \'ermont,  moved  from  that  state  to 
New  York  state,  and  lived  out  his  life  there.  After  coming  to  this 
country  he  married  a  Miss  Fuller.  Their  son,  Josephus,  the  grand- 
father, was  born  in  N'ermont  in  1S14,  and  when  a  young  man  moved  to 
County  Lincoln,  Ontario,  and  for  many  years  was  a  manufacturer  of 
brick  at  St.  Catherines  in  that  county,  and  died  there.  He  married  Ma- 
tilda Havens,  who  was  bom  in  County  Lincoln.  Ontario,  but  belonged  to 
the  old  Havens  family  of  Connecticut,  for  whom  the  city  of  New  Haven 
was  named.  Her  father  was  a  United  Fmjiire  Loyalist,  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Revolutionary  war,  finding  himself  not  in  sympathy  with 
the  revolting  colonists,  he  moved  to  County  Lincoln  in  Ontario.  The 
son  of  Josejihus  and  Matilda  was  Charles  Marcus,  who  was  born  at  St. 
Catherines,  Ontario,  ]\Iarch  28,  1844,  came  to  Detroit  in  1869.  bringing 
with  him  skill  and  experience  as  a  brick  mason,  and  after  following  his 
trade  about  ten  years  engaged  in  contracting,  a  business  which  he  has 


THi  irew 


MWR/kRYI 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2065 

continued  ever  since,  though  now  not  so  active  as  formerly.  This  veteran 
mason  makes  a  specialty  of  fire-brick  work,  and  is  regarded  not  only  a? 
one  of  the  oldest  but  as  one  of  the  most  expert  contractors  in  the  city 
His  wife,  Catherine  JMcClaren,  was  born  in  St.  Catherines,  Ontario 
daughter  of  Robert  McClaren,  and  they  have  five  surviving  children 

Charles  X.  Goodenow  has  worked  out  practically  his  entire  career  in 
the  city  of  Detroit.  The  public  schools  of  the  city,  private  schools  and 
night  school,  furnished  him  his  education,  and  early  in  his  youth  he 
served  his  apprenticeship  in  the  mason's  trade  and  worked  as  a  journey- 
man until  1898.  That  was  the  year  that  marked  the  beginning  of  his 
contracting  business,  when  he  and. Thomas  R.  Ginn  established  the  firm 
of  Goodenow  &  Ginn.  This  has  been  one  of  the  very  successful  com- 
binations in  the  building  trade,  and  they  have  erected  many  fine  resi- 
dences, factories  and  cliurches.  Among  the  choice  examples  of  their 
work  may  be  mentioned  the  fine  Thomas  residence  on  Cass  and  Mer- 
rick avenues ;  the  Hugh  Wallace  residence  in  Virginia  Park  and  North 
Woodward  avenue;  the  home  of  Charles  Munz  on  Chicago  boulevard; 
and  they  also  built  the  Church  of  the  Messiah,  besides  many  stores  and 
factories.  Mr.  Goodenow  is  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  De- 
troit Builders  &  Traders  Exchange,  of  which  for  two  years  he  was  a 
director.  He  is  also  a  leader  in  the  Master  Masons  Association,  of 
which  he  is  president  for  the  year  1914.  Fraternally  Mr.  Goodenow  af- 
filiates with  Eastern  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
with  Zion  Lodge,  No.  i,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Peninsula  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
the  Damascus  Commandery  of  the  Knights  Templar. 

On  December  31,  1903,  Mr.  Goodenow  married  Margaret  McLarty, 
who  was  born  at  Ripley,  Ontario.  They  have  the  following  children: 
Marjorie  Jeannette,  Charles  Frederick,  Margaret  Christiana,  Bruce  Angus. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodenow  are  both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

John  D.  Raab.  One  of  the  industries  which  have  given  distinctive 
character  to  Grand  Rapids  as  an  industrial  city  is  the  John  D.  Raab  Chair 
Company,  established  in  1905,  with  Mr.  Raab  as  president  and  general 
manager.  The  output  of  the  factory  is  high-grade  chairs,  and  with  its 
present  equipment  the  company  has  one  of  the  best  plants  of  its  kind  in 
the  country. 

John  D.  Raab  has  had  a  career  of  exceptionally  varied  and  interesting 
experience  and  successful  accomplishment.  Born  in  Alexandria,  Vir- 
ginia, May  13,  1867,  he  was  two  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  his 
father  moved  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  two  years  later,  and  died  leaving 
the  son  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  A  few  months  after  his  father's 
death  he  ran  away  from  his  step-mother's  home,  became  a  newsboy,  had 
an  ambition  to  rise  in  the  world  and  attended  night  school,  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  began  the  study  of  architecture  under  W.  Bruce  Gray 
of  Washington.  As  he  had  no  money,  and  as  he  had  agreed  to  work  for 
the  first  year  in  the  architect's  ofifice  without  pay,  the  problem  of  living 
was  a  difficult  one  to  solve,  but  in  a  short  time  he  had  contrived  the 
means.  Instead  of  eating  lunch  at  noon  he  studied  and  mastered  the 
art  of  shorthand,  and  during  his  first  year  of  architecture  became  private 
secretary  to  Congressman  J.  D.  Taylor  of  Ohio,  giving  his  services  to  the 
congressman  during  the  early  mornings  and  late  evenings,  while  the 
remaining  hours  of  the  day  were  applied  to  his  architectural  emplovment. 

LaterMr.  Raab  entered  the  service  of  Burnham  &  Root,  the  Chicago 
architects  whose  fame  rests  on  achievements  of  national  and  almost  inter- 
national scope,  they  being  the  architects  of  the  Columbian  Exposition 
grounds  and  buildings  at  Chicago  in  the  early  nineties.  In  1S95  Mr. 
Raab  transferred  his  attention  to  the  field  of  furniture  designing,  and  in 


2066  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

that  line  had  soon  acquired  a  reputation.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
employed  by  as  many  as  fourteen  or  fifteen  of  the  best  known  factories 
throughout  the  country  in  furnishing  designs,  his  services  being  dis- 
tributed among  the  different  companies  at  the  same  time. 

In  September,  1905,  he  organized  the  John  D.  Raab  Chair  Company 
of  Grand  Rapids  with  a  capitalization  of  $20,000.  Since  then  the  capital 
has  been  increased  to  $125,000,  all  paid  in,  and  the  new  factory  now  in 
course  of  construction  and  to  be  completed  by  October,  1914,  with  the 
finest  equipment  for  the  special  line  of  manufacture  conducted,  will  give 
a  plant  costing  in  total  about  $165,000. 

Mr.  Raab  was  married  in  Chicago  April  13,  1S92,  to  Grace  Lee 
W'alrath. 

Wirxi.^M  Hughes.  In  the  age  that  we  have  passed  in  our  swift  prog- 
ress and  ever-changing  ideas,  it  was  the  accepted  rule  that  naught  but 
the  men  of  deep  years  were  entitled  to  hold  the  positions  of  honor, 
whether  in  the  fields  of  trade  and  commerce,  in  the  learned  professions, 
or  in  the  ever-changing  arena  of  politics  and  public  life.  He  who  showed 
not  the  gray  or  hoary  head  could  qualify  in  no  way  to  be  a  leader  of  his 
fellows.  Years  were  a  badge  of  honor  then — and  are  still ;  but  today 
they  are  not  necessary  as  an  adjunct  to  ability.  Youth  must  be  served 
in  these  days  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  and  while  we  still  find  the  men 
of  years  holding  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  we  are  given  daily 
examples  of  the  men  who  have  reached  high  place  when  still  young  men 
as  young  men  were  qualified  in  former  years. 

Still  in  the  full  power  of  his  youth,  with  faculties  but  sharpened  by 
a  broad  experience  in  this  and  other  countries,  William  Hughes  is  one 
of  the  forceful  figures  in  the  Detroit  business  field.  His  advent  occurred 
in  1902,  and  since  that  time  he  has  steadily  brought  himself  to  the  fore- 
front, not  alone  in  the  line  of  contracting  in  plumbing  and  heating,  but 
as  a  sterling,  public-spirited  citizen.  It  is  to  men  of  this  kind  that  the  city 
must  look  for  its  future  prosperity,  its  future  progress,  and  its  ultimate 
greatness.  It  is  theirs  to  do  and  to  accomplish  :  to  build,  and  to  build 
well. 

William  Hughes  is  forty-four  years  of  age,  having  been  born  July 
'  1 8,  1870,  a  native  of  Lancastershire,  England,  and  a  son  of  \\'illiam  and 
Jane  (Bowers)  Hughes.  His  parents  were  both  bom  there,  where  the 
father  was  engaged  in  a  manufacturing  business  until  his  death  in  1894, 
the  mother  surviving  until  1910.  Mr.  Hughes  was  given  his  education 
in  the  pulilic  schools  of  his  native  place,  early  adopted  the  trade  of  plumb- 
ing, and  followed  his  chosen  vocation  at  Lancastershire  and  in  tlie  city 
of  London.  Subsequently,  he  was  employed  for  thirteen  \-ears  bv  a 
Liverpool  firm,  by  which  he  was  sent  to  various  points  to  do  special 
work,  and  in  1897  came  to  the  L^nited  States,  locating  first  in  Boston. 
After  about  one  and  one-half  years  he  went  to  Toronto.  Canada,  and  in 
1899  came  to  Detroit,  which  city  he  has  continued  to  make  his  home. 
He  emljarked  in  business  on  his  own  account  in  1902,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Roach  &  Hughes,  a  partnership  which  continued  for  some 
two  and  one-half  years,  when  the  association  was  dissolved,  and  Mr. 
Hughes  has  been  in  business  since  then  under  his  own  name.  His  first 
location  was  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Merrick  avenues,  but  in  1910 
came  to  his  present  place,  No.  245  Merrick  avenue,  here  having  one  of 
the  finest  appointed  offices  in  the  city.  He  does  sanitary  plumbing  and 
heating  work  and  has  had  a  large  trade  in  school  contracts,  as  well  as  in 
equipping  business  houses.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Detroit  lUiikl- 
ers  and  Traders  Exchange,  on  which  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  sev- 
eral important  committees,  and  is  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  Master 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2067 

Plumbers   Association,   being  president   in    igio  and    191 1,   and   now   a 
member  of  several  committees. 

Air.  Hughes  was  married  to  Mary  Ellen  Arnold,  who  was  born  in 
Lancastershire,  England,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (  Schimmin ) 
Arnold,  natives  of  England,  where  the  wedding  took  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hughes  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Henry  Feige.  Ernest  Feige.  For  many  years  the  manufacture  of 
furniture  has  been  one  of  the  most  valuable  industries  of  the  state  of 
Michigan.  The  northeastern  section  of  the  state  has  long  been  prominent 
in  this  particular,  and  Saginaw  is  one  of  the  largest  furniture  making 
centers  in  America.  The  location  of  the  city,  and  the  standing  of  its 
product  as  a  furniture  center  are  largely  due  to  the  enterprise  of  the 
Feige  family,  three  generations  of  which  have  been  successively  identified 
with  furniture  manufacture  in  this  city.  There  is  no  name  deserving 
higher  honors  or  a  more  distinctive  place  in  Saginaw  than  that  of  Feige. 

The  pioneer  of  the  family  in  America  was  Engelhardt  Feige,  who  was 
born  in  Hesse  Cassel,  Germany,  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker  in 
his  native  land,  and  about  1843  or  1844  came  to  the  United  States  and 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  followed  his 
trade  in  New  York  City,  and  also  in  Palmyra,  and  later  in  Marion, 
Wayne  county.  There  his  enterprise  as  an  independent  maker  of  furni- 
ture first  took  formal  shape,  and  eventually  he  employed  from  ten  to 
fifteen  workmen  in  his  little  factory.  In  1854,  having  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness in  New  York  State,  Engelhardt  Feige  moved  out  to  Saginaw.  Sagi- 
naw was  at  that  time  a  very  small  city,  and  almost  its  sole  activity  was 
the  lumber  industry,  being  the  center  of  several  large  mills,  and  a  sup- 
ply point  for  all  the  vast  logging  operations  of  the  Saginaw  Valley  and 
throughout  northeastern  Michigan.  On  the  corner  of  Water  and  Ger- 
mania  Streets,  Engelhardt  Feige  built  a  factory  for  the  manufacturing  of 
furniture.  That  was  probably  the  pioneer  industry,  certainly  the  first 
successful  enterprise  of  its  kind  in  Saginaw.  In  1867  Engelhardt  Feige 
turned  over  his  business  and  factory  to  his  four  sons,  and  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  a  farm  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  near  the 
city.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character,  and  his  fine  industry  and  ex- 
cellent traits  of  mind  and  heart  were  continued  through  the  careers  of 
his  sons.  His  business  grew  to  one  of  commanding  importance.  After 
some  years  as  a  manufacturer,  he  opened  a  furniture  store  in  Saginaw, 
and  later  another  in  Bay  City,  which  were  the  largest  furniture  stores 
of  their  time.  In  his  mercantile  operations  he  sold  not  only  the  goods 
of  his  own  manufacture,  but  also  did  a  large  and  successful  wholesale 
and  jobbing  business.  His  son,  George,  took  charge  of  the  store  in  Sagi- 
naw, and  Ernest  remained  in  charge  of  the  factory.  Henrj'  had  charge 
of  the  Bay  City  store,  and  Charles  and  George  were  both  assistants  to 
Ernest.  Engelhardt  Feige  at  his  death  left  an  honored  name  and  a  repu- 
tation for  substantial  achievements  such  as  his  goods  have  always  pos- 
sessed during  and  subsequent  to  his  lifetime.  He  did  a  great  deal  to- 
wards the  upbuilding  of  .Saginaw,  along  permanent  lines  of  improvement, 
and  was  a  man  of  splendid  public  spirit. 

The  four  sons  of  Engelhardt  Feige  were  Henry,  Charles,  deceased; 
Ernest;  and  George.  They  all  learned  the  business  of  their  father  in 
every  detail  and  the  splendid  success  of  the  Feige  family  enterprise  has 
been  largely  due  to  the  untiring  and  unselfish  assistance  afl^orded  by 
these  sons  to  their  father  in  the  early  days.  Of  the  sons,  Charles  Feige, 
the  second,  died  a  number  of  years  ago  on  his  way  home  from  California  ; 
George,  the  youngest  is  now  a  prosperous  merchant  at  Seattle, 
Washington. 


2068  HISTORY  OF  -MICHIGAX 

Henry  Feige,  the  oldest  of  the  sons,  was  born  in  1836,  in  Hesse  Cassel, 
Germany,  was  abftut  six  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  America,  ac- 
quired his  early  education' in  the  schools  of  New  York  city  and  in  Palmyra 
and  in  .Marion'  in  the  same  state,  and  was  ready  to  enter  upon  his  active 
business  career  when  the  family  came  to  Saginaw,  in  1854.  Here  he  ac- 
quired a  training  for  business,  and  previous  to  leaving  New  York  State 
had  learned  the  trade  of  upholsterer.  Years  of  his  early  manhood  were 
spent  in  his  father's  factory,  and  he  continued  to  contribute  his  skill  and 
ability  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise  until  the  summer  of  1861.  On  the 
seventeenth  of  luly  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company  F  of  the  First 
Michigan  Infantry.  His  activity  as  a  soldier  continued  until  his  honorable 
discharge  on  June  30,  1863.  He  had  participated  in  all  the  campaigns 
and  movements  of  the  First  Regiment,  and  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run  his  arm  was  shattered  by  a  ball,  and  was  never  a  sound  member 
throughout  the  rest  of  his  life'.  Henry  Feige  died  in  Saginaw,  Septejn- 
ber  I,  1909,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  had  been  a  Republican 
all  his  active  career,  was  commander  of  his  post  of  the  Grand  Arniy  of 
the  Republic,  and  a  man  of  energy  and  high  character,  not  only  in  his 
immediate  relations,  but  in  the  general  civic  attairs  of  his  community. 
His  widow  now  lives  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  her  daughter,  Laura,  is  a 
student  in  the  University. 

Henry  Feige  married  Christine  Sherer,  who  was  born  in  Saginaw. 
To  their  marriage  were  born  six  children:  Clara,  wife  of  Maynard  H. 
>riner,  a  farmer  at  Bridgeport,  Michigan  ;  Henry  Feige,  Jr. ;  George  F., 
deceased;  Olga,  deceased:  Meta  L.,  wife  of  Ben  H.  Hellman,  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  and  Laura  M.,  a  student  in  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan at  Ann  Arbor. 

The  four  Feige  brothers  continued  the  manufacturing  and  retail 
business  established  by  their  father,  but  many  changes  and  developments 
were  made  after  he  turned  over  the  details  of  the  factor)'  to  these 
sons.  The  original  factory  was  moved  to  the  corner  of  Hoyt  and 
Genesee  Streets,  where  a  modern  and  larger  plant  was  constructed,  and 
where  from  thirtv  to  thirty-five  expert  workmen  were  constantly  em- 
ploved.  With  the  increase  of  business,  another  change  of  location  became 
necessarv,  and  the  Hoyt  Street  facton,'  was  moved  further  away  from 
the  congested  district  to  Holland  Avenue.  There  it  remained  until  the 
building  was  burned  to  the  ground.  Prior  to  that,  however,  in  1870,  the 
partnership  of  the  brothers  was  dissolved.  Henry  and  George  took  as 
their  interest  the  retail  store,  while  Ernest  and  Charles  took  the  factory. 
.\fter  the  fire,  Ernest  Feige  organized  a  stock  company  in  1886,  became 
the  controlling  and  active  head,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  desks, 
and  cabinet  files. 

Henry  I'eige,  Sr.,  continued  in  the  retail  furniture  business  up  to 
January,  1909,  when  owing  to  his  failing  health  he  sold  out  his  business 
"to  his  son.  Henry,  Jr.  This  establishment  is  now  the  oldest  retail  furni- 
ture establishment  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  and  at  the  same  time  one 
of  the  very  largest  in  its  business  and  facilities.  The  store,  in  a  three- 
storv  block,  is  located  at  1 13-121  South  Baum  Street,  and  nearly  twenty- 
two  thousand  feet  of  floor  space  are  devoted  to  the  extensive  stocks  ex- 
hibited and  sold  there. 

Henrv  Feige,  Jr.,  who  is  in  the  third  generation,  a  grandson  of  Ingle- 
hardt  Feige,  who  founded  the  business,  and  a  son  of  the  late  Henry  Feige, 
Sr.,  was  born  in  Bay  City.  Michigan,  .April  7,  1880.  His  education  was 
given  in  the  public  schools  of  Saginaw,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  his  father.  Thus  from  father  to  son  the  energj'  and 
skill  of  the  Feige  family  have  been  passed  on,  and  Henry  Feige,  Jr.,  is 
himself  a  vigorous  and  alert  young  business  man,  and  thoroughly  alive  to 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2069 

the  requirements  of  a  modern  business  in  the  furniture  hne.  He  is  ? 
lUue  Lodge  Alason,  and  a  member  of  the  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  menil)er 
of  the  Germania  Society,  and  in  poHtics  is  Republican.  In  October,  iyo6, 
Henry  Feige,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Anna  M.  Ireon,  a  native  of  Saginaw,  and 
a  daughter  of  Michael  Ireon.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Mar- 
garet. Mr.  Feige  and  wife  and  daughter  find  their  principal  recreation  in 
motoring. 

Ernest  Feige,  the  third  son  of  Engelhardt  Feige,  was  bom  in  Flesse 
Cassel,  Germany,  Xovember  3,  1842,  was  an  infant  when  the  family  came 
to  America.  Educated  in  the  public  schools  he  then  like  his  other  brothers, 
entered  the  factory  of  his  father,  and  acquired  not  only  a  technical  hut 
a  business  knowledge  of  the  entire  industry.  After  the  burning  of  ihe 
Holland  Street  factory  he  organized  in  1886,  the  Feige  Desk  iS:  Cabinet 
Manufacturing  Company.  It  is  now  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its 
kind  in  the  state,  and  ^Ir.  Feige  is  still  active  head  and  it  is  as  a  result 
of  his  tireless  energy  that  the  business  has  been  built  up  to  its  present 
large  scale.  Few  business  men  travel  so  constantly  in  the  interests  of 
their  enterprise  as  Mr.  Feige.  He  has  made  twenty-three  consecutive 
trips  over  the  world,  and  each  year  visits  his  branch  houses  and  personal 
representatives  in  England,  Germany,  France,  Spain,  Switzerland,  Turkev, 
Norway,  Sweden,  Denmark,  Russia,  F'oland,  Belgium,  Holland,  Austria, 
Italy,  the  north  African  States  and  principalities,  Egypt,  Asiatic  Turkey, 
and  the  Balkan  States.  Three  months  of  every  year  are  thus  spent 
abroad,  another  three  months  are  spent  in  Central  America,  and  in  the 
South  American  countries  of  Brazil,  Argentine  Republic,  Chili,  Cuba, 
Porto  Rico,  and  the  West  Indies.  His  wife  usually  joins  him  on  one  or 
more  of  these  excursions. 

Ernest  Feige  deserves  credit  for  the  introduction  of  one  very  important 
method  and  improvement  in  the  distribution  of  furniture  to  the  trade,  and 
that  is  what  is  known  as  the  "knock  down"  method  of  boxing  and  ship- 
ping his  goods.  All  his  desks  and  cabinets  are  shipped  closely  packed, 
and  it  requires  only  a  little  time  and  no  skill  on  the  part  of  the  purchaser 
to  put  the  goods  together.  The  saving  in  freight  expenses  is  a  very  big 
factor,  and  has  been  one  of  the  improvements  which  have  made  the  Feige 
business  so  steadily  prosperous.  Air.  I'eige  found  it  a  very  hard  task  to 
change  the  set  and  old  way  of  shipping,  and  yet  at  the  jiresent  time  prob- 
ably a  majority  of  the  furniture  factories  over  the  country  ship  their 
product  in  just  that  w-ay.  His  export  trade  has  doubled  several  times 
since  its  beginning.  The  Feige  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  desks  and 
cabinets  covers  four  acres  of  ground,  and  steady  employment  is  furnished 
to  more  than  seventy  hands.  Mr.  Feige  has  always  made  it  a  rule  to  give 
personal  charge  and  direction  to  his  business,  especially  the  export  busi- 
ness, and  it  can  be  stated  that  no  man  in  the  state  has  traveled  the  world 
so  often  in  behalf  of  his  goods.  He  possesses  a  splendid  training  ac- 
quired from  his  father  in  all  lines  of  the  business,  has  a  genial  personal 
character,  and  is  known  in  manufacturing  circles  through  the  state,  and 
in  many  of  the  important  cities,  both  in  America  and  abroad. 

j\Ir.  Feige  is  an  Independent  in  politics,  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge,  and  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church.  In 
1868  he  married  Miss  Amelia  Feige.  Their  three  children  are  Mamie, 
wife  of  Louis  A.  Goecker  of  Saginaw :  Lena  and  Gussie,  who  reside  with 
their  parents  in  Saginaw. 

James  Parkhill.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  automobile  interests  of 
the  country  in  recent  years  has  created  an  industry  which  has  given 
a  wide  field  of  opportunity  and  enterprise  to  many  of  the  voung  men  of 
the  present  generation,  who  have  special  aptitude  for  mechanics  and  Inisi- 


2070  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

ness,  and  lames  Parkhill  of  Flint  is  one  of  those  who  have  made  most 
of  his  opportunities  along  these  lines.  Mr.  Parkhill  is  a  young  Scotch- 
man, has  been  identitied  with  mechanical  enginee'ring  in  various  parts  of 
the  world,  and  for  the  past  seven  \ears  has  had  a  garage  and  has  done  a 
flourishing  business  as  an  automobile  salesman,  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  has  won  a  reputation  for  efficiency  and  service  that  has  brought  him 
considerable  prominence  in  the  city. 

James  Parkhill  was  born  at  Neilston.  Scotland,  October  12,  1879, 
the  youngest  of  the  family  of  John  and  Mary  (  Rainey )  Parkhill.  The 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Scotland,  and  the  father  is  still  li\ing  there 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  being  a  retired  contractor  and  builder. 
The  mother  died  in  1897,  when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  There  were 
six  children,  the  others  being  named  as  follows :  ^Irs.  Elizabeth  Colqu- 
houn,  who  lives  in  Scotland :  Thomas  Parkhill,  now  deceased ;  Mrs.  Mary 
Harvey,  in  Scotland :  John  Parkhill,  who  died  while  serving  with  an 
English  company  in  the  South  African  war:    Helen-  Parkhill.  deceased. 

The  schools  of  Scotland  gave  James  Parkhill  his  early  education,  and 
subsequently  he  took  a  law  course  in  that  country  for  a  year  and  a  half. 
However,  he  early  found  that  his  inclinations  and  talents  were  in  a 
different  direction,  ahd  left  School  before  graduating,  and  took  up  marine 
engineering.  His  work  gave  him  duties  on  steamships  in  all  parts  of 
the  world,  and  in  that  way  he  finally  came  to  America,  arriving  at 
Halifax,  Xova  Scotia,  and  soQij  afterwards  coming  inland  and  locating 
in  Flint  in  1903.  During  the  first  two  and  a  half  years  of  his  residence  in 
Flint,  ^Ir.  Parkhill  was  employed  wifli  J.  B.  Armstrong  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  then  established  what  is  known  as  the  Flint  Garage. 
Since  then  he  has  handled  and  sold  nearly  all  the  makes  of  automobiles, 
and  now  has  the  exclusive  agency  for  the  Cheverlet  machine,  one  of  the 
best  automobiles  made  at  Flint.  His  record  of  sales  has  averaged  about 
twenty  cars  each  year.  At  his  establishment  at  721  South  .Saginaw 
Street,  Mr.  I'arkhill  handles  all  kinds  of  automobile  accessories.  He  is 
also  president  of  the  Flint  \'ulcanizing  Company. 

In  politics,  since  getting  his  American  citizenship,  Mr.  Parkhill  has 
been  independent.  He  has  membership  in  the  Mint  Country  Club,  and 
is  one  of  the  popular  young  business  men  of  the  city.     He  is  unmarried. 

\\'ii.Li.\.M  S.  CoXNERV.  At.  D.  In  practice  at  Saginaw  since  1889,  Dr. 
Connery  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  physicians  and  surgeons  of  that 
city,  and  stands  high  both  in  the  jjrofession  and  in  the  ranks  of  general 
citizenship. 

William  S.' Connery  was  born  in  Packingham,  Ontario,  Canada,  June 
16.  1868,  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now- 
deceased,  born  to  James  and  Christina  (Sullivan)  Connery.  Both  parents 
came  from  Canada  to  Michigan  in  1871,  settling  in  Saginaw,  where  his 
father  spent  a  long  and  active  career  as  a  hotel  man.  and  is  now  living 
retired  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine.     The  mother  died  in  Saginaw  in  1908. 

The  early  life  of  Dr.  Connery  was  spent  in  Saginaw,  he  being  three 
years  of  age  when  the  family  located  there.  He  is  .a  graduate  of  the 
high  school,  having  finished  the  studies  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  In  the 
fall  of  1886,  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  pursued  his 
studies  in  medicine  until  his  graduation  M.  D.  in  1889.  Returning  to 
Saginaw,  he  has  since  been  actively  identified  with  the  private  practice 
of  his  profession,  and  has  built  up  a  clientage  which  is  probably  second 
to  none  in  the  entire  city.  Dr.  Conner}-  was  elected  and  served  as  coroner 
of  Saginaw  county,  during  1906-1912,  for  six  vears.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Society  and  is  president  of  the  Saginaw 


!'^'i^.7ii:^:. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2071 

County  Medical  Society.  His  fraternal  relations  are  with  the  Masonic 
Order,  in  which  he  has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  the  Scottish  Rite  and 
belongs  to  the  Shrine,  and  also  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles.  Dr.  Connery  has  long  been 
identified  with  the  United  States  Xaval  Reserves,  and  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war  -served  in  the  capacity  of  coxswain,  and  went  to  Cuba 
and  Porto  Rico  and  took  part  in  the  land  engagement  at  San  Juan,  and 
after  the  war  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  Detroit.  He  is  now  a 
staff  officer  in  the  Naval  Reserves. 

Dr.  Connery  was  married  at  Saginaw  in  1902  to  Miss  Charlotte  Hud- 
son, a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  William  Hudson  of  Saginaw.  To  the 
marriage  of  the  doctor  and  wife  have  been  born  two  children,  Saginaw 
being  the  birthplace  of  both,  as  follows :  Elizabeth,  born  in  1903 :  and 
William  Hudson  Connery,  born  in  1910. 

Judge  William  Gaffney.  As  judge  of  the  police  court  of  Bay  City, 
an  office  which  he  has  held  since  19 10,  William  Gafifney  performs  an 
important  public  service  in  his  community.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  came  from  the  farm  to  Bay  City  and  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  and  was  in  successful  practice  until  his  election  to 
the  bench  of  the  city  court.  He  has  faithfully  performed  his  duties  ac- 
cording to  the  law  and  also  according  to  the  high  moral  and  humane 
requirements  of  modern  justice.  He  does  not  represent  the  stern  justice 
that  inflicts  penalties  without  discretion  or  discrimination,  but  rather 
believes  and  acts  so  that,  with  due  respect  to  the  welfare  of  society,  the 
individual  wrong-doer  may  be  set  on  the  road  to  reformation.  He  has 
shown  great  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate  and  also  for  the  drinking 
class,  many  of  which  come  before  him  daily,  and  his  courtroom  has  been 
more  of  a  moral  tribunal  than  a  chamber  of  punishment,  and  he  is  fre- 
quently heard  lecturing  and  admonishing  those  who  come  before  him, 
advising  them  of  the  evil  effects  of  the  drink  habit  and  of  the  great  loss 
of  money,  time  and  self-respect.  He  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  minis- 
ter of  reform  and  truth  as  well  as  of  the  law. 

William  Gaffney  was  born  May  29,  1845,  ""i  Ireland,  and  came  to 
Bay  county,  Michigan,  in  1856  with  his  parents,  \\'illiam  and  Alary  Gaff- 
ney. He  was  next  to  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Bay  county 
about  1867,  while  the  mother  passed  away  in  1S87. 

The  early  education  of  Judge  Gaffney  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools,  and  he  completed  the  high  school  at  Flint.  Returning  to  the 
country  he  engaged  in  farming,  improved  a  tract  of  land  from  the  brush 
and  virgin  soil  into  a  highly  productive  farm,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
had  quite  a  reputation  in  that  vicinity  as  a  grower  and  breeder  of  short- 
horn pedigreed  cattle.  While  a  prosperous  farmer  he  has  again  and 
again  tried  to  serve  his  community  in  a  public  capacity.  For  twelve 
years  he  was  supervisor  of  Monitor  township,  and  wag  superintendent 
of  schools  and  school  inspector  for  many  years  there.  He  was  elected 
county  clerk  in  the  fall  of  1882  and  re-elected  for  four  consecutive  terms. 
While  in  that  capacity  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
followed  the  practice  of  law  actively  for  several  years.  In  1910  he  was 
elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  as  police  judge  and  in  the  spring  of  191 1  was 
elected  for  the  regular  term  in  that  office.  His  election  was  a  high  tribute 
to  his  ability  and  personal  popularity,  since  he  went  into  office  as  a 
Democrat  in  a  communitv  which  is  normally  Republican  by  a  majority 
of  about  fifteen  hundred  votes.  Judge  Gaffney  has  been  a  Democrat 
since  casting  his  first  ballot,  and  has  been  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  party 
in  Bay  county. 


2072  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Judge  Gaffney  affiliates  witli  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Royal 
League,  the  Maccabees,  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  was  married  in  September,  1879,  at 
Bay  City,  to  Miss  Catherine  Conroy,  a  daughter  of  John  Conroy,  who  is 
remembered  as  a  former  hotel  man  of  Bay  City.  The  judge  and  wife 
have  five  sons  and  two  daughters :  Hubert  J.,  who  is  a  practicing  law^yer 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Coumans  &  GatYney  of  Bay  City :  William 
D.,  who  died  in  January,  1912;  Theobald,  engaged  in  contracting  in  Bay 
City ;  Edwin  J.,  a  student  in  the  St.  Louis  University  of  St.  Louis : 
Thomas  Francis,  a  stenographer  in  the  Bay  City  office  of  the  Detroit  & 
Mackinaw  Railroad;   Miss  Florence,  at  home:  and  Loretto,  in  school. 

Ali'.ert  E.  Sleeper.  A  man  of  fine  initiative  and  constructive  ability, 
Hon.  Albert  Edson  Sleeper  has  wielded  potent  and  benignant  influence 
in  the  development  of  northern  Michigan,  and  he  is  known  and  honored 
as  one  of  the  broad-minded,  liberal  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
state.  His  activities  have  ramified  in  various  directions  and  along  busi- 
ness lines  have  been  specially  prolific  in  good  results,  the  while  he  has 
made  his  influence  most  valuable  in  connection  with  public  and  general 
civic  affairs.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Bad  Axe,  the  judicial 
center  of  Huron  county,  and  his  capitalistic  interests  touch  many  other 
Michigan  counties.  He  has  been  specially  successful  as  a  banker,  is  now 
a  member  of  the  directorate  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  Company, 
and  he  has  served  with  marked  efifectiveness  as  a  member  of  the  state 
'senate.  His  name  has  been  prominently  mentioned  in  connection  with 
nomination  for  governor  of  Michigan  and  for  representative  in  Congress, 
but  in  these  connections  it  has  been  consistently  stated  that  he  himself 
has  ''maintained  a  very  eloquent  silence,"  implying  that  his  political  am- 
bition is  not  of  the  overweening  type,  though  he  has  a  host  of  friends 
throughout  Michigan  and  they  would  gladly  give  an  impetus  to  his  po- 
litical advancement.  \'ital,  progressive,  generous  and  kindly,  Mr.  Sleeper 
well  merits  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  who  know  him,  and 
he  merits  recognition  in  this  history  as  one  of  the  essentially  representa- 
tive men  of  Michigan. 

Albert  Edson  Sleeper  is  a  scion  of  the  staunchest  of  New  England 
colonial  stock  and  claims  the  old  Green  Mountain  state  as  the  place  of 
liis  nativity.  He  was  born  at  Bradford,  Orange  county,  \'ermont,  on 
the  31st  of  December,  1862,  and  thus  became  a  right  welcome  New  Year's 
guest  in  the  home  of  his  parents.  Joseph  Edson  and  Hannah  (IMerrill) 
Sleeper,  both  of  whom  were  likewise  born  in  \'ermont,  where  they  con- 
tinued to  maintain  their  home  until  their  death.  In  his  native  town, 
Albert  E.  Sleeper  was  afl:'orded  the  advantages  of  the  excellent  public 
schools,  including  the  curriculum  of  the  high  school,  and  there  also 
he  gained  his  initial  exjierience  in  connection  with  the  practical  affairs 
of  life. 

In  1885.  as  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years,  ^Ir.  Sleeper  came  to 
Michigan  and  located  at  Lexington,  Sanilac  county,  where  his  uncle, 
Samuel  C.  Tewksbury.  was  a  prominent  and  influeritial  citizen  at  the 
time.  Mr.  Tewksbury  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  that  county 
and  was  prominently  identified  with  lumbering,  banking  and  merchan- 
dising. Mr.  Sleeper  continued  in  the  employ  of  his  uncle  for  a  period 
of  virtually  ten  years,  and  in  the  meanwhile  his  services  had  been  so 
varied  and  of  such  responsibility  that  he  gained  a  wide  and  valuable  ex- 
perience. In  1894  Mr.  Sleeper  showed  his  self-reliance  and  good  judg- 
ment by  investing  his  limited  capital,  saved  from  his  earnings  during 
the  decade  mentioned,  in  the  organization  of  a  bank  at  Marlettc,  Sanilac 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2073 


county,  and  soon  afterward  he  organized  a  similar  institution  elsewhere. 
He  became  the  executive  head  of  these  tw-o  institutions,  which  were 
established  as  private  banks,  and  thus  he  initiated  what  has  been  a 
remarkably  successful  career  as  a  banker  and  financier.  He  has  today 
the  controlling  interest  in  a  series  of  twenty-five  difterent  banks  in  Michi- 
gan, and  in  this  connection  it  should  be  noted  that  he  is  president  ot 
each  of  the  following  substantial  and  well  ordered  institutions :  First 
National  Bank  of  Vale,  St.  Clair  county ;  First  National  Bank  of  Cros- 
well,  Sanilac  county :  and  the  State  Savings  Bank  of  Bad  Axe,  Huron 
county,  in  which  last  named  and  thriving  little  city  he  maintains  his  home. 
The  administrative  ability  of  Mr.  Sleeper  has  found  exemplification  also 
along  other  normal  lines  of  enterprise,  and  his  co-operation  in  an  undertak- 
ing has  been  the  assured  presage  of  success.  He  was  the  organizer  of  the 
wholesale  grocery  business  of  Sleeper,  Clark  &  McCaren,  of  Bad  Axe. 
and  is  president  of  this  prosperous  corporation  at  the  present  time.  He 
has  identified  himself  with  other  important  commercial  enterprises  in 
his  home  town  and  elsewhere,  and  may  well  be  designated  as  one  of  the 
aggressive  and  valued  captains  of  industry  in  the  state  of  his  adoption. 
He  is  a  stockholder  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  Company,  and  a 
recent  newspaper  article  gives  the  following  statements  concerning  the 
adjustments  hoped  for  within  the  year  1914:  "A  new  direction  was 
given  to  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  affairs  this  week  by  the  appointment 
of  a  new  board  of  directors,  composed  of  Michigan  business  men,  of 
whom  Hon.  Albert  E.  Sleeper,  of  Bad  Axe,  is  one.  The  new  directors 
are  all  of  large  influence  in  Michigan  business  and  financial  afifairs,  and 
it  is  expected  that  through  their  efforts  and  influence  the  business  affairs 
of  the  road  may  be  put  on  a  better  basis.  The  new  directors  are  George 
H.  Russel  and  S.  L.  Merriam,  of  Detroit;  William  L.  Clements,  of  I'.ay 
City:  James  B.  Peter,  of  Saginaw:  William  R.  Roach,  of  Hart;  1'..  F. 
Davis,  of  Lansing;  and  Albert  E.  Sleeper,  of  Bad  Axe.  It  is  claimed 
that  the  Morgan  interests  have  so  much  money  invested  in  the  road  that 
thev  will  not  permit  it  to  be  sold  under  the  mortgages  and  returned  to 
its  constituent  parts  and  owners.  It  is  understood  that  money  will  be 
forthcoming  to  re-equip  the  lines,  that  unprofitable  connections  will  be 
cut  oft',  and  that  a  more  business-like  administration  will  be  inaugurated 
generally." 

In  the  midst  of  the  cares  and  exactions  of  a  signally  active  and  suc- 
cessful business  career  Mr.  Sleeper  has  found  time  to  give  much  thought 
and  energy  to  public  aft'airs,  in  which  his  influence  has  ever  been  actu- 
ated by  the  highest  principles  of  loyalty  and  honor.  He  has  been  a 
stalwart  advocate  of  the  principles  and  policies  of  the  Republican  party 
and  in  its  Michigan  camp  has  iDeen  an  influential  figure.  From  1909  to 
1914  he  represented  the  Twentieth  district  in  the  state  senate,  and  he  was 
also  state  ft-easurer.  He  is  afliliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  in  the  time-honored  Masonic  fraternity  he  has  received  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite.  He  and  his 
wife  are  communicants  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  are  zeal- 
ous and  liberal  in  the  support  of  the  various  activities  of  their  home 
parish.  Mr.  Sleeper  has  realized  the  responsibilities  that  success  involves 
and  his  inherent  generositv  has  prompted  him  to  innumerable  acts  of  un- 
ostentatiotis  charity  and  benevolence,  so  that  he  has  an  inviolable  hold 
upon  the  confidence  and  affection  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact  in  the  various  relations  of  life.  Special  tribute  is  due  him  for 
the  kindly  assistance  he  has  given  in  the  rearing  and  educating  of  chil- 
dren to  whom,  proper  advantages  were  otherwise  denied.  He  is  genial 
and  democratic  in  bearing,  places  true  estimates  upon  men,  and  claims  as 


2074  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

his  friends  persons  in  all  walks  of  life,  from  the  poor  to  those  of  great 
prominence  and  influence. 

^Ir.  Sleeper  married  Miss  Alary  iMoore,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Sanilac  county,  this  state,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sophia 
(Hodges)  Moore,  natives  of  \'ermont.  whence  they  came  to  Michigan 
in  an  early  day,  to  become  prominent  and  honored  pioneers  of  Sanilac 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sleeper  have  one  son.  Stevens  Clark  Sleeper,  who 
is  now  a  student  in  the  Xorthwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  a  suburb 
of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

P-\ui.  J.  Ullrich.  The  !Mount  Clemens  business  community  has 
known  and  honored  the  name  Ullrich  for  more  than  forty  years.  It  is 
chiefly  conspicuous  in  connection  with  the  business  of  banking,  and 
Paul  J.  Ullrich  has  been  cashier  of  the  Ullrich  Savings  Bank  since  its 
incorporation  in  1893. 

Paul  J.  I'llrich  was  born  at  Mount  Clemens.  February  6,  1871,  a  son 
of  Paul  and  Matilda  E.  (Aliller)  Ullrich.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
Hesse  Cassel,  in  1845,  came  to  America  in  i860,  when  fifteen  years  old, 
located  at  Mount  Clemens,  began  his  career  as  a  cattle  drover, 
worked  for  four  years  in  the  em])loy  of  a  Detroit  business  man,  and  in 
1870  engaged  in  the  dr\-  goods  business  in  Mount  Clemens.  His  enter- 
prise was  successful  and  grew  in  proportion  from  year  to  year.  In 
1881  he  sold  out  and  founded  a  private  bank,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Ullrich  &  Crocker.  In  1893  the  Ullrich  Savings  Bank  was  organized  and 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Ullrich 
became  its  president  and  his  son,  Paul  J.,  its  cashier.  The  senior  Mr. 
Ullrich  continued  as  president  of  the  institution  until  his  death  in  1897 
He  was  also  the  first  president  of  the  Mount  Clemens  \\'ater  Board,  and 
a  man  who  took  much  part  in  local  aft'airs  and  was  always  known  for  his 
public-spirited  attitude  on  public  questions.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Michigan,  in  1847,  ^"f'  died  at  Mount  Clemens  in  1901.  Of  their  five 
children  three  are  deceased. 

Paul  J.  Ullrich,  the  eldest  of  the  children,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Mount  Clemens,  finishing  in  1888,  and  then  en- 
tered the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  in  1892.  Almost  immediately  his 
active  business  career  began  as  cashier  of  his  father's  institution,  and  he 
has  since  practically  managed  that  bank  and  has  made  it  a  large  and 
flourishing  institution.  Mr.  Ullrich  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Mount 
Clemens  Bath  Company  and  of  the  Medea  Hotel  and  Bath  House. 

While  successful  in  business,  he  has  not  neglected  public  responsi- 
bilities, and  during  1909  and  1910,  two  terms,  was  mayor  of  Mount 
Clemens,  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Mount  Clemens  school  board  and  is  now  its  president.  Mr!»  Ullrich  is 
thirty-second  degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  and  belongs  to  Moslem  Temple, 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  For  two  terms  he  was  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  German  Evangelical  church,  in  which  he  has  taken  much 
interest.     Politically  he  is  independent. 

Mr.  Ullrich  has  been  twice  married.  On  June  27,  1899,  he  married 
Miss  Emma  Gundert,  who  died  June  23,  1900.  Her  father.  Rev.  Herman 
Gundert,  was  a  well  known  minister  of  the  German  Evangelical  church. 
On  Septemlier  9,  1903,  at  Mount  Clemens,  Mr.  Ullrich  married  Miss 
Laura  C.  Kuhn,  a  daughter  of  John  Kuhn,  a  well  known  Mount  Clemens 
business  man  and  a  dry  goods  merchant.  Mr.  Ullrich  has  one  child  by 
his  first  wife,  Paul  Herman  Ullrich,  born  May  30,  1900,  and  attending 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2075 

the  public  schools.  The  five  children  of  his  second  union  are:  Marcus 
Franz,  born  in  1904  and  in  school ;  Elizabeth  Ann  Marie,  born  in  1906 
and  in  school;  Mathilda  Catherine,  born  in  1907,  and  suffered  accidental 
death  in  January,  1913 :  Pauline  Joan,  born  in  1908 :  and  John  Kuhn, 
born  in  Alarch,  191 1.  Mr.  Ullrich  and  family  reside  in  one  of  the  finest 
homes  in  Mount  Clemens. 

Edward  F.  Lowery.  A  resident  of  Jackson  since  1870.  Edward  F. 
Lowery,  who  was  then  twelve  years  of  age,  continued  to  attend  school 
for  about  three  years,  but  left  his  studies  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  began 
earning  a  living  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  He  was  not  an  ordinary 
clerk,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  had  ambitions  far  beyond  the  range 
of  the  average  employe  of  that  class,  and  possessed  the  practical  energy 
to  realize  his  ideals.  Leaving  the  store  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1876, 
he  went  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  completed  a  thorough  course  in  the 
Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College.  His  previous  training  and  his 
studies  at  that  school  qualified  really  the  basis  of  his  subsequent  business 
progress.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Lowery  has  been  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  of  Jackson's  business  men,  and  a  citizen  who 
has  received  many  important  public  honors. 

Edward  F.  Lowery  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  December  24, 
1858.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age  he  lost  his  father,  Patrick  Lowery, 
who  was  born  in  County  Clare.  Ireland.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
was  Helen  Marie  Garvey.  who  was  born  in  New  York  State.  For  sev- 
eral years  after  completing  his  course  in  business  college,  Mr.  Lowery 
used  his  training  in  the  service  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad  at  Jackson, 
beginning  in  the  office  there  as  bill  clerk,  being  advanced  to  cashier,  tnen 
chief  clerk  and  finally  auditor.  It  was  in  recognition  of  his  thorough 
qualification  as  an  accountant  as  well  as  his  general  personal  popularity 
that  resulted  in  his  ne.xt  promotion,  which  came  in  1887  with  his  election  as 
city  treasurer  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  was  subsequently  twice  re- 
elected, and  served  three  terms  or  six  years.  Up  to  that  time  the  city 
treasurers  had  been  worthy  men,  honest  and  capable  in  their  several 
lines,  but  without  special  fitness  for  the  detailed  organization  of  a  city 
treasurer's  office.  It  fell  to  Mr.  Lowery  to  revolutionize  the  business  of 
the  city  treasury.  Whereas  accounts  and  books  and  general  manage- 
ment had  been  previously  somewhat  loosely  conducted,  he  systematized 
everything  and  introduced  economies  and  conveniences  which  have  ever 
since  been  continued  in  the  office.  Thus  he  rendered  the  community  a 
highly  important  service,  and  retired  from  office  in  1893,  ^^''th  a  record 
which  will  always  do  him  honor.  During  1892-93,  Mr.  Lowery  had  been 
chairman  of  the  Jackson  County  Democratic  Committee.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  Grover  Cleveland's  second  administration  in  1893,  the  president 
tendered  him  the  important  post  of  chief  of  the  National  Banking  De- 
partment at  ^^'ashington.  This  was  an  honor  not  easily  declined,  and 
Mr.  Lowery  was  put  to  great  personal  sacrifice  in  declining  a  position 
which  would  probably  have  placed  him  in  line  for  much  higher  promotion. 
It  was  his  loyalty  to  a  friend  that  caused  him  to  decline,  since  his 
appointment  might  endanger  the  latter's  chances  of  becoming  postmaster 
at  Jackson.  His  friend  was  given  the  postoffice,  while  he  himself,  re- 
mained in  private  life. 

For  several  years  after  that  he  was  engaged  as  an  operator  in  the 
coal  mining  fields  of  ^^'est  \"irginia.  In  1905.  he  took  an  active  part  in 
the  organization  of  the  Reinforced  Concrete  Pipe  Company  at  Jackson, 
and  was  president  of  that  important  local  industry  for  several  vears,  until 


2076  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  business  was  sold  to  the  Concrete  Products  Company  of  America, 
which  has  its  principal  offices  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Lowery  is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  in  the  state  of  ^lichi- 
gan,  but  in  spite  of  this,  he  was,  in  191 1,  appointed  by  President  Taft,  a 
delegate  from  the  state  of  the  Pan-American  Commercial  Congress,  at 
Washington.  He  has  membership  in  the  Jackson  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  his  church  is  St.  Mary's  Catholic.  On  January  g,  1879, . 
before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  married  Miss  Ann  \\'elch  of 
Jackson,  and  theirs  has  been  a  most  happy  union.  They  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  as  follows :  Thomas 
A.  Lowery,  Miss  Florence  C.  Lowery:  Helen  AL,  now  Mrs.  H.  B.  Gil- 
lette; George  A.  Lowery;  Edmund  F.  Lowery;  and  Miss  Louise  Anna 
Lowery. 

Thomas  A.  Lowery.  the  oldest  son.  who.  at  the  present  time,  is  in- 
dustrial and  financial  manager  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  is  a  graduate  of 
Notre  Dame  Lniversity,  where  he  completed  a  classical  course,  and  is 
also  a  graduate  of  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  ^lichigan. 
The  daughter,  ^liss  Florence,  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Mary's  Academy  at 
.South  Bend,  Indiana. 

Howard  Rosso.  One  of  the  most  capable  and  successful  of  the 
automobile  men  of  Mount  Clemens  is  Howard  Rosso,  who  conducts  a 
modern  and  complete  garage  in  that  city  and  handles  the  sale  and  dis- 
tribution of  the  Studebaker  and  Chalmers  cars  in  tliat  section  of  the 
state.  He  has  proved  himself  the  man  for  the  business  ia  which  he  is 
now  occupied,  and  his  popularity  and  prominence  in  automobile  and 
general  business  circles  are  steadily  increasing. 

Howard  Rosso  was  born  at  ]\Ioimt  Clemens,  June  11,  1884,  and  is 
still  a  very  young  man.  practically  at  the  beginning  of  his  career.  His 
parents.  John  and  Louise  ( Dahm )  Rosso,  were  both  born  in  Macomb 
county,  and  his  father,  now  fifty-five  years  of  age,  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  a  successful  hardware  merchant  in  this  city.  The  mother, 
who  was  educated  and  married  in  ^lacomb  county,  died  at  Mount  Clem- 
ens, March  i,  1909,  aged  forty-nine.  There  were  four  children,  Howard 
being  the  second,  and  the  others  are :  William  Rosso,  of  Detroit  George, 
of  Mount  Clemens ;  and  Mrs.  Evelyn  Harding,  who  lives  in  Berkeley, 
California. 

The  public  schools  of  Macomb  county  furnished  Howard  Rosso  his 
early  training,  and  when  a  boy  in  years  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  and  establish  himself  in  a  vocation  which  would  prove  a  permanent 
and  profitable  occupation.  His  inclinations  led  him  into  electrical  lines, 
and  he  is  an  expert  electrician.  He  was  in  that  business  exclusively  for 
eleven  years  and  was  naturally  led  to  take  up  the  automobile  business 
as  a  branch  of  his  older  concern.  In  1908  he  established  his  repair  and 
garage  shop,  and  has  developed  one  of  the  best  garages  in  Mount  Clem- 
ens, affording  the  most  efficient  service  to  all  users  of  motor  cars.  He 
has  succeeded  in  distributing  a  large  number  of  Studebaker  and  Chalmer 
cars,  and  still  conducts  a  business  for  electrical  repair  and  installation 
work.  He  has  charge  of  the  fire  alarm  system  of  Alount  Clemens.  Mr. 
Rosso  is  also  interested  in  the  Central  Garage  of  Mount  Clemens. 
In  politics  he  is  independent,  and  is  unmarried.  He  has  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance throughout  the  state,  and  is  one  of  the  rising  business  men  of  his 
community. 

Hf.km.w  Sperlicii.  One  of  the  old  and  honored  citizens  of  Mount 
Clemens,  now  living  in  quiet  retirement  after  a  long  and  honoralile  career 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2077 

as  a  business  man,  is  Herman  Sperlich.  He  is  an  excellent  example  of 
the  class  of  business  men  who  have  come  to  this  country  for  foreign 
lands  without  means  or  friends  and  have  risen  to  places  of  prominence 
in  commercial  life,  through  strong  determination  and  making  the  most 
of  their  opportunities.  Mr.  Sperlich  was  born  in  Silesia,  Austria,  in 
1848,  and  as  a  lad  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  meat  business.  When 
he  had  completed  his  training  he  traveled  throughout  the  kingdom  as  a 
journeyman,  but  decided  finally  that  there  was  a  better  field  for  his 
abilities  in  the  United  States,  and  accordingly,  when  still  a  young  man, 
made  his  way  to  this  country.  Landing  at  New  York,  he  traveled  thence 
to  Chicago,  and  soon  made  a  place  for  himself  in  his  chosen  calling.  The 
great  fire  of  1871,  however,  which  completely  devastated  the  great  Illi- 
nois metropolis,  caused  him  to  seek  another  location,  and,  having  heard 
favorable  reports  of  Mount  Clemens,  came  to  this  city.  Mr.  Sperlich 
has  never  had  reason  to  regret  his  choice  of  localities,  for  in  this  city 
he  has  gained  a  competence  and  a  position  among  the  substantial  busi- 
ness men  of  the  community.  Commencing  in  a  modest  way  in  the  meat 
business,  through  honorable  dealing  and  energetic  etTort,  he  built  up  a 
prosperous  establishment,  and  continued  to  conduct  it  for  some  thirty- 
seven  years,  retiring  from  business  in  1908.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  living  quietly,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  long  years  of  labor,  and 
enjoying  the  amusements  which  the  former  years  of  activity  would  not 
allow.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Arbeiters  and  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees, and  is  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  city. 

Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Sperlich  was  ^liss  Fredericka  Behnke,  a 
daughter  of  prominent  and  highly  respected  people  of  Mount.  Clemens, 
where  they  have  resided  for  upwards  of  sixty  years.  They  were  born 
in  Germany  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  and  to  Mount  Clem- 
ens in  1853.  Mr.  Behnke  was  for  many  years  foreman  in  the  stave 
factory  conducted  by  [Mr.  Snook,  and  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years,  and  in  November,  1913.  celebrated  his  fifty-seventh  wedding 
anniversary  with  Airs.  Behnke,  who  is  eighty-three  years  of  age.  Five 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Sperlich :  Paul,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  meat  business  in  Mount  Clemens,  as  his  father's  successor;  Mrs.  O. 
E.  Walser,  a  resident  of  this  city :  Elsie  and  Bregetta,  who  are  living  at 
home  with  their  parents ;  and  William  Carl. 

William  Carl  Sperlich  was  born  October  26,  1882,  in  Mount  Clemens, 
the  second  in  order  of  birth  of  his  parents'  children.  He  received  good 
educational  advantages,  attending  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  Mount 
Clemens,  as  well  as  a  business  college  here,  and  then  received  his  intro- 
duction to  business  life  in  the  employ  of  Robert  Posner,  a  leading  under- 
taker. He  remained  in  Mr.  Posner's  employ  for  nine  years,  and  in  Oc- 
tober, 1913.  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Stark,  embarked  in  the  business, 
now  having  a  completely  equipped  establishment  for  the  proper  care  of 
the  dead.  iMr.  Sperlich  is  conversant  with  the  latest  and  most  highly 
approved  methods,  and  is  fitted  by  nature  for  the  calling  which  he  fol- 
lows, being  sympathetic,  courteous  and  possessed  of  tact.  He  has  made 
numerous  friends  in  business  circles,  as  well  as  in  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  of  which  orders  he 
is  a  member.  A  Republican  in  his  political  views,  in  January,  1913,  he 
was  elected  coroner  of  Macomb  county,  in  which  office  he  is  doing  much 
to  improve  conditions  in  this  locality.  With  his  parents  and  wife  he 
attends  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which  his  father  has  been  a  trustee 
for  many  years. 

On  October  26,  1910,  ]Mr.  Sperlich  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Stew- 
art, daughter  of  Robert. Stewart.     They  have  no  children. 
Vol.  ry— 21 


2078  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Horace  Z.  \\'ard.  Mow  and  for  the  past  twenty  years  general  agent 
at  Grand  Rapids  for  the  Michigan  Mutual  Insurance  Company,  Horace 
Z.  Ward  is  on  the  strength  of  his  record  and  in  the  estimation  of  his  asso- 
ciates one  of  the  most  capable  insurance  men  of  Michigan.  His  career 
has  been  won  by  hard  work  and  concentrated  effort  carried  on  through 
youth  and  manhood,  from  a  boyhood  in  which  he  had  hard  work  to  gain 
an  education,  and  every  successive  period  of  his  career  has  found  him 
better  equipped  and  with  greater  ability  for  service  and  achievement 
both  to  himself  and  to  his  community  and  state. 

Horace  Z.  Ward  was  born  in  Kent  county  ten  miles  from  Grand 
Rapids,  June  15,  1866.  His  parents  were  Hugh  Henry  and  Laura  E. 
(Frost)  Ward.  The  father  was  born  on  the  same  farm  in  Kent  county, 
August  19,  1840,  and  died  July  19,  1898.  The  founder  of  the  family  in 
western  Michigan  was  grandfather  Horace  \'an  Rennselaer  Ward,  who 
was  born  near  Syracuse,  New  York,  came  to  ^Michigan  in  1837,  and  was 
one  of  the  hardy  pioneers  in  Western  Michigan,  building  his  home  in  the 
midst  of  the  woods  when  the  country  was  raw  and  uncivilized  and 
Indians  so  numerous  and  so  familiar  with  the  white  settlers  that  they 
often  came  and  camped  all  night  on  the  floor  of  Grandfather  Ward's  rude 
and  humble  cabin.  The  Wards  are  of  Irish  and  Scotch  ancestry.  The 
maternal  grandfather  Frost  was  born  in  \'ermont,  and  was  likewise  an 
early  day  settler  in  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  spending  the  remaining  years 
of  his  career  on  a  farm.  The  late  Hugh  Henry  Ward,  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years  was  left  as  the  responsible  member  of  a  family  compris- 
ing his  mother  and  four  sisters,  and  with  this  heavy  burden  upon  him 
he  met  his  obligations  bravely,  and  not  only  provided  for  those  then  de- 
pendent upon  him,  but  subsequently  established  a  home  and  did  well  by 
his  own  children.  He  left  at  his  death  an  estate  comprising  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  fine  farm  lands,  besides  two  pieces  of  property 
in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids.  He  was  an  active  Republican,  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
In  1865,  Hugh  H.  Ward  was  married  in  Ionia  county  to  Laura  E.  Frost, 
who  was  born  in  Keene  township  of  that  county,  November  23,  1846,  and 
is  still  living.  To  their  marriage  were  born  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  living,  the  daughter  being  Alma  E.,  the  wife  of  William  Stone- 
breaker,  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead  at  Ada,  in  Kent  county. 

Horace  Z.  Ward  developed  a  good  constitution  and  a  brave  outlook  on 
life  by  an  early  environment  in  the  country,  and  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation by  attending  district  school  Xo.  4  and  the  Ada  high  school.  It  was 
his  ambition  to  get  a  college  education  to  win  a  career  in  the  law,  but  his 
money  did  not  hold  out  to  enable  him  to  accomplish  that  design,  and  his 
energies  have  been  chiefly  taken  up  with  business  although  he  is  accom- 
plished in  the  law  and  its  study  is  still  his  hobby.  In  June.  1890,  Mr. 
Ward  was  graduated  with  the  degree  bachelor  of  science  from  the  Alich- 
igan  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing,  and  as  an  evidence  of  what  he 
accomplished  while  in  college  it  should  be  sta,ted  that  he  was  his  class 
commencement  orator.  It  was  through  money  earned  by  his  own  hard 
work  that  he  had  educated  himself  thus  far,  and  after  leaving  college  he 
spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  study  of  law  at  Grand  Rapids.  It  became 
necessary  for  him  to  resort  to  a  more  profitable  line  of  business  and  he 
therefore  engaged  in  the  life  insurance  business,  and  represented  the 
Penn  Mutual  for  a  year  and  a  half,  the  Equitable  Life  for  six  months, 
and  since  then  has  written  policies  and  extended  the  service  of  The  Alich- 
igan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  Detroit.  ^Michigan,  twenty  years  of 
which  he  has  been  general  agent  for  the  territory  in  and  about  Grand 
Rapids.  Mr.  Ward  is  also  managing  the  accident  department  of  the 
Pacific  Mutual  Company,  having  the  state  agency  in  Michigan  for  that 
company. 


101 


TBI  S^^J«4«f  1 


1       .*T<P,  ^'*^    i* 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2079 

On  June  6,  1902,  Mr.  Ward  married  Daisy  DeLight  Bristol  of  Ada, 
Michigan.  Her  father,  James  Bristol,  was  a  druggist.  To  their  marriage 
have  been  born  two  children:  Maxine  Virginia,  born  April  i,  1904;  and 
Hugh  Henry,  born  July  8,  1906.  Mrs.  Ward  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Ada,  and  he  has  fraternal  affiliations  with  Valley  City  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  with  Lodge  No.  48,  B.  P.  O.  E.  His  part  in  Republican 
politics  and  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  deserves  special  mention.  He  pos- 
sesses exceptional  ability  as  a  speaker,  is  a  close  student  of  aflfairs,  enjoys 
the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  community  for  his  integrity  in  the  handling 
of  official  responsibilities,  and  is  being  strongly  talked  of  as  the  next 
mayor  of  Grand  Rapids.  While  Mr.  Ward  lives  in  Grand  Rapids  and  has 
business  headquarters  there,  he  also  is  proprietor  of  a  coal  and  lumber 
business  at  Ada,  and  is  the  principal  merchant  of  that  town.  He  also 
has  the  only  sawmill  plant  there,  and  is  prominently  known  in  all  sections 
of  Kent  county  and  western  Michigan.  Much  of  his  time  is  spent  in 
travel,  and  few  business  men  of  the  state  enjoy  a  wider  acquaintance. 

Herm.\n  W.  Behnke.  The  financiers  who  have  left  the  impress  of 
their  aljility  on  the  financial  history  of  Michigan  have  been,  in  the  greater 
number  of  cases,  men  of  affairs  with  little  instruction  in  science.  They 
have  stepped  from  the  counter  or  office  to  the  counting-room,  demon- 
strating their  fitness  to  be  leaders  by  soundness  of  judgment  and  skill 
in  management.  In  this  class  is  found  Herman  W.  Behnke,  cashier  of 
the  Citizens  Savings  Bank, 'vice-president  of  the  Mount  Clemens  Brick 
and  Tile  Company,  and  a  director  of  "the  Arethusa  Bath  Company,  and 
a  citizen  who  has  materially  contributed  to  the  city's  progress  and  ad- 
vancement. Mr.  Behnke  has  been  the  architect,  of  his  own  fortunes  and 
has  builded  wisely  and  well,  winning  in  a  few  years,  through  individual 
effort,  a  success  that  woilld  s.atisfy  many  men  after  a  lifetime  of  en- 
deavor. He  is  a  native  son  of  Mount  Clemens,  where  he  has  spent  his 
entire  career,  and  was  born  January  24,  1877,  a  son  of  Christian  and 
Mary  (Prokerier)  Behnke.  The  parents,  natives  of  Germany,  left  the 
Fatherland  in  1867  and  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  at  once  in 
Mount  Clemens,  where  Christian  Behnke  was  engaged  in  stave  milling 
for  years  and  won  the  reputation  of  an  upright  and  honorable  man  of 
business.  At  this  time  he  is  living  retired  from  the  activities  of  life, 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  The  mother  is  seventy 
years  old  and  still  survives. 

Herman  W.  Behnke  was  the  fifth  of  the  seven  children  of  his  par- 
ents, and  his  early  education  was  secured  in  the  public  schools  of  j\Iount 
Clemens.  Early  evidencing  a  desire  to  enter  business  life,  he  was  further 
prepared  at  the  Detroit  Business  College,  and  when  he  had  comjjleted 
his  course  secured  a  position  with  the  Mount  Clemens  Savings  Bank. 
There  he  remained  for  a  period  of  five  years,  during  which  time  he  was 
a  constant  student  of  banking  methods,  and  when  he  left  that  institu- 
tion to  come  to  the  Citizens  Savings  Bank  he  had  a  thorough  working 
knowledge  of  the  rules  of  finance.  As  time  passed  and  he  demonstrated 
his  abilities,  Mr.  Behnke  received  repeated  promotions  and  responsibili- 
ties were  entrusted  to  him,  and  in  1907,  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Mr. 
Davis,  he  was  made  cashier,  a  position  which  he  has  continued  to  fill 
with  ability  to  the  present.  Mr.  Behnke  has  developed  and  fostered  a 
capacity  for  financial  management,  including  those  opposite  qualities  of 
boldness  and  caution,  enterprise  and  prudence.  He  has  given  of  his 
experience  and  executive  ability  to  a  number  of  other  flourishing  con- 
cerns, being  a  director  of  the  Arethusa  Bath  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  citv,  and  secretarv  and  treasurer  of  the  Mount  Clemens  Brick  and 


2080  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Tile  Company.  His  social  tendencies  are  shown  by  his  membership  in 
the  Mount  Clemens  Club,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  this  city,  Elks 
Lodge  No.  34,  of  Detroit,  and  the  Alasons,  in  the  latter  belonging  to 
Deborah  Consistory  and  the  Shrine.  He  is  fond  of  river  sports  and  out- 
door life,  and  his  popularity  is  attested  by  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends. 
Political  alifairs  have  played  no  part  in  his  life,  and  he  generally  votes 
independently,  choosing  the  candidate  whom  he  considers  best  fitted  for 
the  office,  regardless  of  his  party  connection. 

On  June  i8,  1902,  Mr.  Behnke  was  married  at  Mount  Clemens  to 
Miss  Mina  A.  Roy,  daughter  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Chester  Roy,  the  former 
of  whom  is  deceased,  while  the  latter  survives  and  is  a  resident  of  Ohio. 
One  child  has  been  born  to  this  union :  Frederick  R.,  born  in  1903,  in 
Mount  Clemens,  and  now  attending  the  public  schools  of  this  city. 

Perry  Barker  is  not  only  the  manager  of  the  Jackson  Branch  of  the 
E.  A.  Brooks  &  Company,  manufacturing  and  wholesale  confectioners  of 
Grand  Rapids,  but  he  is  the  founder  of  the  Jackson  branch,  and  is  one 
of  its  owners  as  well.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Grand  Rapids  since 
1884,  and  his  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  business  men  of  the  city  has 
steadily  moved  up  until  he  is  now  reckoned  among  the  foremost.  I\Ir. 
Barker  is  of  New  York  birth,  Genesee  county  being  his  native  community, 
where  he  was  born  on  June  24,  1869.  His  father  was  David  T.  Barker, 
a  farmer  who  spent  his  entire  life  in  Western  New  York. 

David  T.  Barker  was  on  the  maternal  side  a  descendant  of  Captain 
Sedgwick,  a  Revolutionary  war  celebrity,  and  captain  of  the  first  com- 
pany of  artillery  to  serve  in  that  long  war.  A  tablet  dedicated  to  Cap- 
tain Sedgwick  occupies  a  place  in  Faneuil  Hall  in  Boston.  Air.  Barker 
married  I'uella  L.  Terry,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  James  Z.  Terry,  a  physician 
and  surgeon  who  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Winfield  Scott  in  the 
Mexican  war. 

Perry  Barker  quitted  public  school  attendance  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  after  that  such  education  as  he  gained  was  in  night  school 
in  Grand  Rapids.  He  came  to  Michigan  in  1884  and  located  in  Grand 
Rapids,  his  boyhood  having  been  spent  on  a  farm  in  New  York  state. 
From  1884  to  1889  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  various  retail  stores 
of  the  city  and  in  the  freight  office  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad.  In  1889 
he  associated  himself  with  the  E.  A.  Brooks  Company  as  shipping  clerk, 
later  becoming  in  turn  bookkeeper,  city  salesman,  traveling  salesman, 
sales  manager,  and  superintendent  of  the  factory.  In  1909  the  firm  de- 
cided to  establish  a  branch  in  Jackson,  and  the  work  of  bringing  about 
an  operating  branch  at  this  point  fell  to  Mr.  Barker,  who  has  carried  out 
the  work  with  an  efficiency  that  has  brought  the  small  branch  of  the  first 
few  months  to  a  first-class  wholesale  establishment,  that  is  a  valuable 
adjunct  to  the  business  interests  of  the  city. 

Since  coming  to  Jackson,  Mr.  Barker  has,  in  addition  to  gaining  a 
solid  footing  in  the  business  world  of  the  city,  found  time  to  interest 
himself  in  the  musical  and  social  activities  of  the  community.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Schubert  Male  Quartet,  a  capable  and  artistic  group  of 
talent  that  has  for  its  purpose  the  providing  of  entertainment  for  ban- 
quets, concerts,  weddings,  etc.  Mr.  Barker  is  the  first  tenor  singer  in 
the  group  and  is  also  the  business  manager  of  the  quartet.  Thus  far  the 
little  organization  has  met  with  decided  favor  in  Jackson,  and  bids  fair 
to  become  one  of  the  most  popular  clubs  of  its  kind  hereabouts. 

Mr.  Barker  is  a  member  of  the  Jackson  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
cif  the  Jackson  City  Club.     He  is  also  member  of  the  Michigan  Centre 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2081 

and  the  Meadow  Heights  Country  Clubs,  and  fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks. 

On  May  20,  1891,  Mr.  Barker  was  married  to  ^liss  Sadie  H.  Brooks, 
a  daughter  of  A.  E.  Brooks,  head  of  A.  E.  Brooks  &  Company,  with 
which  ^Ir.  Barker  is  associated.  One  son,  Donald  Barker,  was  born  on 
July  12,  1895. 

Mark  \V.  Stevens.  A  Michigan  lawyer  of  thirty  years  standing, 
Mr.  Stevens  has  not  only  enjoyed  the  prestige  of  the  able  lawyer,  but 
has  also  lent  his  ability  to  public  affairs  in  such  relation  that  his  name  is 
well  known  over  the  state.  In  the  Democratic  party  he  has  been  a  state 
leader  for  years,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  every  national  convention, 
since  the  first  nomination  of  Grover  Cleveland. 

Another  distinction  which  he  possesses  is  one  of  great  rarity,  among 
Michigan  citizens  now  in  active  life,  this  consisting  in  the  fact  that  his 
birthplace  was  a  log  cabin.  To  have  been  born  in  a  log  cabin  sixty  years 
ago  did  not  signify  either  poverty  or  lack  of  enterprise  on  the  part  of 
the  family,  since  that  was  more  or  less  a  common  condition  in  this  part 
of  the  state  at  that  time.  Mark  W.  Stevens  was  born  at  Argentine,  on 
a  farm  in  Genesee  county,  April  i,  1850.  His  father,  Bimsley  Stevens, 
a  native  of  New  York  State,  was  one  of  the  interesting  pioneers  of  Michi- 
gan, having  come  to  this  state  in  1837.  When  he  arrived  at  Detroit, 
after  a  journey  from  Bufl^alo,  on  a  sail  boat,  his  cash  capital  amounted 
to  two  dollars,  and  with  that  he  ventured  into  the  wilderness  to  win  a 
fortune.  From  Detroit  he  came  over  the  Grand  River  road  to  Lansing 
on  foot.  Very  young  at  that  time,  he  first  stopped  at  the  farm  of  Kings- 
ley  S.  Bingham,  the  first  governor  of  Michigan,  and  w^as  employed  on  the 
governor's  farm  for  four  years.  During  that  time  he  had  no  knowledge 
of  the  whereabouts  of  the  rest  of  his  family,  three  brothers  having  ac- 
companied him  from  Buffalo  to  Michigan.  Later  he  became  one  of  the 
first  settlers  at  Byron,  in  Shiawassee  county,  followed  farming  with  sub- 
stantial prosperity,  and  served  as  township  clerk,  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  as  county  commissioner.  His  death  occurred  in  1886  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  J.  Faulkner, 
who  was  born  in  New  York,  and  her  father,  William  Faulkner,  was  a 
Michigan  settler  during  the  early  forties.  She  died  in  1905  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five.  Of  the  five  children,  four  were  daughters,  and  all  of 
them  are  now  deceased. 

Mark  W.  Stevens  grew  up  in  Genesee  county,  as  a  boy  attended  dis- 
trict school,  and  later  the  higl:  school  at  Byron  and  Fenton.  He  studied 
for  a  time  in  the  LIniversity  of  Michigan,  but  never  graduated.  His 
early  life,  up  to  the  age  of  nineteen  was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  after  that 
he  was  successfully  engaged  as  a  teacher  for  a  number  of  terms.  His 
service  in  that  capacity  included  four  terms  of  district  school,  in  Wash- 
tenaw county,  and  for  two  terms  he  was  principal  of  the  grade  schools 
at  Linden.  All  his  leisure  time  while  teaching  was  spent  in  reading  law, 
and  in  1883  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  opened  an  office  at  Flint, 
as  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hicok  &  Stevens,  his  senior  partner  be- 
ing John  H.  Hicok,  While  he  continued  to  build  up  and  extend  his 
practice  in  the  law,  other  public  duties  early  took  much  of  his  time.  In 
1885,  President  Cleveland  appointed  him  Indian  agent  for  Michigan,  and 
he  held  that  office  four  years  until  it  was  abolished  by  federal  statutes. 
During  this  service,  as  the  last  Indian  agent  of  the  state  he  closed  several 
treaties  with  the  tribes  or  remnants  of  tribes  still  in  the  state,  and  also 
had  charge  of  ten  schools   for  the  Indians,  industrial  and  day  schools. 


2082  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Mr.  Stevens  occupied  as  a  lawyer,  the  same  office  in  the  Fenton  Block 
from  1883  to  1905,  having  received  his  first  lease  in  that  office. 

In  1891  Governor  B.  \\'inans  appointed  Mr.  Stevens  as  secretary 
of  the  state  board  of  managers,  to  the  Chicago  Exposition  for  the 
World's  Fair.  Throughout  the  year  1893,  in  which  the  Fair  was  held, 
Mr.  Stevens  was  located  in  Chicago,  On  appointment  from  Governor 
Ferris,  Mr,  Stevens  is  now  working  with  the  board  of  commissioners 
appointed  to  consolidate,  revise,  and  otherwise  suggest  changes  in  the 
laws  of  the  state,  especially  with  reference  to  procedure  of  the  court  and 
civil  practice,  and  also  relative  to  the  general  system  of  state  taxation. 
Mr.  Stevens  in  1883  ser\-ed  as  city  recorder  of  Flint. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the  old-fashioned  type,  and  upwards 
of  forty  years  has  been  active  in  the  party.  He  has  stumped  in  every 
county  in  the  state,  and  in  neighboring  states,  has  attended  every  national 
convention  since  1884,  and  every  state  convention  since  1876.  He  is  an 
ex-president  of  the  Genesee  County  Bar  Association,  and  a  member  of 
the  State  Association.  Since  1894  he  has  been  legal  adviser  to  the  fra- 
ternal order  of  Loyal  Guards,  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order,  being 
a  thirty-second  degree  Consistory  Mason,  and  also  with  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  belongs 
to  the  Flint  Country  Club  and  all  other  local  social  organizations.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  law  committee  in  the  Board  of  Commerce.  His 
church  is  the  Presbyterian. 

In  August,  1905,  Air.  Stevens  married  Alice  Hart,  of  Oxford,  Michi- 
gan, a  daughter  of  Jacob  Cole.  Mrs.  Stevens  was  born  in  New  Jersey 
and  came  to  ^Michigan  when  three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Stevens  has  one 
son  by  a  former  marriage,  Fred  D.  Stevens,  now  in  the  contract  depart- 
ment of  the  Bell  Telephone  Company,  at  Detroit.  Mr.  Stevens  owns  an 
attractive  residence  at  315  East  Court  Street,  and  his  offices  are  in  the 
Dryde  Block. 

Lester  A.  Wright.  Though  still  in  his  twenties,  Mr.  \\'right  has 
shown  the  qualities  of  a  progressive  and  successful  man  of  business,  and 
is  one  of  the  ablest  merchants  of  Clio.  He  is  a  lumber  dealer  and  manu- 
facturer in  that  locality,  and  if  past  performances  are  a  criterion  by 
which  to  judge  the  future,  Mr.  Wright  has  a  career  of  splendid  accom- 
plishments before  him. 

He  was  born  in  Saginaw  county  in  Birch  Run  township,  December 
12,  1887,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Cecelia  (Wheeks)  Wright.  The  an- 
cestors on  the  paternal  side  are  English,  though  the  paternal  grand- 
mother was  Scotch.  The  Wheeks  family  were  likewise  of  English 
origin,  and  among  the  early  settlers  of  ^Michigan,  while  the  Wrights  first 
settled  in  New  York,  George  W.  W'right  was  born  in  New  York,  and 
in  1863,  when  twelve  years  old,  the  family  settled  as  pioneers  in  Birch 
Run  township  of  Saginaw  county.  George  W.  Wright  is  still  living,  and 
is  a  very  successful  man.  In  politics  he  is  Republican,  and  has  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  church.  Cecelia  Wheeks  was  born  in  ^Michigan, 
in  Genesee  county,  and  her  father  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  section, 
a  hunter  and  trapper  in  the  early  days,  and  later  a  substantial  farmer. 
He  is  also  still  living,  and  of  her  six  children  five  are  alive,  as  follows: 
Myrtie  \\'right,  deceased;  Lester  A. ;  Arthur  C.  Wright,  who  is  a  farmer 
in  Birch  Run  township ;  Birdie  Wright,  wife  of  Clare  Hicks,  a  farmer  in 
Birch  Run  townshijj :  Clara,  wife  of  Irvin  Covert,  of  Clio :  and  Hattie, 
wife  of  George  Zeuligg,  a  farmer  of  Birch  Run  township. 

Lester  A.  Wright  grew  up  on  a  farm,  had  a  country  school  educa- 
tion and  finished  with  the  Lamar  village  schools.    At  the  age  of  eighteen 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2083 

he  left  school  and  took  up  the  active  work  of  a  career  and  continued 
at  farming  until  he  was  twenty-two.  Learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  he 
followed  that  vocation  as  a  journeyman,  and  gradually  got  into  contract- 
ing, which  was  his  exclusive  work  up  to  1909.  He  then  established  the 
L.  A.  A\' right  Lumber  Company  at  Clio,  his  associate  in  the  enterprise 
being  Ernest  May.  This  firm  also  conducts  another  lumber  yard  at 
Mount  Morris  and  outside  the  city  of  Flint  they  do  the  largest  lumber 
business  in  Genesee  county.  Mr.  Wright  has  membership  in  the  Michi- 
gan Retail  Lumber  Dealers'  Association.  He  is  still  actively  identified 
with  building  and  contracting  business,  and  his  record  in  that  line 
includes  a  large  number  of  important  structures  in  Genesee  county.  In 
the  spring  of  1912  Mr.  Wright  entered  the  manufacturing  field  when  he 
took  the  general  management  of  the  Clio_  Manufacturing  Company,  a 
new  industry,  the  output  of  which  is  tables!  The  factory  employs  about 
eighteen  w-orkmen  and  the  business  is  getting  well  established  ana  prom- 
ises to  be  a  very  important  local  institution  in  the  village  of  Clio.  Mr. 
Wright  is  a  Republican,  but  has  little  part  in  politics  except  as  a  worker 
for  good  government  and  the  best  interests  of  his  home  community.  He 
has  served  as  councilman  for  several  terms  and  is  now  president  of  the 
Cho  Board  of  Trade.  His  church  is  the  Methodist.  On  October  12, 
1899,  he  was  married  in  \'ienna,  Genesee  county,  to  Miss  Grace  R.  Rose, 
who  was  born  in  Michigan,  a  daughter  of  Ransom  K.  Rose,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  in  Genesee  county.  They  have  two  children,  Gladys,  born 
November  i,  1900,  at  Birch  Run;  and  Harold  R.  Wright,  born  Novem- 
ber 14,  1909,  at  Saginaw. 

H.\RRisoN  \V.  AI.MXES.  The  present  sherifif  of  St.  Clair  county,  Mr. 
Maines,  not  only  in  his  present  office,  but  in  various  other  ofiicial  rela- 
tions with  his  community,  has  a  record  as  an  exceedingly  capable  and 
useful  citizen  and  man  of  affairs.  Mr.  Maines  has  long  been  identified 
with  the  business  community  of  Port  Huron,  and  his  home  has  been  in 
this  section  of  Michigan  for  more  than  forty  years. 

Born  in  Pittsfield,  Maine,  October  24,  1852,  Harrison  W.  Maines 
represents  the  sturdy  stock  of  the  old  Pine  Tree  State.  His  father. 
Hiram  ^Maines,  was  born  in  the  same  state,  and  followed  farming  and 
by  trade  was  a  stone  cutter.  The  mother  was  Julia  Runnels,  also  a  native 
of  Maine.  There  were  just  two  sons  in  the  family:  George  W.  and 
Harrison  W. ;  and  four  daughters,  two  of  whom  are  deceased,  the  other 
two  being:  Laura,  wife  of  Timothy  Jacobs  of  Pittsfield,  Maine;  and 
Mrs.  Eva  Farner,  a  widow. 

The  early  life  of  Harrison  W.  Maines,  up  to  the  age  of  seventeen, 
was  spent  in  his  native  county  of  Somerset,  and  his  training  and  experi- 
ences were  of  a  very  practical  sort,  his  education  being  only  that  supplied 
by  the  district  schools.  When  he  left  home,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he 
had  a  dollar  and  a  half  in  capital,  and  had  to  find  work  at  once  to  pay 
living  expenses.  He  became  a  fireman  on  the  Maine  Central  Railway, 
and  altogether  was  engaged  in  railroading  for  two  and  a  half  years.  In 
1871  Mr.  Maines  came  to  Michigan  and  began  his  residence  at  Port 
Huron.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  had  qualified  as  a  marine  engineer, 
and  with  a  license  to  that  effect  was  engaged  in  the  service  on  the  great 
lakes  as  an  engineer  for  some  years.  In  1881  he  became  chief  of  police 
of  Port  Huron,  an  office  which  he  filled  with  much  efficiency  for  three 
years.  Resigning  that  position,  he  joined  Byron  Inman  and  B.  N.  Run- 
nels in  purchasing  the  tug  J.  B.  \\'illiams,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  identified  with  the  local  transportation  business  in  the  harbor  of 
Port  Huron.  In  the  fall  of  1898  Mr.  Maines  was  elected  sheriff'  of  St. 
Clair  county,  and  concentrated  all  his  attention  upon  that  office  for  the 


2084  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

regular  term  of  four  years.  For  a  time  after  leaving  the  office  he  was  in 
the  plumbing  business  at  Port  Huron,  but  had  been  chiefly  busied  with 
public  affairs  at  different  times.  In  the  fall  of  1912  he  was  once  more 
the  choice  of  the  people  for  the  office  of  sheriff,  and  that  is  his  present 
official  position  in  St.  Clair  county. 

He  has  for  many  years  been  one  of  the  local  leaders  in  the  Repub- 
lican party.  For  five  years  he  served  as  deputy  United  States  marshal, 
and  from  1902  to  1904  was  for  a  second  time  in  the  office  of  police  chief 
at  Port  Huron.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  recent  election  to  the  office  of 
sheriff,  he  spent  three  years  in  the  State  Land  Office,  his  work  being  the 
estimating  of  timber  for  the  state  and  looking  after  the  northern  reserves 
for  Michigan. 

Mr.  Maines  affiliates  with  the  IMasonic  Order,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  was  reared  in  the  Methodist 
church.  He  was  married  at  Pittsfield,  ]\Iaine,  to  Miss  Dora  Rogers, 
who  was  reared  at  Pittsfield,  and  she  and  her  husband  went  to  school 
together.  Her  father  was  John  Rogers.  To  this  marriage  have  been 
born  two  children :  Charles  R. ;  and  Lillian,  wife  of  lames  Forbes. 
Mr.  Maines,  in  addition  to  his  various  other  public  services,  has  done 
much  to  promote  legislation.  One  of  his  hobbies  is  the  preservation  and 
protection  of  wild  animals,  especially  game  birds,  and  he  was  practically 
the  author  of  the  bill  which  secured  adequate  protection  for  partridges 
and  quail  in  this  state. 

Kirk  E.  Wicks.  Referee  in  bankruptcy  for  the  western  district  of 
Michigan  during  the  past  thirteen  years,  Air.  Wicks  is  one  of  the  able 
representatives  of  the  Grand  Rapids  bar,  a  native  of  Michigan,  and  has 
been  a  worker  in  his  profession  and  has  gained  high  standing  and  success 
since  1892. 

Kirk  E.  Wicks  was  born  at  Watson,  Allegan  county,  Michigan,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1869,  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  \^'icks.  His  family  came  to 
Michigan  from  Western  New  York,  and  were  originally  of  Quaker 
stock.  Mr.  Wicks  grew  up  in  the  little  community  in  .Mlegan  coimty, 
attended  the  local  schools,  and  largely  through  his  own  efforts  was  able 
to  enter  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he 
graduated  LL.  B.  in  1892.  In  the  fall  of  that' year  he  moved  to  Grand 
Rapids,  and  entered  the  law  office  of  Blair,  Kingsley  &  Kleinhans.  His 
connection  with  that  firm  continued  until  1900,  at  which  date  he  became 
a  partner  of  Willard  Kingsley,  and  their  partnership  continued  until 
Mr.  Kingsley's  death  in  1913.  This  was  one  of  the  best  known  law 
firms  of  Kent  county.  Mr.  Wicks  is  now  in  practice  by  himself.  He 
was  appointed  referee  in  bankruptcv  in  April,  19OT.  and  has  distin- 
guished himself  for  a  careful,  methodical  and  impartial  administration 
of  the  often  complicated  duties  of  that  office.  Outside  of  this  he  has 
never  held  any  political  office,  and  is  devoted  to  his  profession.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Association  of  Commerce  and  in  the 
line  of  his  profession  has  been  secretary  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Bar  Asso- 
ciation for  the  past  seven  vears. 

l\Ir.  Wicks  is  well  known  in  social  and  fraternal  circles  of  Grand 
Rapids  being  a  past  master  of  York  Lodge  No.  400,  A.  F.  &  .\.  M..  and 
has  taken  all  the  degrees  in  both  the  York  and  Scottish  Rite,  being  a 
member  of  DeMolai  Commanderv  of  thf  Knights  Templer  and  of 
DeWitt  Clinton  Consistory  of  the  Thirty-Second  Degree  Scottish  Rite. 
He  is  one  of  the  popular  members  of  the  Kent  Country  Club.  In  1895 
Mr.  Wicks  married  INIiss  Lillian  'M.  Born,  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  K.  Engelbert  Wicks. 


^■dky,  S,0^^^e- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2085 

William  R.  Yuill,  M.  D.  One  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  physi- 
cians of  St.  Clair  county  is  Dr.  William  R.  Yuill,  who  for  many  years 
has  practiced  in  the  community  of  Yale.  In  his  profession  he  has  en- 
joyed a  splendid  reputation  for  effective  skill,  and  has  been  equally 
esteemed  for  his  good  citizenship. 

Dr.  William  R.  Yuill  was  born  in  Ontario,  August  26,  1845.  His 
father,  Alexander  Yuill,  was  born  in  Scotland,  came  to  Canada  in  1821, 
and  there  became  a  farmer  and  lumberman  in  the  county  of  Lanark, 
Ontario,  and  built  up  a  substantial  degree  of  prosperity.  For  forty  years 
he  was  continuously  honored  with  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Alex- 
ander Yuill  married  Ellen  Aikenhead,  also  born  in  Scotland.  They 
became  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  and  of  these,  Dr.  Yuill,  who  was 
the  thirteenth,  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Neal  Lackey,  are  the  only  survivors. 
Mrs.  Lackey  is  the  wife  of  a  prosperous  farmer  at  Sarnia,  Ontario. 

Dr.  Yuill  attended  the  grammar  schools  of  his  native  village  and  also 
took  a  normal  course  at  Toronto.  His  years  up  to  the  age  of  sixteen  were 
spent  on  a  farm,  and  after  that  he  was  in  a  school  room  as  teacher  five 
years.  His  career  as  a  teacher  was  only  a  preparation  for  the  higher 
education  which  would  lead  him  into  his  present  profession.  He  was 
a  student  at  Victoria  University,  and  also  the  Trinity  University  in 
Toronto,  took  some  of  his  medical  work  in  McGill  L'niversity  at  Mon- 
treal, and  in  1877  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College  of  New  York.  Few  of  his  contemporaries  entered  upon 
the  practical  work  of  their  profession  with  a  better  equipment  of  train- 
ing than  Dr.  Yuill.  Following  his  studies  in  this  country  he  spent  two 
years  abroad  in  attendance  at  lectures  and  clinics  in  the  hospitals  of 
England  and  Scotland.  Returning,  he  took  up  practice  first  in  the  state 
of  Indiana,  until  the  ill  health  of  his  wife  obliged  him  to  leave  that  state, 
and  in  1880  he  located  at  Peck,  Michigan,  and  several  years  later  moved 
to  Yale.  With  the  exception  of  two  or  three  years  spent  in  practice  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  Dr.  Yuill  has  been  identified  with  the  community  of 
Yale  for  thirty  years,  and  has  always  been  considered  one  of  the  lead- 
ing physicians  of  St.  Clair  county.  He  formerly  held  membership  in  the 
Indiana  State  and  the  American  Medical  Associations.  He  affiliates  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masonic  Order,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Progressive  Republican.     His  church  is  the  Presbyterian. 

On  September  21,  1879,  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  Dr.  Yuill  married 
Miss  Maggie  Morrison,  who  died  in  1881.  They  had  one  child,  William 
A.  Yuill.  now  a  resident  of  Lansing.  The  second  marriage  of  Dr.  Yuill 
occurred  at  Roseburg,  Michigan,  October  20,  1906,  when  Miss  Emma 
Annie  Pettit  became  his  wife.  \It.  Yuill  was  born  in  Ontario.  There  are 
no  children  by  the  second  marriage. 

John  G.  Freimann.  The  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Mount  Clemens  Brewing  Company,  John  G.  Freimann  learned  the  prac- 
tical details  of  his  art  in  the  German  fatherland,  and  during  a  residence 
of  more  than  twenty  years  in  the  L^nited  States  has  been  employed  in  the 
service  of  some  of  the  best  known  American  breweries,  and  his  experi- 
ence and  study  of  brewing  and  malting  have  made  him  one  of  the  most 
capable  experts  in  his  line  in  the  state  of  Michigan. 

T.  D.  Seeley  for  eight  years  represented  Oakland  county  in  the 
state  legislature,  first  in  the  House  of  Representatives  and  then  in  the 
Senate,  and  by  this  term  of  consecutive  service  established  a  record  in 
that  it  is  the  longest  term  of  official  representation  in  consecutive  order 
ever  enjoyed  by  an  Oakland  county  citizen.     Mr.  Seeley  has  done  much 


2086  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

valuable  legislative  work,  and  has  been  very  prominent  as  a  business 
man  and  citizen  in  his  home  city  of  Pontiac,  where  he  was  a  leader 
in  the  movement  for  commission  form  of  government  and  was  one  of 
the  commissioners  at  large  elected  to  draft  the  new  charter. 

Thaddeus  DeW'itt  Seeley  was  bom  August  26,  1867,  a  son  of  George 
H.  and  Sarah  (Prall)  Seeley,  prominent  farmers  of  the  county,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  birth  owned  a  part  of  what  is  now  the  Pontiac  State 
Hospital  Fami.  ^^'hen  he  was  four  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
W'aterford  township,  and  he  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  that 
neighborhood  and  in  the  Pontiac  high  school. 

After  his  marriage  Air.  Seeley  in  18S8  moved  to  Bay  City,  and  oper- 
ated a  large  dairy  farm  and  was  successful  in  the  raising  of  pure 
bred  Holstein  cattle.  Returning  at  the  end  of  five  years  to  Oakland 
county,  he  spent  one  year  in  Groveland  township,  moved  from  there  to 
Bloomfield  township,  on  the  east  bank  of  Long  Lake,  three  miles  south 
of  Pontiac,  and  during  the  fourteen  years  of  his  residence  there  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  Mr.  Seeley 
laid  the  basis  of  a  solid  financial  competence  through  his  success  as  a 
farmer  and  stockman.  Selling  his  farm  in  Bloomfield  township  in  1908 
he  moved  to  the  city  of  Pontiac,  and  for  two  years  was  in  the  hard- 
ware business  with  R.  D.  Tobin.  Since  then  practically  all  his  attention 
has  been  given  to  looking  after  his  real  estate  interests  in  the  county  and 
city  and  to  the  public  responsibilities  which  have  at  dift'erent  times 
devolved  upon  him. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Seeley  in  1900  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  first  district  of  Oakland  county, 
and  was  reelected  in  1902.  In  1904  he  was  the  choice  of  the  Twelfth 
Senatorial  District,  then  comprising  the  counties  of  Oakland  and  AlcComb, 
for  the  state  senate,  and  was  reelected  in  1906.  He  did  some  praise- 
worthy service  for  his  district,  and  was  a  hard  worker  with  several 
important  legislative  committees.  He  was  chairman  in  1907  of  the  Sen- 
ate Railroad  Committee,  and  that  committee  formulated  some  of  the 
most  important  railroad  legislation  enacted  in  Michigan  in  recent  years, 
including  the  railroad  commission  act  and  the  two-cent  fare  law.  In 
1910  Mr.  Seeley  was  a  member  of  the  Charter  Revision  Committee  which 
drafted  the  new  city  charter,  giving  to  Pontiac  the  commission  form  of 
government. 

Mr.  Seeley  afliliates  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  has  been  especially  prominent  in  the  state 
in  national  activities  of  the  latter  order.  In  1888  he  married  Eva  M. 
Palmer,  daughter  of  Samuel  A.  and  Mary  (Kimball)  Palmer.  To  their 
marriage  were  born  three  children  :  Florence  L.  Selden,  of  Grand  Haven  ; 
Mabel  J.  Reeves,  of  Detroit ;  and  George  Palmer. 

R.XLPH  P.  Peckh.\m.  The  really  strong  men  of  a  community,  no 
matter  how  large  it  may  be,  are  not  difficult  to  find.  They  may  be 
modest,  retiring,  unwilling  to  force  their  personalities  upon  their  fellow- 
citizens  :  yet  their  labors,  their  accomplishments,  the  very  personalities 
which  they  desire  to  keep  in  the  background,  will,  without  their  owner's 
volition,  draw  attention  to  themselves  and  make  these  men  prominent  in 
spite  of  all.  Given  a  field  in  which  their  talents  may  have  full  play,  the 
men  of  ability  are  helpless  in  their  attempts  to  escape  recognition.  Ralph 
P.  Peckham  has  never  sought  public  honor :  it  has  been  his  wish  merely 
to  succeed  in  his  chosen  calling,  but  while  he  has  been  gaining  his  ambi- 
tion he  has  made  a  name  for  himself  among  the  business  builders  of 
Detroit  that  places  him  among  his  city's  well  known  citizens  of  the 
younger  generation.     In  the  field  of  plumbing  and  heating  he  has  done 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2087 

a  considerable  share  of  the  work  in  the  city's  large  structures  during  the 
past  several  years,  and  in  addition  has  been  engaged  more  or  less  in 
building  on  his  own  account. 

Mr.  Peckham  was  born  at  Niagara  Falls,  Canada,  November  8,  1881, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Robert  and  Ellen  E.  (Newson)  Peckham,  both 
parents  being  born  and  reared  in  England,  the  former  in  the  city  of 
London  and  the  latter  in  Suffolk.  The  father  first  came  to  America  in 
1857,  locating  at  Niagara  Falls.  Canada,  where  he  followed  railroading 
until  1 861,  in  that  year  coming  to  Detroit  with  the  Great  Western. 
Later  he  was  connected  with  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  at  various  places, 
and  in  1897  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  The  mother  still  survives,  as  do  the  twelve  children,  there 
never  having  been  a  death  in  the  family.  Mr.  Peckham  is  a  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Episcopal  church,  to  which  all 
the  members  of  the  family  belong. 

Ralph  P.  Peckham  received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Niagara  Falls,  and  while  residing  there  began  to  learn  the. 
trade  of  plumber.  He  completed  his  training  in  this  vocation  in  Detroit, 
and  in  1902  entered  business  under  his  own  name  at  No.  11-16  Grand 
River  avenue,  subsequently  moving  to  134  Stanton  avenue,  and  later  to 
1325  Grand  River  avenue,  a  three-storv  brick  business  block,  which  he 
still  owns.  In  1908  he  erected  the  Lambeth  apartments,  at  goo-902-904 
Hudson  avenue,  where  he  also  has  his  place  of  business.  ]\Ir.  Peckham 
is  enjoying  a  large  business  in  general  plumbing  and  heating,  and  has 
also  continued  to  carry  on  extensive  building  operations.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange,  of  the 
Master  Plumbers  Association  and  of  the  Master  Steam  Fitters  Assnrin- 
tion.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the  Samaritan  Lodge,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows:  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  King  Cyrus 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.    With  his  family,  he  attends  the  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Peckham  was  married  to  Miss  .Ada  Besancon,  of  Detroit,  who 
was  born  in  Redford,  Michigan,  daughter  of  George  Besancon;  a  well 
known  coal  merchant  of  Detroit,  now  retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peckham 
have  two  bright  and  interesting  children:  Ellen  E.,  aged  eight  years: 
and  Ralph  P.,  Jr.,  who  is  six  years  old. 

\'OLXEv  M.  CcRRV,  whose  prominent  position  as  a  dealer  in  lands  has 
followed  achievements  in  other  lines  of  endeavor,  owes  his  advancement 
to  the  fact  that  he  has  thoroughly  mastered  every  task  devolving  upon 
him,  in  whatever  vocation  he  has  been  engaged,  to  the  readiness  with 
which  he  has  recognized  and  grasped  opportunity  and  to  his  adaptation 
of  new  conditions  evolved  in  business  life  to  the  needs  of  his  present  duty. 
He  has  been,  in  turn,  school  teacher,  veterinary  surgeon  and  land  agent, 
and  in  each  field  has  endeavored  to  give  the  best  of  himself  and  his  abili- 
ties, while  his  career  as  a  citizen  has  been  marked  bv  the  same  charac- 
teristics. Mr.  Curry  is  a  native  Michigander,  born  in  Ingham  county, 
August  16,  1 881,  a  son  of  Harvey  and  Nancy  Curry,  both  born  in  this 
state.  His  father,  for  many  years  a  farmer  in  Ingham  county,  was  the 
owner  of  the  old  Bisney  homestead  for  thirty  years,  this  being  known  as 
one  of  the  first  farms  to  be  developed  in  the  state.  He  died  May  28, 
1913,  while  the  mother  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  there.  There 
were  four  children  in  the  family,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  living, 
of  whom  \'olney  M.  is  the  oldest. 

After  completing  his  preliminary  educational  training  in  the  district 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's  farm  in  Ingham  county,  Volney  M. 
Curry  entered  the  Dansville  High  school,  from  which  he  was  duly  gradu- 


2088  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

ated.  Recognizing  the  opportunities  offered  in  the  field  of  veterinary 
surgery,  he  then  became  a  student  in  the  Toronto  (Canada)  Veterinary 
College,  one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  country,  and 
secured  his  degree  of  Veterinary  Surgeon  in  1907.  Following  this  he 
entered  upon  a  career  as  a  school  teacher,  and  for  three  years  was  thus 
engaged  in  the  country  institutions  of  Michigan,  but  left  the  school  room 
to  take  up  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Midland,  where  he  built  up  a 
good  business.  Seeking  a  wider  field  of  operation,  he  came  to  Bay  City, 
and  here  became  interested  in  the  land  business,  which  he  soon  found 
so  profitable  that  in  191 1  he  disposed  of  his  practice  to  his  brother.  Dr. 
Charles  M.  Curry,  who  has  continued  in  practice  here  to  the  present 
time.  At  this  time  \'olney  M.  Curry  maintains  offices  at  Nos.  403-4 
Phoenix  Block,  and  handles  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Bay  City,  the  Sagi- 
naw Valley  and  Northern  Michigan.  Mr.  Curry's  business  bears  testi- 
mony of  his  careful  consideration,  and  the  success  which  he  has 
achieved  in  realty  circles  is  one  of  which  he  has  every  reason  to  take  a 
pardonable  degree  of  pride.  In  political  matters  a  £)emocrat,  in  1903 
he  was  elected  a  school  inspector  of  Bunker  Hill,  Ingham  county,  was 
subsequently  made  chairman  of  that  board,  and  later  elected  a  member 
of  the  election  board.  Since  coming  to  Bay  City  his  business  affairs 
have  kept  him  too  busily  occupied  to  enter  actively  into  political  matters, 
but  he  has  at  all  times  taken  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
city  and  has  at  no  time  withheld  his  support  from  those  things  which  have 
promised  to  benefit  the  community  or  its  people.  Fraternally,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Benevolent  and  .Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  which  he 
is  inside  grand:  witlv  the  Knights  of.  Pythias  and  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresteru.  .'  His  vacations  are  usually  spent  in  travel  through 
the  northern  part  of  the  state,  where  he  is  able  to  combine  lousiness  with 
pleasure  in  looking  over  and  selecting  desirable  properties. 

On  July  27,  i9»>5,.Mf4,  Ctirry  wa^  itiarried  at  Jackson.  Michigan,  to 
Miss  Martha  P.  Rorabacher,  daughter  of  Isaac  Rorabacher,  a  well-k'.iown 
farmer  and  bankei  of  Laingsburg,  Michigan.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union  ;  Melba  C.  who  is  seven  years  of  age  and  a  bright 
pupil  in  the  public  schools:  and  Nancy  A.,  the  baby,  aged  four  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  enjoy  the  acqtiaintance  and  friendship  of  the  young 
people  of  their  city,  w-ho  always  find  a  welcome  at  the  comfortable  home, 
No.  1 106  Tenth  street. 

Elmore  John  Magel,  one  of  the  most  successful  of  Detroit's  busi- 
ness men  in  the  line  of  mason  contracting,  has  been  identified  with  the 
building  interests  of  the  citv  for  the  past  seven  years,  during  which  period 
he  has  erected  a  large  number  of  the  city's  best  structures.  He  was  born 
at  Zurich,  Ontario.  Canada.  April  8,  1883,  so  it  will  be  seen  that  he  is 
still  a  young  man,  but  his  youth  has  seemed  to  have  had  no  effect  upon 
his  success.  His  father,  Henry  Magel,  was  born  at  Tavistock,  Ontario. 
Canada,  in  1856,  the  son  of  native-born  German  parents,  who  were  early 
settlers  at  that  place.  The  father  was  engaged  for  many  years  in  the 
livery  and  horse  business  at  Tavistock  tmtil  igo8.  in  which  year  he  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  his  present  place  of  abode.  Alagdalena  (Schmidt) 
I\Iagel.  the  mother  of  Elmore  J.,  was  born  at  Zurich,  Canada,  in  i860, 
and  still  survives. 

Elmore  J.  Magel  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town  of  Zu- 
rich, and  as  a  lad  associated  himself  with  his  father  in  the  livery  business, 
a  line  with  which  he  was  identified  until  1903.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Detroit  and  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  brick  mason,  and  after  coni|)let- 
ing  his  apprenticeship  worked  for  dift'erent  contractors  tintil  1907,  that 


THI  Klir  T(5« 

fusriciii^nAn^ 


I 


^et 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2089 

year  marking  his  advent  in  the  business  as  a  contractor  on  his  own  ac- 
count. From  that  time  Mr.  ^Nlagel's  business  has  increased  rapidly,  he 
confining  himself  to  mason  contracting  and  employing  some  forty  men. 
As  evidence  of  the  extent  of  his  operations,  it  may  be  stated  that  in  the 
year  1912  he  erected  two  hundred  and  eighty  buildings,  while  an  equal 
or  greater  number  were  accredited  to  his  activities  in  1913.  At  the 
present  writing,  in  April,  1914,  he  has  a  large  number  of  important  con- 
tracts on  hand,  and  it  is  expected  that  this  year  will  eclipse  all  others  in 
the  amount  of  business  done  by  him.  Mr.  Magel  has  been  the  builder 
of  his  own  fortunes,  and  has  won  his  way  to  prominence  through  sheer 
merit.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders 
Exchange,  in  which  he  is  accounted  a  farsighted  and  shrewd  business 
man.  His  self-reliance  has  expressed  itself  in  numerous  ways  and  on 
various  occasions,  and  he  has  not  allowed  himself  to  be  governed  by  trade 
unions,  employing  non-union  labor  exclusively.  His  religious  atifiliation 
is  with  the  EvangelicaT  Association  church.  Mr.  Magel  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Detroit,  but  subsequently  trans- 
ferred his  membership  and  became  one  of  the  charter  entrants  of  Ionic 
Lodge,  also  holding  membership  in  Peninsular  Chapter  and  Monroe 
Council. 

Mr.  Magel  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  Louise  Klump,  who  was  born 
in  Bav  City,  INIichigan,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  F.  Klump,  former  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Michigan  Conference  of  the' Evangelical  Association. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Magel :  Frederick  Elmore 
and  Madeline  Elizabeth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Magel  are  widely  known  in 
social  circles  of  Detroit,  and  their  handsome  home,  located  on  West 
Grand  Boulevard,  is  the  scene  of  frequent  functions  and  is  always  kept 
hospitably  open  to  the  young  couple's  numerous  friends. 

Roger  I.  Wykes.  The  record  of  Roger  I.  Wykes  is  one  of  more 
than  usual  interest.  For  seventeen  years,  either  as  attorney  general, 
assistant  attorney  general  or  as  special  counsel,  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  legal  department  of  Michigan.  His  work  in  this  connection 
has  been  of  such  character  and  in  connection  with  such  weighty  inter- 
ests that  a  brief  description  of  his  activities  throws  important  light  on 
various  noteworthy  phases  of  Alichigan  history  during  recent  years.  For 
that  reason  the  following  article  contains  more  than  the  usual  amount 
of  material  not  strictly  biographical,  and  its  introduction  requires  no 
apology  when  its  value  is  considered. 

Roger  I.  Wykes  has  held  the  office  of  attorney  general  of  Michigan, 
was  a  member  of  the  Special  Commission  of  Inquiry  into  Taxation  pro- 
vided for  by  the  legislature  of  1912,  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  in  1908,  and  one  of  the  most  productive  workers  and  advisers 
in  that  body,  was  a  member  of  the  Charter  Commission  of  the  City  of 
Grand  Rapids  in  1910  and  191 1,  was  assistant  attorney  general  of  the 
state  from  1896  to  1898,  and  1900  to  1905,  and  has  been  retained  by  the 
state,  either  as  assistant  attorney  general  or  as  special  counsel  under 
attorneys  general  Maynard,  Blair,  Oren,  Kuhn  and  Fellows,  and  spe- 
cially by  Governor  Chase  S.  Osborn,  continuously  for  a  period  from 
1896  to  1913,  and  has  represented  the  state  in  thirty-two  cases  in  the 
LTnited  States  Supreme  Court,  two  of  which  cases  are  still  pending.  Mr. 
Wykes  was  appointed  by  the  governor  as  representative  of  the  state  at 
the  International  Tax  Conference  at  Richmond,  A'irginia.  in  191 1,  and 
at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  1912.  Appointment  was  oft'ered  him  in  191 1 
as  circuit  judge  for  Kent  County,  but  he  declined  the  ofiice,  believing  that 
he  could  be  of  greater  service  to  the  state  in  important  litigation  in  w  liich 


2090  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

he  represented  it  as  special  counsel.  Air.  W'ykes  has  been  admitted  to 
practice  in  all  of  the  states  and  federal  courts  in  Michigan  and  in  the 
United  States  Supreme  court,  and  has  the  distinction  of  having  moved 
the  admission  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  of  former  attorneys 
general  Charles  A.  Blair  and  Horace  M.  Oren  and  Judge  Knappen  of 
the  federal  courts.  While  his  career  and  its  achievements  would  dignify 
a  long  lifetime,  Mr.  Wykes  is  still  a  young  man,  being  thirty-seven  years 
old  at  the  time  of  this  writing. 

Roger  Irving  Wykes  was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  is  of  English 
parentage.  After  receiving  a  common  school  education  he  taught  for 
two  years  in  the  South  Grand  Rapids  High  school,  and  in  1893  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  January,  i8g6,  upon  examination  before  the  State  Hoard  of 
Law  Examiners.  From  his  admission  to  the  bar  until  September,  1896, 
he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Grand  Rapids,  after  which  time 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  attorney  general  as  a  law  clerk,  where  he  re- 
mained almost  continuously  until  1905.  During  his  connection  with  that 
office  he  was  advanced  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  entrusted  with 
the  prosecution  and  defense  of  the  state's  most  important  litigation.  On 
leaving  the  attorney  general's  office  in  1905,  he  was,  by  reason  of  his 
proficiency  in  litigation  involving  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  public, 
retained  as  special  counsel  in  numerous  cases,  and  has  continued  in  that 
capacity  until  the  present  time.  In  his  private  practice,  Mr.  Wykes  rep- 
resents the  village  of  Grandville,  the  township  of  Wyoming  and  the  town- 
ship of  Paris  in  Kent  county,  the  Alabastine  Company  of  Grand  Rapids, 
and  is  a  director  and  attorney  for  the  South  Grand  Rapids  State  Bank. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Progressive  Republican,  a  fact  that  is  indicated  by  his 
deeds  rather  than  by  his  words. 

Having  thus  briefly  sketched  his  professional  and  private  career,  it 
remains  to  consider  his  connection  with  the  larger  public  life  of  the  state. 
The  litigation  entrusted  to  him  has  been  of  the  most  important  in  which 
the  state  has  ever  been  interested  in,  and  with  one  exception  he  has  been 
successful  in  every  important  litigation  undertaken  by  him. 

The  first  in  importance  of  these  cases  was  the  class  known  as  the 
railroad  tax  cases.  These  involved  the  constitutionality  of  the  present 
ad  valorem  methods  in  the  assessment,  and  ta.xation  of  the  property  of 
railroad  companies  and  other  corporations  at  the  average  rate  of  taxation 
paid  upon  other  property  throughout  the  state  for  state,  county,  township, 
school  and  municipal  ptirposes. 

Through  the  successful  outcome  of  this  litigation,  for  which  a  large 
measure  of  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  Wykes  personally,  the  primary  school 
fund  was  doubled  and  at  least  one  million  and  a  half  dollars  additional 
revenue  have  been  annually  brought  into  the  state  treasury.  Mr.  Wykes 
became  identified  with  these  tax  cases  early  in  their  history.  Upon  the 
decision  that  the  Atkinson  bill  (of  1899),  which  first  provided  for  ad 
valorem  assessment  of  railroad  property,  was  unconstitutional,  it  became 
necessary  to  amend  the  constitution  so  as  to  permit  of  the  assessment  of 
railroad  property  and  the  property  of  other  corporations  by  a  state  board 
of  assessors,  and  Mr.  Wykes  as  assistant  to  the  late  Judge  Oren,  then  at- 
torney general,  was  called  upon  to  draft  the  amendment,  which  was 
formally  made  a  part  of  the  Constitution  at  the  November  election  of 
191 1.  Following  that  it  became  necessary  for  the  legislature  to  draft  a 
law  to  carry  into  eff^ect  the  constitutional  amendment,  and  Mr.  Wykes 
drew  up  that  measure  which  was  made  a  part  of  the  statutes  of  the  state. 

In  1902,  when  the  state  board  of  assessors  made  its  first  assessments 
of  railroad  property,  under  the  law,  the  so-called  "Galbraith"  principle 
was  adopted,  resulting  in  a  reduction  of  taxes  under  the  new  system  by 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2091 

about  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Attorney  General  Oren  in- 
dorsed the  action  of  the  board,  but  his  opinion  was  subsequently  over- 
ruled by  the  Supreme  Court.  When  Charles  A.  Blair  assumed  the  office 
of  attorney  general,  Mr.  Wykes  induced  him  to  take  a  stand  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  Galbraith  principle,  and  later  succeeded  in  enjoining  the  state 
board  of  assessors  from  applying  the  Galbraith  principle,  so  that  the 
revenue  from  taxation  was  increased  by  at  least  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  per  annum.  Mr.  Wykes  prepared  the  brief  for  the  state  in  this 
proceeding,  and  with  the  attorney  general  represented  the  state  in  the 
supreme  court. 

In  1903  the  railroads,  twenty-eight  in  number,  sought  to  restrain  the 
operation  of  the  ad  valorem  tax  law  on  the  ground  that  the  average  rate 
principle  was  unconstitutional.  Mr.  Wykes  was  elected  as  the  logical  man 
to  handle  the  litigation,  being  assisted  later  by  Messrs.  Townsend  and 
Knappen  upon  the  questions  of  facts,  but  Mr.  Wykes  had  virtually  full 
charged  of  the  litigation,  since  the  constitutional  questions  alone  were  con- 
sidered by  the  United  States  Supreme  court.  Largely  due  to  the  efforts 
of  Mr.  Wykes  the  state  won  these  cases  in  all  the  courts,  and  the  prin- 
ciples maintained  by  him  were  forever  settled.  Concerning  his  participa- 
tion in  these  cases,  Congressman,  now  Senator,  Charles  E.  Townsend, 
wrote  as  follows :  "I  can  say  truthfully  that  a  very  large  degree  of  the 
success  of  that  case  was  due,  in  my  judgment  to  the  ability  and  industry 
as  a  lawyer  of  Mr.  Wykes.  .  .  .  His  knowledge  of  constitutional 
questions  was  of  great  value  to  the  state,  not  only  in  the  said  railroad 
cases,  but  in  many  others  in  which  the  state  was  a  party  during  the  }-ears 
that  he  was  in  the  attorney  general's  office.  Every  lawyer  in  the  state 
who  has  had  occasion  to  investigate  the  briefs  on  the  constitutional  ques- 
tions involved  in  the  railroad  cases  will  agree  with  me  that  they  were  as 
strong,  clear,  and  honest  an  exposition  of  the  constitution  as  has  ever 
been  presented  in  any  case  in  ]\Iichigan,  and  Air.  Wykes  did  the  largest 
part  of  their  preparation." 

ludge  Wanty  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  referring  to  Mr. 
Wykes'  participation  in  the  Michigan  Railroad  tax  cases  wrote;  "I  wish 
to  thank  you  for  the  great  help  I  have  received  from  your  most  excellent 
brief,  which  shows  so  much  hard,  intelligent  and  discriminating  work.  Of 
the  large  number  of  briefs  I  have  examined  since  coming  to  the  bench, 
none  has  been  more  able  and  helpful." 

The  victory  in  the  railroad  tax  cases  had  only  one  drawback.  The 
Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  Railway  Company,  by  reason  of 
the  special  charter  granted  in  1834  to  one  of  its  predecessors,  and  to 
which  it  succeeded,  claimed  and  before  the  United  States  Supreme  Court 
established  its  right  to  exerripticn  from  taxation  under  the  ad  valorem  tax 
law,  resulting  in  a  loss  to  the  state  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  per 
year.  It  appears  that  a  previous  case  between  the  state  and  the  company 
had  been  decided  by  the  Michigan  Supreme  court  in  1S84.  and  the  new 
matters  at  issue  were  therefore  declared  to  be  res  adjudicata.  Since  then 
new  suits  have  been  brought  against  the  company  in  the  state  courts  on 
the  ground  that  the  previous  case  known  as  the  Joy  case  was  not  res 
adjudicata,  and  Mr.  Wykes  was  retained  to  represent  the  state  in  these 
cases.  After  the  decision  of  these  cases,  proceedings  were  begim  in  the 
Kent  Circuit  Court  to  increase  the  taxing  basis  oit  the  Detroit,  Grand 
Haven  &  Milwaukee  Railway  Company,  and  this  case  is  still  pending 
with  Mr.  Wykes  in  charge  for  the  state.  In  191 1  Mr.  Wykes  prepared 
and  the  legislature  passed  an  act  for  the  taxation  of  the  stocks  and  bonds 
of  all  specially  chartered  railroad  corporations,  it  being  designed  in  this 
way  to  reach  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  &  Milwaukee  Railway  Company 
for  its  full  taxes.     In  1903,  1904  and  1905  the  United  States,  the  Amer- 


2092  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

ican  and  the  Pacific  Express  Companies  instituted  proceedings  against  the 
state  to  restrain  the  enforcement,  of  the  taxation  assessed  against  them 
by  the  state  board  of  assessors,  under  the  ad  valorem  tax  law  at  the 
average  rate.  Mr.  Wykes  has  had  and  still  has  the  full  charge  of  this 
litigation,  and  all  the  cases  except  those  of  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany have  been  settled. 

In  1909  the  jurisdiction  of  the  State  Board  of  Assessors  was  extended 
to  telephone  companies,  and  after  the  first  assessment  was  laid  in  1910 
six  of  the  principal  companies  began  proceedings  in  the  federal  courts 
to  restrain  the  operation  of  the  law.  Air.  Wykes  representing  the  state 
succeeded  in  establishing  the  validity  and  constitutionality  of  the  statute, 
as  applied  to  telephone  companies,  and  all  the  contesting  companies,  ex- 
cept two,  have  paid  their  taxes,  and  Mr.  Wykes  represented  the  state  in 
the  appeal  taken  by  these  two  companies  to  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  where  the  decision  has  recently  been  affirmed. 

In  every  case  in  which  the  state  has  been  interested  in  fi.xing  or  re- 
ducing the  fares  of  railroad  companies,  except  one,  Mr.  Wykes  either  as 
assistant  attorney  general  or  as  state  counsel  has  represented  the  state. 
In  cases  involving  the  W^abash,  the  Grand  Rapids  and  the  Indiana,  and 
the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  &  Milwaukee,  he  succeeded  in  getting  reduc- 
tion of  fares,  and  still  has  charge  of  the  case  pending  against  the  Duluth, 
South  Shore  &:  Atlantic  Railway  Company,  in  which  is  being  tested  the 
constitutionality  of  statutes  reducing  rates  of  fare  in  the  upper  peninsula 
from  three  to  two  cents. 

He  has  also  represented  the  state  in  numerous  other  tax  cases,  among 
them  being  that  by  the  Manistee  &  Northeastern  Railroad  Company  to 
establish  its  right  to  an  exemption  from  taxation  of  its  property  for  a 
period  of  ten  years,  in  which  the  state  prevailed  in  the  State  Supreme 
Court ;  in  the  case  of  the  Wisconsin  &  Michigan  Railway  Companies, 
against  the  state  to  establish  an  exemption  of  like  character,  in  which  the 
state  prevailed  in  the  federal  circuit  court  and  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court ;  in  the  case  of  Bacon  vs.  The  State  Board  of  Assessors  in  which 
was  established  the  right  to  the  state  to  tax  in  Michigan  the  stock  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railroad  Company,  owned  by  residents  of  this  state. 
He  was  likewise  retained  in  the  case  instituted  by  the  Detroit,  Grand 
Haven  &  Milwaukee  Railway  Company  in  the  federal  court  for  the  east- 
ern district  of  Michigan,  to  restrain  the  collection  of  the  taxes  upon  its 
property,  and  he  prepared  the  demurrer  for  the  state  in  the  proceedings  to 
restrain  the  operation  of  the  stock  and  bond  taxes  as  applied  to  the  same 
company  under  act  of  191 1. 

]\Ir.  Wykes  has  been  identified  with  much  of  the  litigation  incident 
to  the  adoption  of  the  I'nheritance  tax  law  by  this  state  in  1897,  '^'id  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  the  validity  of  the  principle  of  inheritance  taxes. 
In  many  other  proceedings  Mr.  Wykes  has  also  represented  the  state, 
briefly  referred  to  as  follows ;  proceedings  to  compel  the  Jackson  Sub- 
urban and  Traction  Company  to  separate  its  grades ;  a  proceeding  estab- 
lishing the  right  of  the  state  to  destroy  nets  and  property  taken  for  be- 
ing engaged  in  illegal  fishing;  in  the  act  extending  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  justices  of  the  peace'  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  from  three  hundred  to 
five  hundred  dollars :  in  proceedings  to  restrain  the  operation  of  the  trad- 
ing stamp  act  of  191 1  ;  in  proceedings  to  subject  foreign  liquor  dealers  es- 
tablishing places  of  business  in  ^Michigan  to  pay  a  license  fee ;  in  pro- 
ceedings for  the  removal  of  a  member  of  the  Tax  Commission  for  willful 
misconduct  in  office  and  neglect  of  duty. 

Mr.  Wykes  served  as  attorney  general  from  September  10,  to  De- 
cem1)er  31,  1912,  and  while  in  full  charge  of  that  office  made  an  enviable 
record.     It  was  during  that  time  that  other  questions  involving  the  in- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2093 

heritance  law  came  up,  also  the  trading  stamp  litigation  above  referred 
to,  the  institutions  of  proceedings  to  procure  a  rehearing  of  the  Joy  case 
and  others.  Among  the  important  opinions  which  he  rendered  was  one 
holding  the  Pere  J\Iarquette,  although  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  to  be 
subject  to  the  jurisdiction  and  control  of  the  Michigan  Railroad  Commis- 
sion and  that  holding  the  Mackinaw  Transportation  Company  to  be  sub- 
ject to  that  commission  in  its  right  to  fix  and  establish  reasonable  rates 
for  the  carrying  of  passengers. 

Reference  should  also  be  made  to  \[r.  Wykes'  part  in  originating 
and  drafting  important  legislation  for  the  state  of  Michigan.  He  drafted 
the  laws  for  the  repeal  of  the  Michigan  Central  and  other  special  charters 
in  iqoo.  and  also  the  act  which  finally  resulted  in  abrogating  the  Alichigan 
Central's  special  charter  without  cost  to  the  state.  His  part  in  securing 
legislation  and  constitutional  amendment  for  the  adoption  of  the  ad 
valorem  tax  law  has  been  already  mentioned. 

In  the  constitutional  convention  of  1908  Mr.  Wykes  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  finance  and  taxation,  and  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tees on  organization,  eminent  domain,  legislative  departments,  and  one 
of  the  additional  members  added  to  the  committee  on  arrangement  and 
phrasology.  He  is  directly  responsible  for  a  number  of  the  important  pro- 
visions in  the  constitution  of  1909,' among  the  more  important  being  the 
provision  prohibiting  the  granting  of  special  corporate  franchises  or 
charters  upon  any  terms  whatsoever ;  that  prohibiting  the  state  from  being 
bound  by  any  contract  to  exemption  from  taxation  so  that  the  exemption 
could  not  be  withdrawn,  as  well  as  the  provision  permitting  the  classifica- 
tion of  the  subjects  of  specific  taxation  and  that  guaranteeing  the  pro- 
ceeds of  all  property  in  1908  contributing  to  the  primary  school  fund 
to  continue  to  contribute  to  that  fund  ;  also  the  provision  of  the  consti- 
tution requiring  the  governor  to  be  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  as- 
sessors. Not  least  important  among  the  services  rendered  by  Mr.  Wykes 
in  the  convention  was  his  work  in  preventing  the  incorporation  of  the 
"Galbraith"  principle  in  the  taxation  article,  which  would  have  allowed 
the  state  board  of  assessors  to  reduce  the  taxes  of  all  railroad  corpora- 
tions on  the  theory  that  they  were  paying  more  than  their  fair  burdens. 
In  this  connection  the  speech  of  Mr.  Wykes  will  be  found  in  the  Con- 
stitutional Debates,  and  is  worthy  of  comment  for  its  clear  exposition  of 
facts  involved  and  for  his  convincing  statements  that  the  railroads  and 
other  corporations  were  not  being  unfairly  treated  by  present  taxing 
methods. 

As  a  member  and  president  of  the  Commission  of  Inquiry  as  to  the 
taxing  conditions  of  ]\Iichigan  for  191 1,  Mr.  Wykes  is  largely  responsible 
for  the  findings  of  the  Commission,  and  for  the  disclosure  to  the  state 
of  the  facts  that  corporate  property  as  a  class  is  under-assessed,  and  that 
measures  should  be  taken  to  equalize  their  burden  with  that  paid  by  prop- 
erty in  general.  Since  the  report  of  the  commission  was  made  the  board 
of  tax  commissioners  have  attempted  to  cure  the  defects  in  taxation 
pointed  out,  but  the  task  is  too  great  to  be  accomplished  without  the  aid 
of  efi^ective  legislation  along  the  lines  as  suggested  in  the  report. 

From  this  brief  review  of  his  work,  it  is  unnecessary  to  comment  upon 
Mr.  Wykes'  standing  as  a  lawyer.  He  is  today  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  and  hard-working  men  in  his  profession  in  the  state  and 
among  the  eminent  lawyers  of  the  past  few  have  had  a  finer  record  of 
important  public  service  than  this  young  Grand  Rapids  attorney. 

Benjamin  TinRt.p.^-.  In  designating  those  strong  and  honored  citi- 
zens  who  have  made   large   and   worthy   contribution   to   the   civic   and 

material  development  and  progress  of  Traverse  Citv  and  the  countv  of 
Vol.  IV— 22 


2094  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

which  it  is  the  judicial  center,  there  is  imperative  historical  necessit)'  in 
according  a  position  of  prominence  to  Benjamin  Thirlby,  who  has  main- 
tained his  home  in  this  city  since  1882  and  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Michigan  for  more  than  half  a  century.  After  many  years  of  earnest 
and  productive  application  along  normal  lines  of  industrial  enterprise 
he  is  now  living  retired  in  his  attractive  home  at  126  East  Lake  street, 
this  residence  having  been  erected  by  him  within  a  few  years  after  he 
had  established  liis  home  in  Traverse  City.  Mr.  Thirlby  has  stood  ex- 
ponent of  the  best  type  of  loyal  and  progressive  citizenship,  has  retained 
at  all  times  the  implicit  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men,  and 
special  emphasis  should  be  given  to  the  part  which  he  has  played  in 
furthering  the  precedence  of  Traverse  City  as  an  industrial  and  com- 
mercial center.  All  who  know  this  sterling  citizen  will  read  with  satis- 
faction this  brief  review  of  his  career  and  record  concerning  his  children, 
who  are  fully  upholding  the  honors  of  the  name  which  they  bear. 

Benjamin  Thirlby  was  born  at  Leicester,  England,  on  the  26th  of 
December,  1846,  and  there  he  was  reared  and  educated.  As  a  young 
man  he  wedded  IMiss  Mary  Elizabeth  Gallimore,  who  likewise  is  a  native 
of  the  fine  old  borough  of  Leicester, 'where  she  was  born  September  6, 
1848,  and  their  many  years  of  devoted  companionship  have  ever  main- 
tained a  relationship  of  ideal  order.  In  his  native  city  Mr.  Thirlby 
served  a  thorough  apprenticeship  at  the  trades  of  founder  and  machinist, 
and  he  early  proved  himself  a  specially  skillful  artisan.  He  continued  to 
be  employed  as  a  journeyman  at  his  trade  for  a  number  of  years  prior 
to  his  immigration  to  the  United  States.  Within  a  short  time  after  his 
marriage  he  came,  in  company  with  his  wife,  to  America,  in  the  year 
187 1,  and  they  established  their  home  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michi- 
gan. There  Mr.  Thirlby  followed  the  work  of  his  trade  for  several  years, 
and  he  then  removed  to  Grand  Haven,  which  place  continued  to  be  the 
family  home  until  1882,  when  removal  was  made  to  Traverse  City, 
where  ]Mr.  Thirlby  identified  himself  actively  with  local  business  and 
civic  affairs  and  where  he  found  opportunity  for  the  achieving  of  large 
success  in  his  various  ventures.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Traverse  City 
he  became  associated  with  \\'illiam  Jackson  in  the  purchase  of  an  es- 
tablished foundry  and  machine  shop  of  modest  order,  and  thus  was 
initiated  his  independent  career,  the  success  of  which  proved  cumulative 
and  substantial.  The  active  management  of  the  business  was  assumed 
by  Mr.  Thirlby,  who  was  familiar  with  every  detail  of  practical  order 
and  who  soon  brought  the  foundry  and  machine  shops  up  to  a  high 
standard.  With  the  requirements  of  the  constantly  expanding  business 
the  plant  of  the  firm  was  enlarged  from  time  to  time  and  its  equipment 
was  maintained  at  the  best  modern  standard.  For  the  long  period  of 
twenty-eight  years  Mr.  Thirlby  continued  to  he  actively  identified  with 
the  manufacturing  of  machinery  and  iron  mouldings  of  all  kinds,  and 
the  establishment  of  the  firm  demanded  the  employment  of  a  force 
varying  from  twenty  to  forty  men.  The  enterprise  was  conducted  under 
the  title  of  the  Traverse  City  Iron  Works,  and  this  name  was  retained 
until  1910,  when  the  business  was  sold  and  in  the  reorganization  it  was 
incorporated  under  its  present  title,  the  Traverse  City  Iron  Company. 
Concerning  the  present  status  of  the  business  further  data  are  given  in 
the  sketch  of  the  career  of  William  F.  Calkins,  the  president  of  the 
company,  said  review  appearing  on  other  pages  of  this  publication.  Since 
disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  fine  industrial  enterprise  w'hich  was  btiilt 
up  vmder  his  direct  supervision,  Mr.  Thirlby  has  lived  in  gracious  re- 
tirement, though  he  has  no  desire  for  sybaritic  ease  and  finds  adequate 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2095 

demand  upon  his  time  and  attention  in  the  supervision  of  his  varied  real 
estate  and  capitahstic  interests. 

Mr.  Thirlby  was  led  to  establish  his  residence  at  Traverse  City  be- 
cause he  became  deeply  impressed  with  its  attractions  and  advantages, 
and  in  the  earlier  days  he  had  implicit  confidence  in  the  future  growth 
of  the  city  and  county,  this  confidence  having  been  fully  justified  by  the 
results  that  have  been  achieved  in  the  passing  years,  which  have  brought 
in  their  train  a  splendid  march  of  development  and  progress  for  Grand 
Traverse  County  and  its  judicial  center.  With  increasing  individual 
prosperity  ^Nlr.  Thirlby  made  investment  of  his  surplus  funds  in  vacant 
city  property,  and  much  of  this  real  estate  he  eventually  improved  with 
substantial  buildings.  He  also  invested  in  farming  lands  in  the  county, 
and  at  the  present  time  he  is  the  owner  of  several  well  improved  and 
valuable  farms.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  People's  Savings 
Bank  of  Traverse  City,  and  is  still  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors. 
While  he  has  been  distinctively  liberal  and  public-spirited  as  a  citizen 
and  a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party,  he  has 
never  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  public  ofiice,  as  he  has  felt, 
during  the  years  of  his  active  career,  that  the  exigent  demands  of  his 
business  did  not  justify  him  in  assuming  official  responsibilities.  His 
life  has  been  guided  and  governed  by  the  highest  principles  and  thus  he 
has  merited  the  unqualified  confidence  and  esteem  that  are  uniformly 
accorded  to  him.  In  1906  Mr.  Thirlby  and  his  devoted  wife  made  a 
visit  to  their  old  home  in  England,  where  they  renewed  the  memories 
and  associations  of  their  youth,  and  in  the  summer  of  1914  they  again 
made  the  trip  to  the  "right  little,  tight  little  isle"  which  was  the  place  of 
their  nativity,  these  sojourns  proving  to  them  a  medium  of  great  pleas- 
ure and  satisfaction  and  representing  to  Mr.  Thirlby  his  only  definite 
vacations,  for  until  his  retirement  he  subordinated  all  other  interests  to 
the  demands  of  his  business,  his  life  having  been  signally  characterized 
by  energy  and  consecutive  industry.  In  the  following  paragraphs  are 
given  brief  data  concerning  the  four  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thirlby, 
and  each  of  the  four  sons  has  justified  the  loving  care  and  the  excellent 
opportunities  given  him  bv  his  indulgent  and  honored  parents. 

George  J.  Thirlby.  the  eldest  of  the  four  sons  and  the  only  one  whose 
death  has  broken  the  ideal  family  circle,  was  born  at  Grand  Rapids,  and 
he  died  on  the  23d  of  February,  191 3.  His  death  was  the  direct  result 
of  disease  contracted  by  exposure  and  other  incidental  hardships  during 
his  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  in  which  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Michigan  ^'olunteer  Infantry,  and  with  which  he 
participated  in  the  battle  of  San  Juan  Hill,  as  corporal  of  his  company. 
After  the  war  he  was  identified  with  the  saw-mill  business  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  married  Miss  Nellie  White,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Grand  Traverse  county,  a  daughter  of  James  White,  and  she 
died  one  month  after  her  husband  passed  away,  her  inconsolable  grief 
having  brought  this  result.    They  are  survived  by  one  son,  James. 

William  Thirlby,  the  second  son,  is  likewise  a  native  of  the  city  of 
Grand  Rapids  and  is  identified  with  the  lumber  business  at  Traverse 
City,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  high  school. 

Thomas  W^alter  Thirlby,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  at  Grand  Haven,  Michi- 
gan, on  the  1st  of  June,  1876,  and  after  his  graduation  in  the  Traverse 
City  high  school  he  entered  the  department  of  dentistry  in  the  University 
of  ^Michigan,  in  which  he  was  graduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1901  and  from  which  he  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery. 
At  the   inception  of   the   Spanish-American   war  Dr.   Thirlby,   like   his 


2096  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

eldest  brother,  enlisted  in  Company  M  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Michigan- 
\''olunteer  Infantry,  which,  under  General  Shafter,  participated  in  tlie 
expedition  against  Santiago,  Cuba,  and  which  bore  a  full  share  of  the 
hardships  and  dangers  of  that  expedition,  including  the  taking  of  active 
part  in  the  battle  of  San  Juan  Hill.  After  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge Dr.  Thirlby  returned  to  Traverse  City,  and  shortly  afterward  he 
entered  the  university  to  prepare  himself  for  the  profession  in  which  he 
has  achieved  marked  success.  In  Traverse  City  he  has  a  well  appointed 
office  with  the  best  of  modern  facilities  for  both  operative  and  laboratory 
work,  and  he  controls  a  large  and  representative  practice,  based  alike  on 
his  technical  ability  and  his  personal  popularity.  The  Doctor  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the 
U.  S.  W.  B.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1902,  was  solemnized  the  mar- 
riage of  Dr.  Thirlby  to  Miss  Jessie  Grace  Van  Sickle,  who  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Battle  Creek,  this  state,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  William  K. 
Van  Sickle,  her  parents  being  now  residents  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  where 
her  father  is  a  successful  contractor. 

Edwin  L.  Thirlby,  M.  D.,  the  youngest  of  the  sons,  was  born  at 
Grand  Rapids,  on  the  19th  of  November,  1879,  and  was  graduated  in 
the  Traverse  City  high  school,  after  which  he  was  matriculated  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  in  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1004,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Thereafter  he 
had  the  unusual  privilege  of  completing  a  three  years'  post-graduate 
course  in  the  city  of  London,  England,  where  he  received  instruction  un- 
der England's  most  eminent  specialists  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of 
the  diseases  of  children.  To  this  special  line  of  practice  the  Doctor  now 
devotes  his  attention  to  a  large  extent,  and  he  is  one  of  the  representative 
physicians  and  surgeons  of  Traverse  City.  The  Doctor  holds  member- 
ship in  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Michigan  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  Grand  Traverse  County  Medical  Society.  In  politics 
he  remains  true  to  the  faith  in  which  he  was  reared  and  is  aligned  as  a 
staunch  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party.  In  the  year  1909 
Dr.  Thirlby  wedded  Miss  Elsie  Thirlby,  a  native  of  England  and  a 
daughter  of  Richard  Thirlby,  a  distant  kinsman  of  the  Doctor's  father. 

Fkkderick  J.\me.s  ]\Ieech.  The  career  of  Frederick  James  Meech, 
a  pioneer  lumberman  and  sawmill  owner  of  Charlevoix,  has  embraced  a 
wide  range  of  experiences,  and  covered  a  period  of  thirty-five  years  of 
active  connection  with  the  business  interests  of  this  city.  He  is  one  of 
those  whose  labor  has  lent  dignity  and  stability  to  unsettled  conditions, 
and  whose  faith  in  the  future,  during  the  early  days,  readily  communi- 
cated itself  to  his  associates.  During  the  active  era  of  his  career  he  was 
identified  with  a  number  of  enterprises,  all  connected  with  the  industrial 
and  commercial  interests  of  this  part  of  ^Michigan  .and  with  their  growth 
and  development  prospered  commensurately.  .Mthough  he  has  lived  a 
retired  life  for  several  vears,  he  still  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  that 
affects  the  city  and  its  institutions,  and  continues  to  be,  as  in  the  past, 
a  stanch  supporter  of  education,  morality  and  good  citizenship. 

Frederick  James  Meech  was  born  January  15,  1840,  at  Shelburne, 
Chittenden  county,  \^ermont,  and  is  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Cynthia  (Finney) 
Meech,  natives  of  that  state.  The  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Meech, 
Elisha  ]\Ieech,  a  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  product,  fought  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  participated  in  a  number  of  the  largest  battles, 
including  that  of  Bennington.  His  son,  Ezra  Meech,  was  a  native  of 
P>ennington  or  Gloucester,  from  which  place  the  family  moved  to  Har- 
risburg,  A^ermont,  where  in  later  years  Frederick  J.  Meech  was  shown  by 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2097 

his  grandfather  the  spot  where  he  chopped  cord  wood  in  order  to  earn 
the  money  with  which  to  purchase  his  first  spelhng  book.  This  man  in 
later  years  served  his  country  for  two  terms  in  the  United  States  Con- 
gress, was  a  leader  in  the  Whig  party  and  a  judge  on  the  bench  of  the 
Circuit  Court.  A  man  of  striking  appearance,  he  was  six  feet,  four 
inches,  in  height,  and  weighed  360  pounds,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  The  grandmother  was  a  McNeil,  of  Scotch  par- 
entage, and  after  her  death  the  grandfather  married  Mrs.  Lydia  C.  Clark. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  Ezra  Meech,  who  had  been  a  steady  and  in- 
dustrious worker  and  a  man  of  great  business  ability,  was  worth  $350,000, 
and  was  the  owner  of  a  large  and  valuable  farm  and  other  property. 

Ezra  Meech,  the  father  of  Frederick  James  Meech,  grew  up  on  the 
home  place,  and  was  reared  to  the  pursuits  of  the  farm.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  cultivating  the  property  left  him  by  his  father  until  he  met  with 
large  financial  resources,  and  at  that  time  disposed  of  his  interests  in 
\'ermont  and  in  i8<So  came  to  Charlevoi.x,  Michigan,  with  his  wife,  here 
continuing  to  live  in  retirement  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  Mrs.  Meech  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years  and  both  she  and 
her  husband  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Charlevoix  Cemetery.  Fourteen 
children  were  born  to  this  honored  couple,  of  whom  five  died  in  early 
life,  those  growing  to  maturity  being:  Frederick  James,  of  this  review; 
Marv,  who  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Horton  and  died  in  \^ermont ;  Jessie 
and  Kathrine,  who  both  died  at  Burlington,  Vermont ;  Helen,  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Jarrett  Nash;  Robert,  who  is  president  of  the  firm 
of  Abbott  Cross  &  Company,  wholesale  grocers  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
and  makes  his  home  at  White  River,  that  state;  Annie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Frank  Parker,  of  Burlington,  Vermont ;  and  Ezra,  who  died  at  Charle- 
voix. 

The  education  of  Frederick  James  Meech  was  secured  in  the  New 
Haven  Military  School  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  which  was  founded 
by  Gen.  Russell,  of  Mexican  War  fame.  From  early  childhood  he  had 
been  a  lover  and  student  of  flowers,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  be- 
gan to  devote  himself  to  the  growing  of  plants,  fruits  and  flowers  at  his 
old  home,  and  throughout  his  life  has  continued  to  make  this  his  hobby. 
Several  years  later  he  purchased  the  Wilson  Nurseries  at  Albany,  New 
"S'ork,  where  he  continued  to  successfully  follow  the  business  and  to 
make  money,  but  in  1870  disposed  of  his  interests  to  advantage,  and  with 
considerable  means  came  to  Charlevoix  county.  Here  Mr.  Meech  set- 
tled in  the  village  of  Norwood  and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  merchandis- 
ing, purchased  a  sawmill  and  continued  to  operate  his  enterprises  pros- 
perously until  1876,  which  year  marked  his  advent  in  the  city  of  Charle- 
voix, where  he  built  the  finest  residence  in  the  city  at  that  time.  He  con- 
.  tinned  to  be  identified  with  the  lumber  industry,  and  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Jerome  to  the  position  of  state  swamp  land  commissioner  and 
held  that  position  during  that  governor's  term  of  office.  Later  he  was 
elected  register  of  deeds  for  Charlevoix  county  and  served  two  terms, 
and  was  next  appointed  postmaster  of  Charlevoix  by  President  Mc- 
Kinley  and  was  reappointed  by  President  Roosevelt,  serving  in  all  eight 
years'  His  son,  Darwin  Meech,  succeeded  him  in  ofiice  and  served  four 
years  as  postmaster.  Few  men  of  Charlevoix  have  been  more  active  in 
educational  matters  than  has  Mr.  Meech.  For  more  than  eighteen  years 
a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  he  contributed  materially  to  its 
development,  and  the  present  excellent  school  system,  an  object  of  so 
much  pride  to  the  citizens  of  Charlevoix,  is  largely  a  result  of  his  help- 
ful and  disinterested  endeavors.  During  the  past  several  years  he  has 
lived  retired  from  business  cares,  devoting  himself  to  the  raising  of  his 


2098  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

beloved  fruits  and  flowers.  Like  most  men  who  understand  and  appre- 
ciate the  beauties  of  Nature,  Air.  Aleech  has  a  cheerful,  optimistic  dis- 
position, and  a  personality!  which  has  attracted  to  him  a  wide  acquain- 
tance and  hosts  of  friends  from  all  over  the  state.  Mrs.  Meech  is  also 
widely  known  in  social  and  church  circles,  and  like  her  husband  has  been 
active  in  the  movements  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Aleech  is  a  Mason,  in  which  he  has  attained  to  the  Knight  Templar 
degree.  His  contributions  to  the  upbuilding  of  Charlevoix  include  his 
fine  residence  and  other  properties,  and  various  enterprises  have  had  the 
benefit  of  his  excellent  business  judgment,  shrewdness  and  acumen.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  railroad  corporation  in  the  history 
of  the  city,  which  was  known  as  the  Detroit,  Charlevoix  &  Escanaba 
Railroad  Company,  organized  with  R.  F.  Cherry  as  president,  J.  Milo 
Eaton,  secretary,  and  Mr.  Meech,  treasurer.  They  began  operations, 
and  after  grading  three  miles  of  roadway  sold  out  to  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Western  Alichigan  Railroad,  but  which  is  now  the  Pere 
Marquette  Railroad. 

On  February  12,  1861,  Air.  Aleech  was  married  at  Shelburne,  Ver- 
mont, to  Aliss  Polly  F.  White,  daughter  of  Lavador  and  Polly  (Tabor) 
White,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children:  Belle,  who  is  the  wife  of 
the  Hon.  Ernest  Harris,  judge  of  the  probate  court  of  Atrim  county ; 
Arthur,  who  is  associated  with  the  East  Jordan  Lumber  Company,  at  East 
Jordan,  Michigan ;  Darwin,  former  postmaster  of  Charlevoix,  and  now 
engaged  in  fruit  and  cattle  raising  in  Charlevoix  county ;  and  Helen,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  at  Charlevoix.  All  the  children  were 
given  good  educational  advantages  and  have  proven  credits  to  tlieir  rear- 
ing and  the  community  of  their  home. 

Herbert  W'illi.-vms  Landon,  M.  D.  It  not  infrequently  occurs  that 
the  men  in  a  family  will  evidence  an  inclination  toward  a  certain  calling 
or  line  of  business,  and  especially  is  this  true  with  regard  to  men  who 
make  a  study  and  practice  of  medicine.  There  are  often  generation  after 
generation  of  physicians  in  a  family,  the  sons  inheriting  their  skill  and 
inclination  from  the  fathers,  and  a  case  in  point  may  be  found  in  the 
career  of  Herbert  Williams  Landon,  M.  D.,  of  East  Lansing,  a  par- 
ticularly skilled  physician,  and  the  son  and  grandson  of  doctors.  He  has 
been  located  at  East  Lansing  for  more  than  a  decade,  and  during  this 
time  has  established  himself  firmly  in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  and 
in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-practitioners. 

Doctor  Landon  was  bom  June  29,  1873,  at  Bay  City,  Michigan,  and 
is  a  son  of  Dr.  Henry  P.  and  Martha  Jane  (Williams)  Landon.  The 
father  was  born  at  Alonroe,  Michigan,  in  1839,  a  son  of  Dr.  George  M. 
Landon,  a  pioneer  Michigan  physician,  who  practiced  for  many  years 
and  was  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  both  as  a  professional  man 
and  a  sturdy,  reliable  citizen.  Dr.  Henry  P.  Landon  early  showed  a 
predilection  for  his  father's  calling,  and  secured  his  education  in  the 
University  of  Alichigan,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1861, 
and  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Following  this  he  took  the  medical 
course  in  the  same  institution,  and  after  his  graduation,  in  1865,  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  he  located  at  Bay  City,  where  he  has 
continued  to  be  engaged  in  active  practice  to  the  present  time,  with  the 
exception  of  seven  years  spent  at  Denver.  Colorado.  He  has  won  mate- 
terial  recognition  of  his  high  professional  attainments,  as  well  as  a  place 
in  the  regard  of  his  fellow-men,  and  keeps  fully  abreast  of  the  advance- 
ments and  discoveries  of  his  profession,  being  a  valued  member  of  the 
Bay  County  Aledical  Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2099 

American  Medical  Association.  Martha  Janes  (Williams)  Landon  was 
born  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Evander  T.  Wil- 
liams, a  pioneer  of  Washington  county,  who  came  from  New  York  State 
to  Michigan  and  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Ann  Arbor.    The  mother  of  Doctor  Landon  died  in  1884. 

The  early  education  of  Herbert  Williams  Landon  was  secured  in  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  Bay  City,  following  which  he  went  to  a 
private  school  at  Liditz,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  St.  John's 
Academy,  Manlius,  New  York.  He  next  became  a  student  at  the  Bay 
City  High  school,  the  Monroe  High  school  and  the  Ann  Arbor  High 
school,  and  when  he  graduated  from  the  last-named,  in  1894,  entered 
the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  He  completed  the  course  of  study  there 
with  the  class  of  1898,  receiving  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and 
spent  one  year  as  interne  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Detroit,  but  in  1900 
embarked  in  active  practice  at  Lansing,  and  three  years  later  came  to  East 
Lansing,  which  has  since  been  his  field  of  activity.  He  is  a  close  and 
careful  student,  a  skilled  practitioner  and  a  steady-handed  surgeon,  and 
has  won  material  prosperity  and  general  esteem.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ingham  County  and  Michigan  State  Medical  Societies  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  and  of  various  fraternal  orders,  and  in  each 
connection  has  shown  himself  eminently  worthy  of  the  confidence  placed 
in  him. 

Doctor  Landon  married  Miss  Dorothy  Sterling,  formerly  a  resident 
of  Monroe,  Michigan. 

James  Russell  Bolton.  In  a  large  city  such  as  is  Detroit  there  are 
to  be  found  many  striking  examples  of  the  possibilities  before  men  of 
ability,  enterprise  and  application.  In  many  cases  it  is  found  that  the 
progress  made  has  been  slow — but  it  has  been  regular;  the  path  chosen 
has  never  been  deviated  from,  and  the  result  has  been  an  honorable  in- 
dependence and  a  high  position  in  the  esteem  of  the  community.  Among 
the  men  of  Detroit  who  have  gained  success  through  their  own  efforts, 
one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  among  builders  is  James  Russell 
Bolton,  manager  of  the  plumbing  and  heating  department  of  the  large 
contracting  and  building  firm  of  Vinton  &  Company.  He  is  a  native  of 
Canada,  having  been  born  at  Pakenham,  Ontario,  August  4,  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Isabell  Agnes  (Brown)  Bolton. 

George  Bolton  was  born  at  Brockville,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  was 
there  married  to  Isabell  Agnes  Brown,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  had 
come  to  that  country  with  her  parents  as  a  child.  The  parents  resided  in 
Canada  until  1880,  in  which  year  they  took  their  family  to  Detroit,  and 
there  both  reside,  honored  and  respected  citizens  of  their  community. 
George  Bolton  learned  the  plumbing  trade  as  a  youth  in  his  native  Canada, 
and  followed  that  calling  there  until  coming  to  Detroit,  where  he  still 
continues  in  business  for  himself  on  Cheve  street,  although  for  many 
years  he  was  connected  with  the  Detroit  Heat  and  Lighting  Company. 

James  Russell  Bolton  received  his  educational  training  at  Pakenham, 
where  he  attended  the  graded  and  high  schools,  and  when  still  a  bov  be- 
gan to  learn  the  plumbing  and  heating  trade  under  the  preceptorship  of 
his  father.  He  was  a  youth  of  thirteen  years  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Detroit,  and  in  this  city  completed  his  trade,  subsequently 
working  his  way  to  a  foremanship  in  the  Detroit  Heat  and  Lighting  Com- 
pany's plant.  Subsequently  he  went  to  the  East,  and  located  at  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  identified  with  the  plumbing  and  heat- 
ing firm  of  Froskett  &  l^.ishop.  later  helping  to  organize  the  Froskett  & 
Bishop  Company,  of  which  he  was  a  director,  shareholder  and  superin- 


2100  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tendent  for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  2\Ir.  Bolton  then  disposed  of  his 
interests  and  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  became  superintendent 
of  the  plumbing  and  heating  firm  of  I.  Roberts  &  Brother,  on  Broadway, 
but  after  several  years  spent  in  the  metropolis  returned  to  Detroit,  where 
he  has  since  been  manager  of  the  plumbing  and  heating  departments  of 
the  contracting  and  building  firm  of  \'inton  &  Company.  ^Ir.  Bolton  is 
universally  recognized  as  an  expert  in  the  lines  of  plumbing  and  heating, 
and  in  his  official  capacity  has  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  many  of 
Detroit's  big  business  buildings,  among  them  the  Kresge  fourteen-story 
building,  just  completed,  and  the  club  house  of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club, 
in  course  of  construction,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  structures 
of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  ]Mr.  Bolton  is  very  popular  in  his  pro- 
fession, and  that  his  abilities  are  recognized  and  appreciated  was  shown 
in  1913  when  he  was  elected  for  that  and  the  following  year  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Detroit  Association  of  Alaster  Plumbers. 

Mr.  Bolton  has  been  prominent  in  fraternal  circles  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  at  present  is  past  master  of  Trumbull  Lodge  No.  22,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut ;  a  member  of  Franklin  Chapter  No.  2 ; 
R.  A.  M. ;  Harmony  Council  No.  8,  S.  R. :  New  Haven  Commandery  No. 
2.  K.  T. ;  E.  G.  Stover ■•  Lodge  of  Perfection;  Elms  City  Council  ot 
Princes  of  Jerusalem ;;; New  Haveri  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix;  Lafayette 
Consistory,  S.  R,.  all  of  New  Haven;, and  Pyramid  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N. 
.M.  S.,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  of 
Highland  Park  Lodge  No^22,  .R.&A.  M.,  of  Detroit. 

Mr.  Bolton  was,  i3iarri,ed--to  Miss  Clara  Louise  Potter,  of  ^Meriden, 
Connecticut,  and  three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Russell,  Marian 
and  James.  . 

Albert  Thomas  Washburne.  The  originality,  resource  and  fertility 
of  ideas  of  Albert  Thomas  Washburne,  of  Petoskey,  combined  with  a 
full  share  of  hard,  industrious  labor,  have  resulted  in  the  development 
of  one  of  the  leading  business  concerns  of  the  city,  the  Petoskey  Rug 
Manufacturing  and  Carpet  Company.,  Ltd.  Mr.  Washburne  has  ex- 
perienced in  his  career  the  vicissitudes  which  are  ever  present  in  the  life 
of  a  man  who  is  willing  to  grasp  opportunities,  but  his  labors  have  finally 
been  crowned  with  success,  and  today  he  is  accounted  one  of  Petoskey's 
substantial  men. 

Mr.  \\^ashburne  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  ^Michigan,  in  1866, 
a  son  of  John  and  Abigail  J.  ( Kierstead )  \\'ashburne.  the  former  of 
whom  died  in  190Q  and  the  latter  in  1892.  The  children  in  the  family 
were  three  in  number:  Edwin  ]\I.,  born  in  1861,  now  connected  with  the 
Northern  Michigan  Transportation  Company ;  William,  who  is  a  retired 
shipbuilder;  and  Albert  Thomas.  I^Ir.  Washburne's  brothers  are  both 
married  and  have  reared  children.  Albert  Thomas  Washburne  went  with 
his  parents  to  Northport.  Michigan,  when  a  child,  and  there  he  attended 
school  until  reaching  his  fifteenth  year.  At  that  time  he  began  assisting 
his  father  in  the  shipbuilding  business,  with  which  he  was  identified  for 
two  years,  this  being  followed  by  a  clerkship  of  three  years  at  that  place. 
He  then  became  the  proprietor  of  the  principal  dry  good  business  at 
Charlevoix,  which  he  conducted  ten  years,  and  in  four  years  reduced  an 
indebtedness  of  $11,000  to  less  than  $4,000,  but  was  then  closed  out  by 
the  failure  of  his  partner,  losing  the  accumulations  of  years  in  the  forced 
depression  of  values  as  so  many  others  have  done.  While  he  was  in 
business  in  Charlevoi.x.  the  leading  dry  goods  papers,  including  the  New 
York  Economist  and  the  New  York  Dry  Goods  Chronicle,  printed  repro- 
ductions of  his  dry  goods  window  displays,  accompanied  by  the  most 


<^A^^  \Jr^i>C^ 


f  ^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2101 

complimentary  reference  to  his  originality  and  taste.  After  disposing  of 
his  interests  at  Charlevoix,  Mr.  Washburne  came  to  Petoskey,  and  took 
entire  charge  of  the  advertising,  as  well  as  the  dry  goods,  millinery  and 
carpet  departments,  at  Levinson's  department  store,  and  continued  as 
the  general  manager  of  the  J.  H.  Levinson  Company  until  engaging  in 
the  rug  business,  purchasing  the  Petoskey  Rug  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, which  has  since  been  succeeded  by  the  Petoskey  Rug  Manufacturing 
and  Carpet  Company.  Formerly  Mr.  Washburne  had  a  plant  in  Soo  for 
three  years,  and  also  operated  three  stores  with  a  complete  line  of  oriental 
goods,  but  in  1909  removed  the  business  to  Petoskey  and  purchased  his 
present  establishment  from  the  Booth  Fisheries  Company.  The  business 
of  the  enterprise  consists  of  the  manufacture  of  rugs  from  old  carpets, 
has  been  built  up  to  large  proportions  under  Mr.  Washburne's  capable 
management,  and  now  employs  five  men.  The  plant  is  fully  equipped 
with  modern  Singer  carpet  sewing  machines,  and  is  the  only  plant  north 
of  Chicago  able  to  furnish  this  service,  insuring  quickness  of  delivery  and 
perfect  elastic  flat  seams.  uMr.  Washburne  is  known  as  a  stirring,  hustling 
business  m.an.  progressive  in  his  views  and  methods  and  an  intelligent, 
steady  advertiser.  He  bears  an  excellent  reputation  in  commercial  cir- 
cles, and  his  business  record  is  characterized  by  a  firm  adherence  to  prin- 
ciples of  integrity  and  probity.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Washburne  is  con- 
nected with  Red  Cross  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Soo.  He  is  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  but  has  not  found  time  to  be  active 
politically,  save  as  a  Republican  voter.  He  makes  a  fad  of  kodaking  and 
yachting,  and  is  owner  of  the  yacht  Summer  Girl,  which  is  the  flagship 
of  the  Bay  \'iew  Yacht  Club.  His  numerous  friends  testify  to  his 
popularity. 

Mr.  Washburne  was  married  first  to  Jennie  L.  Matthews,  daughter 
of  M.  J.  ^Matthews  (who  was  the  father  of  the  Michigan  order  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Grip,  and  died  in  1904),  and  Larraine  Matthews,  who  is 
also  deceased.  To  this  union  there  has  come  one  daughter.  Hazel  ^Nlay, 
who  has  the  proud  distinction  of  having  won  the  $1,000  prize  offered  by 
the  Eastman  Kodak  Company  for  beauty,  and  whose  portrait  is  used  in 
all  that  company's  advertising,  being  known  all  over  the  world  as  "The 
Kodak  Girl."  In  addition  to  possessing  wonderful  beauty,  she  is  a 
musician  of  note,  a  professional  water  color  artist  and  a  graduate  of 
Ursuline  Convent,  Ontario,  Canada.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  William 
Lemke,  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Washburne  was  again  married,  in  1894,  to  Dana 
W.  Crosby,  w^hose  death  occurred  in  1909,  she  being  the  daughter  of 
Judge  Crosby  of  Roaring  Brook,  Michigan,  and  Euphemia  (Gregg) 
Crosby,  who  died  April  25.  1914.  Judge  Crosby,  who  is  the  owner  of 
Roaring  Brook,  is  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  at  East  Jordan. 
Two  sons,  who  are  their  father's  chums,  were  born  to  the  second  union: 
Crosby  B.,  born  in  1896,  and  now  attending  high  school;  and  Albert  T., 
Jr.,  born  in  1902,  attending  the  graded  school. 

Fred  Ardex  Diggins.  One  of  Michigan's  foremost  representatives 
in  the  hardwood  lumber  business  was  the  late  Fred  A.  Diggins  of  Cadil- 
lac, whose  death  on  July  7,  1914,  not  only  removed  a  big  factor  in  the 
industry  w'ith  which  he  was  identified  from  an  early  age,  but  also  one  of 
the  most  public  spirited,  kind  hearted  and  prominent  citizens  of  Cadillac. 

Fred  Arden  Diggins  was  born  at  Harvard,  Illinois,  July  8,  1862,  and 
part  of  his  boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm.  His  first  commercial  experience 
was  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  Blodgett  &  Diggins  at  Hersey,  Mich- 
igan. In  1882  he  finished  a  two  years'  course  in  the  Grand  Rapids  Busi- 
ness   College,    and   in    1883    entered   the   employ   of   D.   A.    Blodgett   & 


2102  HISTORY  OF  xMICHlGAN 

Company,  bankers,  at  Cadillac,  as  bookkeeper.  This  position  was  resigned 
in  order  to  enter  the  lumber  business  with  his  brother  Delos  F.  Diggins, 
under  the  name  of  F.  A.  Diggins  &  Company.  In  1897  the  affairs  of  this 
company  were  wound  up,  and  Mr.  Diggins  then  became  associated  with 
Joseph  Murphy  in  the  manufacturing  and  wholesaling  firm  of  Murphy 
&  Diggins,  a  relationship  that  continued  until  Mr.  Diggins'  death.  He 
was  also  treasurer  of  the  Cummer-Diggins  Company ;  president  of  the 
Northland  Lumber  Company  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin;  secretary  of  the 
Cummer  Lumber  Company  of  Jacksonville,  Florida ;  vice  president  of 
the  Grand  Rapids  Lumber  Company ;  director  of  the  Cadillac  State  Bank 
and  of  the  St.  John  Table  Company  of  Cadillac ;  and  treasurer  of  the 
Mitchell-Diggins  Iron  Company  of  Cadillac.  As  a  joint  partner  in  the 
different  companies  he  displayed  fine  executive  ability,  being  familiar 
with  every  detail  of  the  lumber  industry  from  the  buying  of  timber  lands 
to  the  manufacturing  and  selling  of  lumber.  It  was  with  the  hardwood 
branch  of  the  industry  that  he  was  long  and  actively  connected,  and  he 
served  as  president  of  the  Alichigan  Hardwood  Manufacturers'  Asso- 
ciation in  1907-08  and  was  elected  president  of  the  National  Hardwood 
Lumber  Association  in  1909-10. 

Mr.  Diggins  had  little  time  to  devote  to  anything  outside  of  business. 
For  recreation  he  occasionally  left  his  office  for  a  fishing  or  hunting  trip, 
and  was  an  expert  with  both  rod  and  gtin.  As  a  citizen  of  Cadillac  he 
was  especially  prominent.  A  number  of  times  he  was  honored  with  the 
office  of  mayor,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Con- 
vention at  Alinneapolis  in  1892,  when  Benjamin  Harrison  was  nominated 
for  a  second  term,  and  also  at  the  convention  in  Chicago  in  19 12,  when 
William  H.  Taft  was  the  presidential  nominee.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee  of  Michigan.  He 
attended  the  Congregational  church,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  large  con- 
tributors to  the  support  of  Olivet  College. 

On  October  29,  1890,  Mr.  Diggins  married  Miss  Carrie  E.  Cummer, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Cummer  and  sister  of  Wellington  W.  Cummer,  two 
of  Cadillac's  pioneer  lumbermen.  Mrs.  Diggins  and  two  daughters  sur- 
vive, both  the  daughters  having  their  homes  in  Cadillac.  One  is  the  wife 
of  Donald  B.  McMuUen,  and  the  other  is  ]\Iiss  Dorothy  C.  Diggins  re- 
siding at  home.  Owing  to  his  extensive  relationship  with  business  af- 
fairs and  his  public  spirited  citizenship,  the  death  of  ]\Ir.  Diggins  has 
been  regarded  as  a  heavy  loss  both  at  Cadillac  and  throughout  the  state. 

Perley  W.  Pearsall,  ]\I.  D.  One  of  the  representative  physicians 
and  surgeons  of  Kalkaska  county.  Dr.  Pearsall  is  engaged  in  the  success- 
ful practice  of  his  profession  at  Kalkaska,  the  fine  metropolis  and  judicial 
center  of  the  county,  and  his  ability  and  fidelity  in  his  chosen  sphere  of 
endeavor  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  while  he  is  a  representative  of  the 
benignant  school  of  Homeopathy  he  still  has  the  scientific  and  professional 
liberality  to  utilize  the  methods  and  remedial  agents  that  appeal  to  his 
judgment  and  provings,  with  the  result  that  he  is  eclectic  in  his  policies, 
though  holding  strenuously  to  the  basic  principles  of  the  school  of  prac- 
tice of  which  he  is  an  effective  and  successful  exponent. 

Dr.  Pearsall  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Alpine  township,  Kent  county, 
Michigan,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Sherman  M.  and 
Catherine  R.  Pearsall,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  the  year  1894.  Of  the 
nine  children  the  Doctor  is  the  youngest  and  each  of  the  five  who  are 
deceased  met  an  accidental  death.  Sherman  IM.  Pearsall,  a  representa- 
tive of  a  sterling  pioneer  family  of  ^lichigan,  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Kent  county,  to  which  county  he  removed  from  Oakland  county 
in   1841,  when  northern  Michigan  was  little  more  than  a  forest  wilder- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2103 

ness.  In  Alpine  township  he  entered  claim  to  a  tract  of  government  land, 
and  there  he  reclaimed  from  the  virgin  forest  a  productive  farm.  Pros- 
perity attended  his  indefatigable  and  well  ordered  endeavors  and  his 
character  and  ability  made  him  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  in 
his  community.  He  passed  the  closing  period  of  his  long  and  useful 
life  in  well  earned  retirement,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids,  in  1905,  he  was  the  most  venerable 
pioneer  citizen  of  Kent  county,  as  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years. 

The  conditions  and  influences  of  the  fine  old  homestead  farm  com- 
passed the  boyhood  days  of  Dr.  Pearsall  and  he  attended  the  district 
schools  until  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he 
entered  the  Grand  Rapids  high  school,  in  which  he  continued  his  studies 
for  three  years,  besides  which  he  simultaneously  completed  an  eft'ective 
course  in  the  Grand  Rapids  Business  College.  After  leaving  school,  in 
1880,  he  assumed  the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  the  Cadillac 
Veneer  &  Panel  Company,  at  Cadillac,  Wexford  county,  and  in  1885  he 
went  to  Larned,  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed  one  year.  He  then 
accepted  the  position  of  city  salesman  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  for  the 
Armour  Packing  &  Provision  Company,  the  great  Chicago  corporation. 
He  retained  this  position  only  a  short  time,  as  he  had  determined  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  the  medical  profession.  Accordingly  he  was  matricu- 
lated in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  in  which  he  com- 
pleted the  prescribed  curriculum  and  was  graduated  as  a  member  of  the 
class  of  1889.  After  thus  receiving  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
he  further  fortified  himself  by  taking  a  special  post-graduate  course  in 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  the 
regular  school  of  practice  in  the  Union.  He  thus  informed  himself 
thoroughly  in  regard  to  theory  and  practice  according  to  the  tenets  of 
both  the  Homeopathi»  and  so  called  regular  schools  of  practice,  and  this 
condition  has  led  to  his  eclectic  elasticity  in  the  practical  work  of  his 
exacting  profession. 

In  the  summer  of  1889  Dr.  Pearsall  established  himself  in  practice 
at  Grand  Ledge,  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  but  he  soon  afterward  removed 
to  Wacousta,  Clinton  county,  where  he  continued  in  successful  practice 
during  the  ensuing  three  years,  besides  holding  for  two  years  the  office 
of  county  coroner.  In  September,  1892,  the  Doctor  removed  to  the  city 
of  Muskegon,  which  continued  to  be  the  stage  of  his  professional  activi- 
ties during  the  following  three  years,  and  for  the  last  two  years  he  held 
the  office  of  city  physician.  In  1895  he  removed  to  Kalkaska,  after  hav- 
ing passed  a  few  months  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  he  has  not  only  built 
up  a  substantial  and  representative  practice  but  has  also  gained  and  re- 
tained the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  his  professional  confreres  as 
well  as  of  the  general  public.  The  Doctor  has  been  a  sticker  in  the 
furtherance  of  sanitary  measures  for  the  protection  of  the  community 
in  general,  continues  to  be  a  close  student  of  medical  and  surgical 
science,  with  marked  predilection  for  original  research  and  investiga- 
tion, and  by  every  available  means  he  strives  to  keep  himself  fully 
abreast  of  the  advances  made  in  both  departments  of  his  chosen  profes- 
sion, which  he  has  dignified  and  honored  alike  by  his  character  and 
services.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Homeopathic  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy ;  he  served  several 
years  as  health  officer  of  Kalkaska,  as  well  as  county  coroner,  and  for 
three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  United  States  Pension 
Examining  Surgeons  of  this  county,  having  been  for  some  time  secretary 
of  the  board.  He  is  at  the  present  time  local  surgeon  for  the  Pere  Mar- 
quette Railroad.     He  has  Ijeen  specially  influential  in  the  enforcing  of 


2104  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

proper  sanitary  measures,  througli  which  Kalkaska  county  has  been 
signally  free  from  the  inroads  of  contagious  disease. 

The  basic  principles  and  policies  of  the  Republican  party  have  not 
yet  failed  to  enlist  the  zealous  support  of  Dr.  Pearsall,  for  he  has  no 
lieretical  deflections  in  his  political  faith.  He  is  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights 
of  the  Modern  Maccabees  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  last 
mentioned  he  is  a  past  chancellor  commander,  besides  being  identified 
with  other  fraternal  and  social  organizations  in  his  home  city.  He  is  a 
devotee  of  sports  afield  and  afloat,  and  finds  recreation  in  hunting  and 
fishing  as  well  as  aquatic  sports,  as  shown  by  his  incumbency  of  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary  of  the  Kalkaska  Yacht  Club.  He  is  the  owner  of  his 
fine  residence  property,  his  home  being  a  center  of  gracious  hospitality, 
and  he  also  ownes  valuable  farm  land  in  Kalkaska  county. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1885,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Dr. 
Pearsall  to  IMiss  .\della  J.  Totten,  who  is  a  sister  of  Hon.  \\'illiam  D. 
Totten,  of  Kalkaska.  ^Irs.  Pearsall  was  born  in  historic  old  Monroe 
county,  Michigan,  and  prior  to  her  marriage  she  had  been  a  .successful 
and  popular  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Kalkaska,  where  her  circle 
of  friends  is  coincident  with  that  of  her  acquaintances.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Pearsall  have  four  children :  Vernon  W.  is  now  sales  manager  for  all  of 
the  branch  houses  maintained  in  Western  Alichigan  by  the  Studeliaker 
Company,  the  great  manufacturers  of  automobiles  and  other  vehicles ; 
Sherman  M.  is  manager  of  the  traffic  department  of  the  \'alley  City  Mill- 
ing Company,  of  Grand  Rapids :  he  wedded  ]\Iiss  Grace  Blount,  of  Kal- 
kaska, and  they  have  two  children, — Sherman  M.,  Jr.,  born  in  1908,  and 
Florence  Adella,  born  in  191 1;  Perley  W.  Pearsall,  Jr.,  resides  at  the 
parental  home  is  a  talented  musician  and  teacher  of  music  and  is  now 
jireparing  himself  for  a  career  in  grand  opera ;  and  Helen  C.  is  attend- 
ing, in  1914,  the  Michigan  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti.  where  she 
is  specializing  in  drawing  and  kindred  lines  of  study. 

John  R.  Sh.^nk,  M.  D.  A  physician  and  surgeon  whose  practice 
began  nearly  thirty  years  ago.  and  who  for  almost  twenty  years  has  been 
successfully  identified  with  his  profession  in  Flint,  Dr.  Shank  has  deserv- 
edly won  his  reputation  among  his  associates  in  this  profession,  and  is  a 
man  of  broad  attainments  and  substantial  accomplishments. 

John  R.  Shank,  though  his  home  has  been  in  Michigan  nearly  all  his 
life,  was  born  at  Mount  ISIorris,  Livingston  county,  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 20,  i860.  His  father,  Franklin  Shank,  a  native  of  New  York, 
was  of  old  Dutch  stock,  the  first  settlers  having  come  to  America  and 
settled  in  New  Amsterdam  during  the  early  colonial  period.  Franklin 
Shank  left  New  York  and  spent  a  year  or  so  in  Michigan,  during  the 
decade  of  the  fifties,  but  subsequently  returned  and  lived  in  Uvingston 
county  several  years.  In  1862  he  once  more  found  a  home  in  the  state 
of  his  choice,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  here.  He  followed  the  busi- 
ness of  building  and  contracting.  Soon  after  taking  up  his  permanent 
home  in  this  state,  he  enlisted  in  a  Michigan  regiment,  and  saw  service 
in  the  corps  as  mechanic  and  engineer.  His  death  occurred  at  Flint  in 
1892.  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven.  His  wife  Adelaide  Johnston,  who  was  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Maria  Johnston,  who 
were  pioneers  of  Alichigan,  settling  at  Royal  Oak,  in  Oakland  county, 
where  Abraham  Johnston  was  a  successful  farmer.  Mrs.  Shank  is  still 
living,  her  home  being  at  419  West  Third  Street  in  Flint.  Her  children 
are  three  sons.  Laban  H.  is  a  physician  at  Fmpire.  ^Michigan,  and  Guy 
E.  is  a  plumber  at  413  W.  Third  Street  in  Flint. 

Dr.    Tohn  R.   Shank,  the  oldest  of  the  children  was  educated  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2105 

Flint  public  school,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1878,  and  took 
his  medical  courses  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  graduated 
M.  D.  in  1884.  He  began  practice  at  once,  and  four  years  of  his  early 
professional  career  were  spent  at  Imlay  City.  In  March,  1894,  he  per- 
manently located  in  Flint,  and  has  a  secure  place  in  the  profession.  He 
has  membership  in  the  County  and  State  Medical  Societies,  the  American 
Medical  Association. 

As  to  politics,  the  doctor  supports  the  republican  party.  He  has 
taken  thirty-two  degrees  of  Scottish  Rite  Masonry,  also  belongs  to  the 
Ro_val  Arch  Chapter,  and  is  a  Shriner.  His  other  fraternal  relations  are 
with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Security,  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  and  is  medical  examiner  for  these 
various  fraternal  orders.  His  name  is  also  on  the  roll  of  the  Board  of 
Commerce. 

At  Imlay  City,  Michigan,  September  24,  i8go,  Dr.  Shank  married 
Miss  Said  C.  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Broome  county.  New  York,  a 
daughter  of  Anson  P.  and  Mary  E.  Campbell.  The  doctor  has  one  son, 
Harold  E..  born  September  i,  1895.  His  attractive  residence  is  at  808 
Harrison  Street,  and  his  offices  are  in  the  Union  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank  Building. 

William  B.  Vett|-:r.  When  an  individual  holds  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  representative  of  his  party,  with  one  exception,  to  be 
elected  on  his  county's  ticket  during  a  period  of  eighteen  vears,  and  is 
able  to  overcome  an  approximate  plurality  of  2.000  votes  ordinarily  given 
to  the  opposing  organization,  he  must  be  accounted  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  popularity.  This  is  the  record  of  William  B.  Vetter,  promi- 
nent Lansing  merchant,  treasurer  of  Ingham  county,  and  a  citizen  who 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  public  life  of  Michigan  for  more 
than  two  decades.  Mr.  Vetter  is  a  native  of  ^Michigan,  born  at  Ann 
Arbor,  June  26,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Catherine  Dora  (Ben- 
der) Vetter. 

George  Vetter  was  born  in  Wurttemburg,  Germany,  in  1841,  and 
was  a  lad  of  16  years  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  at  Ann 
Arbor,  where  the  youth  learned  the  saddlery  and  harness  maker's  trade. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  evidenced  his  patriotism  for  his 
adopted  land  by  enlisting  in  the  90-day  service,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  Twentieth  Regiment,  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry.  When  his 
service  expired,  he  veteranized,  and  continued  to  serve  with  that  organi- 
zation for  three  years.  His  military  career  was  one  in  which  he  exper- 
ienced numerous  hardships,  being  taken  a  prisoner  by  the  enemy  and 
confined  for  ten  months  in  the  awful  Libby  and  Andersonville  prisons, 
his  incarceration  in  which  caused  his  health  to  break  down.  Upon  re- 
turning to  the  pursuits  of  peace,  Mr.  Vetter  engaged  in  the  saddle  and 
harness  business  at  Ann  Arbor  on  his  own  account,  but  in  1871  he  moved 
to  Dexter,  Michigan,  where  he  passed  away  six  years  later,  his  death 
being  hastened  by  his  war  experiences.  Mr.  Vetter  married  Catherine 
Dora  Bender,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1844,  a  daughter  of  John  Bender,  a  native  of  Wurttemburg,  Germany, 
who  was  prominent  in  church  affairs  and  was  largely  instrumental^  in  the 
organization  of  the  first  German  Lutheran  church  at  Philadelphia.  In 
1851  he  came  to  Michigan,  walking  the  greater  part  of  the  way  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  the  woods  near  Saginaw,  among  the  Indians. 
Later  he  moved  to  Ann  Arbor  and  about  the  year  1885  he  removed  to 
Lansing  from  Ann  Arbor,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  1888,  when  he 
had  reached  advanced  years.  The  mother  of  Mr.  \'etter  still  survives, 
and  is  one  of  the  well-known  ladies  of  Lansing. 


2106  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

The  public  schools  of  Ann  Arbor  furnished  William  B.  Vetter  with 
his  education,  and  as  a  lad  he  started  upon  his  business  career  as  a  clerk 
in  a  North  Lansing  grocery  store.  In  1888,  with  his  brother,  the  late 
George  F.  Vetter,  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  North  Lansing, 
under  the  firm  style  of  \'etter  Brothers.  George  F.  Vetter  died  October 
0,  1910,  but  William  B.  Vetter  still  owns  a  grocery  business  and  conducts 
it  under  the  old  firm  name.  Air.  Vetter  was  elected  treasurer  of  Ingham 
county  as  a  Democrat,  in  1910,  and  received  the  reelection  in  1912.  and 
still  holds  that  office,  his  services  in  which  have  won  him  the  highest 
esteem  of  the  people  of  his  county.  As  before  stated,  he  is  the  only 
Democrat,  with  one  exception,  elected  on  the  county  ticket  since  1896,  and 
is  the  only  member  of  his  party  to  carry  East  Lansing  since  that  city  was 
incorporated.  Ingham  county  is  normally  Republican  by  2,000  plurality, 
so  that  it  may  be  readily  discerned  that  Air.  \'etter  is  widely  popular  and 
that  his  official  services  have  been  appreciated  by  his  fellow-citizens. 
From  1890  until  1902,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lansing  Fire  Depart- 
ment. He  was  in  charge  of  Station  A,  of  the  Lansing  Postoffice,  which 
was  located  in  his  store  from  1893  to  1907,  four  years  under  a  Demo- 
cratic administration  and  ten  years  under  Republican  control.  Air.  \'et- 
ter  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  fraternal  circles,  belonging  to 
Lansing  Lodge  No.  33,  F.  &  A.  AL,  North  Lansing  Lodge  No.  321,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  the  Alodern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Loyal  Order  of  Aloose. 

Air.  Vetter  married  Aliss  Esther  D.  Downer,  of  Lansing,  a  daughter 
cf  Lucy  A.  Downer,  and  the  late  Ziba  A.  Downer. 

Homer  AIayn.\rd  E.-\ton,  whose  successful  business  career  as  gen- 
eral manager  and  treasurer  of  the  Flint  Gas  Company  had  its  begin- 
ning at  the  draughtsman's  desk,  since  which  time  he  has  gradually 
progressed  until  he  now  stands  in  a  prominent  position  among  the  busi- 
ness men  of  his  adopted  city,  owes  his  advancement  to  the  fact  that  he 
has  thoroughly  mastered  every  task  devolving  upon  him,  to  the  readi- 
ness with  which  he  has  recognized  opportunity  and  to  his  adaptation  of 
new  conditions  evolved  in  business  life  to  the  needs  of  his  present  duty. 

Born  at  Jackson,  Jackson  county,  Alichigan,  Alay  7,  1880,  Air.  Eaton 
is  a  son  of  William  Al.  and  L'na  C.  (Blaine)  Eaton.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  came  to  Michigan  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  in  1874,  and 
entered  upon  a  business  career  at  Jackson,  -which  city  is  now  his  home. 
Airs.  Eaton  is  a  native  of  Alichigan  and  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family 
of  this  state,  and  has  been  tlie  mother  of  two  children :  Homer  Alay- 
nard,  and  James  Blaine,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Rochester,  New  York. 

Homer  Alaynard  Eaton  was  given  excellent  educational  advantages, 
attending  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Jackson  and  then  entering  the 
Alichigan  Agricultural  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences  in  1903.  His  first  position  was  that  of  a 
draughtsman  for  the  Grand  Rapids  Gas  Light  Company,  and  remained 
there  until  September.  1904,  when  he  accepted  an  offer  from  the  Roches- 
ter Railway  and  Light  Company,  of  Rochester,  New  York.  In  that  city  he 
continued  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  superintendent  of  the  gas  department 
until  October  i,  1905,  at  that  time  returning  to  Alichigan  to  Ijccome 
general  manager  of  the  Jackson  Gas  Company  of  Jackson.  In  this  con- 
nection Air.  Eaton  remained  until  Alay  11,  1908,  and  then  went  to  Sagi- 
naw to  become  general  superintendent  of  the  gas  department  of  the 
Saginaw  &  Bay  City  Gas  Company,  with  headquarters  at  the  main  offices 
at  Saginaw.  Air.  Eaton  came  to  his  present  position,  that  of  general 
manager  and  treasurer  of  the  Flint  Gas  Company,  January  i,  1910.  and 
has  continued  therein  to  the  present  time,  being  also  a  member  of  the 
Flint  City  W'ater  Board.     A   man  of  unswerving  integrity  and  honor, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2107 

liaving  perfect  appreciation  of  business  ethics,  he  has  gained  and  re- 
tained the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  associates,  who  look  to  him  for 
leadership  and  advice  in  matters  of  moment.  He  is  prominent  in  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  at  this  time  is  exalted  ruler 
of  Flint  Lodge,  maintains  membership  in  the  Board  of  Commerce,  is 
connected  with  the  Country  Club,  and  with  his  family  attends  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 

On  November  8,  1905,  Mr.  Eaton  was  married  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan,  to  Miss  Cora  Vanderwerp,  who  was  born  in  Aluskegon,  Michi- 
gan, daughter  of  Fred  \'anderwerp.  One  son,  William  F.,  was  born  to 
this  union.  November  8,  1906,  at  Jackson.  The  family  home  is  at  No. 
407  East  Kearsley  street. 

Louis  F.  Schmidt.*  A  record  of  steady  success  through  many  con- 
secutive years  in  the  building  and  general  carpenter  lines  is  L.  F. 
Schmidt's  enviable  position  in  Detroit  business  circles.  Mr.  Schmidt  is 
also  a  well  known  citizen  and  identified  with  a  number  of  social  arid 
fraternal  organizations  of  the  city,  which  has  been  his  home  for  nearly 
thirty  years. 

Both  the  office  and  residence  of  Mr.  Schmidt  is  at  601  Concord  street. 
Louis  F.  Schmidt  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  the  city  of  Neu  Bran- 
denburg, Province  of  Mecklinburg,  on  May  5,  1861.  His  parents,  John 
and  Henrietta  (Schmidt)  Schmidt,  both  natives  of  Germany,  reared 
their  family  in  that  country,  and  the  father  died  there.  In  Germany 
Louis  F.  Schmidt  grew  up,  was  educated,  acquired  proficiency  in  the 
trade  of  carpenter,  and  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-four  with  ambition 
for  the  larger  success  of  the  new  world,  emigrated  to  America  and  set- 
tled in  Detroit  in  1885.  His  mother  and  sister  came  to  this  country  and 
located  in  Detroit  in  1890. 

In  the  year  of  his  arrival  Mr.  Schmidt  found  steady  employment  at 
his  trade  in  Detroit,  at  first  under  John  Hermann  of  Delray,  which  is 
now  a  part  of  the  city.  His  employment  as  a  journeyman  continued 
altogether  for  eighteen  years,  and  was  under  different  contractors,  among 
whom  were  John  Armstrong,  George  L.  Webber  and  Malow  Brothers. 
His  relations  with  the  latter  firm  were  so  mutually  satisfactory  that  he 
continued  with  them  for  sixteen  consecutive  years.  In  1909  Mr.  Schmidt 
began  his  business  as  an  independent  contractor  under  his  own  name, 
and  from  a  very  limited  start  both  as  to  capital,  working  equipment  and 
organization,  his  business  has  been  growing  every  year  and  he  is  now 
one  of  the  well  known  contractors  in  the  city.  Mr.  Schmidt  has  erected, 
among  the  more  notable  examples  of  his  work,  the  fine  residence  of  A. 
Hund,  the  residence  and  laboratory  of  Dr.  G.  H.  Sherman,  and  a  great 
number  of  other  fine  homes,  stores,  flats  and  apartment  houses  all  over 
the  city  and  vicinity.  The  residences  of  Henry  Ford  and  Horace  H. 
Dodge,  also  the  Ford  factory  building,  were  erected  by  Malow  Brothers, 
during  the  time  Mr.  Schmidt  was  with  them,  he  overseeing  the  carpentry 
work. 

His  membership  is  naturally  with  the  Detroit  ^Master  Carpenters  As- 
sociation, and  his  name  is  w^ell  known  and  his  presence  appreciated  in 
the  circles  of  Schiller  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Arbeiter  Verein  No.  4,  with 
the  Federal  Casualty  Company,  the  Concordia  Singing  Society,  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Lutheran  church,  while  politically  his  allegiance  is  given 
to  the  Republican  party.    Mr.  Schmidt  married  Anna  Heineke  of  Detroit. 

Lisle  Sh-^nah-IiN.  A  thoroughly  representative  member  of  the  legal 
fraternity  of  Michigan,  Lisle  Shanahan,  of  Charlevoix,  is  not  alone  a 
leading  member  of  hi^s  profession  but  furnishes  in  his  life  a  remarkable 


2108  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

example  of  what  may  be  accomplished  through  perseverance  and  con- 
stant application  under  the  most  discouraging  of  circumstances.  Handi- 
capped by  ill  health  since  babyhood,  he  has  nevertheless  so  well  directed 
his  labors  that  today  he  stands  foremost  among  the  successful  legists  of 
the  place  of  his  adoption  as  well  as  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Shanahan  is  a  native  ]\Iichigander,  born  at  Edwardsburg,  Cass 
county,  a  son  of  Kim  and  Alice  (Jacks)  Shanahan,  and  grandson  of 
Edward  Shanahan,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Michigan,  who  settled 
in  Cass  county_as  early  as  1837,  during  the  period  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  In  his  native  state  of  Delaware,  Edward  Shanahan  had  been  a 
slave  owner  and  planter,  but  financial  reverses  caused  him  to  seek  a  new 
field  in  which  to  make  his  fortune,  and  accordinglv  he  started  for  the 
newly  opened  country  of  ^klichigan.  With  his  wife,  Rebecca,  his  two 
sons,  aged  four  and  two  years,  and  a  nursing  baby,  he  started  on  the 
long  trip  overland,  in  a  two-wheeled  cart,  with  one  horse  hitched  in 
front  of  the  other,  tandem  fashion,  and  a  milch  cow  tied  behind.  Al- 
though he  came  to  Michigan  a  poor  man,  he  gained  prosperity  through 
a  life  of  industry  and  tireless  energy  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  owned  property  which  was  estimated 
to  be  worth  $200,000.  The  grandmother  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years,  having  been  the  mother  of  fifteen  children.  Of 
these,  Kim  Shanahan  was  the  youngest,  and  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
where  he  has  spent  his  entire  active  career,  and  like  his  father  has  won 
success  through  persevering  effort.  His  father  had  been  a  \\  hig  and 
had  represented  his  township  in  several  offices,  but  I\Ir.  Shanahan,  a  Re- 
publican, has  not  cared  for  public  office.  He  is  a  Mason,  is  widely 
known  as  a  good  citizen,  and  has  a  large  circle  of  warm  and  appreciative 
friends. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents.  Lisle  Shanahan  grew  up  on  the  old 
homestead  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Cass  county  and  the  high  school  at  Edwardsburg.  \\'hen  he  was  a  child 
of  four  years  he  contracted  rheumatism,  and  although  his  father  spent 
a  fortune  in  seeking  a  cure  he  has  been  afflicted  with  this  ailment  through- 
out life.  His  poor  health  making  it  impossible  for  him  to  follow  the  vo- 
cation of  his  forefathers,  Mr.  Shanahan  as  a  young  man  turned  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits  and  for  three  vears  taught  in  the  country 
schools  of  Cass  county.  While  thus  engaged  he  applied  himself  to  the 
study  of  law,  and  when  he  gave  up  teaching  entered  the  University  of 
Michigan,  being  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  that  institu- 
tion with  the  class  of  1899.  During  the  following  season  he  again  taught 
school,  but  in  1900  came  to  Charlevoi.x  and  in  June  of  that  year  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  calling,  in  which  he  has  gained  a  well- 
earned  success.  At  this  time  Mr.  Shanahan  is  attorney  for  the  Pere 
Marquette  Railway,  the  Booth  Fish  Company,  the  Charlevoix  Lumber 
Company  and  Rock  Product  Company,  the  Charlevoix  County  Bank  and 
the  Argo  ]\Iilling  Company.  A  large  part  of  Mr.  Shanahan's  success 
has  come  as  a  result  of  his  conservative,  self-assured,  well-prepared, 
clean-cut  and  successful  handling  of  cases.  Those  who  know  him  need 
not  be  told  that  he  is  a  broad-minded  citizen  of  sterling  worth,  steadfastly 
interested  in  all  public  measures  which  promise  to  be  of  practical  good, 
and  those  who  are  now  acquainted  with  him,  if  there  be  such,  may  have 
the  full  assurance  of  his  legion  of  friends  to  that  effect.  Although 
forced  to  use  crutches,  and  in  almost  constant  pain,  he  is  of  a  cheerful, 
optimistic  nature,  ready  to  assist  others  and  a  loyal  and  royal  friend.  Mr. 
Shanahan  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  Charlevoix  efficiently  in  the 
capacity  of  city  attorney.     Fraternally  he   is  connected   with   the   local 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2109 

lodges  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.     With  his  family,  he  attends  the  Congregational  church. 

Air.  Shanahan  was  married  November  28,  iQOi,  to  Aliss  Alary  A. 
Dunham,  at  Petersburg,  Alonroe  county,  Alichigan.  She  was  born  in 
Alonroe  county,  where  her  parents.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  Alonroe  IXin- 
ham  were  early  settlers  and  long  connected  with  agricultural  pursuits. 
They  are  now  retired  from  active  life  and  make  their  home  at  Peters- 
burg. Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Airs.  Shanahan :  Ed- 
ward Kim,  born  July  15,  1904;  Norman  Lisle,  bom  October  23,  1907, 
both  at  Charlevoix  and  now  students  in  the  public  schools ;  and  three 
children  who  died  in  infancy.  Air.  and  Airs.  Shanahan  reside  in  a  beau- 
tiful home  on  Michigan  avenue,  on  the  lake  front,  and  are  widely  known 
in  social  circles  of  Charlevoix,  Mrs.  Shanahan  being  also  prominent  in 
the  work  of  the  Ladies  Aid  Society  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Louis  Schmied.  Prominent  among  the  successful  business  men  of 
Detroit  is  Louis  Schmied,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Schmied- 
Sisman  Company,  contractors  and  lumber  manufacturers.  Representing 
that  substantial  element  of  German  citizenship  which  was  introduced  into 
America  as  a  result  of  the  Revolution  of  1848,  Mr.  Schmied  has  spent 
practically  all  his  life  in  Detroit,  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been 
promoting  a  large  and  growing  business  as  a  contractor  and  has  varied 
civic  and  social. relations  which  make  him  well  known  in  that  city. 

Louis  Schmied  was  born  in  Detroit,  July  22,  1867,  a  son  of  John  Al. 
and  Caroline  (Linsal)  Schmied.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  1818  in 
the  city  of  Munich,  Bavaria,  Germany,  belonged  to  a  family  of  respectable 
and  middle  class  German  people,  who  gave  their  son  a  good  education, 
apprenticed  him  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  also  educated  him  for 
the  Lutheran  ministry.  During  his  young  manhood  he  participated  in 
the  Revolutionary  troubles  of  the  forties,  and  being  one  of  those  who  re- 
fused to  submit  to  the  autocratic  character  of  the  prevailing  government 
became  an  exile  in  1848,  and  left  his  native  land  to  escape  death.  On 
the  same  vessel  that  brought  him  to  America  were  also  the  late  Dr. 
Herman  Keifer  of  Detroit,  and  Carl  Schurz,  who  afterwards  became  a 
general  in  the  Union  army,  occupied  a  cabinet  post  under  President  Cleve- 
land, and  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  political  leaders  and  editors 
in  the  country.  There  were  also  many  other  exiles  in  the  party.  John  M. 
Schmied  after  landing  in  New  York  city,  worked  there  long  enough  to 
get  money  to  carry  him  to  the  west,  since  all  his  property  had  been  con- 
fiscated in  Germany.  From  New  York  he  went  to  Buffalo,  then  came  to 
Detroit,  spent  some  time  in  Cleveland  and  finally  located  permanently  in 
Detroit.  His  first  employment  was  in  the  old  Frost  saw  mill  at  the  foot 
of  Chene  street.  He  was  engaged  in  the  fruit  and  vegetable  commission 
business:  for  some  time.  During  the  Civil  war  he  kept  a  tavern  on  Clin- 
ton street  near  the  old  barracks.  It  was  in  Detroit  that  John  M.  Schmied 
met  Aliss  Linsal,  who  subsequently  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  at 
Klein  Liebung,  state  Eben,  Germany,  in  1826,  and  had  come  to  this 
country  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  She  is  still  living,  while  John  AI.  Schmied 
died  in  1893. 

During  his  boyhood  in  Detroit  Louis  Schmied  attended  the  public 
schools  until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  in  1879  began  an  employment  which 
continued  for  three  years  in  a  machine  shop.  In  1886  he  ran  away 
from  home  and  enlisted  in  the  United  States  marine  corps,  and  was  in 
the  navy  for  one  year  before  his  parents  effected  his  discharge  on  account 
of  his  age. 

In  1887,  before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  Air.  Schmied  took  up  an 


2110  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  a  few  months  he  was  made 
shop  foreman,  and  was  performing  the  responsibilities  of  a  master  car- 
penter long  before  he  had  finished  his  apprenticeship.  A  desire  to  fit 
himself  for  the  profession  of  medicine  finally  caused  him  to  abandon  his 
trade,  and  until  his  funds  were  exhausted  he  read  medicine.  Necessity 
finally  compelled  him  to  resume  work  as  a  carpenter,  and  it  is  along  that 
line  that  his  permanent  business  prosperity  has  been  accomplished.  Mr. 
Schmied  continued  as  a  journeyman  until  1904,  in  which  year  he  took  up 
contracting.  In  1906  he  organized  the  Louis  Schmied  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  interior  finishing  materials,  and  in  1908  became  instrumental 
in  the  organization  of  the  Schmied-Sisman  Company,  which  in  five  years' 
time  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  largest  contracting  and  manufacturing 
concerns  between  New  York  and  Chicago.  He  has  served  as  president 
and  general  manager  since  this  incorporation. 

Mr.  Schmied  is  also  a  director  in  the  Ellis  Engine  Company  of  Detroit, 
and  has  considerable  private  interests  in  Detroit  real  estate.  He  has  mem- 
bership in  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange,  the  Detroit  Em- 
ployers Association,  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  is  affiliated  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belongs  to  the  Harmonie  Society, 
and  to  the  Detroit  Motor  Boat,  the  Wolverine  Automobile  and  the  Detroit 
Curling  Clubs. 

On  October  27,  1897,  he  married  Miss  Caroline  E.  Orr  of  Detroit, 
where  she  was  born,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  Orr.  Thomas  Orr 
was  born  in  Belfast.  Ireland,  son  of  Thomas  and  Rebecca  Orr,  natives 
respectively  of  England  and  Scotland.  The  Orr  family  emigrated  to 
Canada  in  1846,  where  Thomas  grew  up  and  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  In  i860  he  moved  to  Detroit,  established  a  shop,  and  was  for 
many  years  an  expert  mechanic,  being  in  business  for  himself  a  long 
time.  Later  he  became  an  instructor  in  mechanics  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  and  after  several  years  had  to  resign  on  account  of  poor  health. 
Still  later  he  was  made  an  instructor  in  the  old  Bliss  University  School 
of  Detroit.  His  death  occurred  April  17,  1907.  Thomas  Orr  married 
Sarah  Jane  Carter,  who  was  born  near  Kingston,  Ontario,  Canada,  of 
Irish  parents.  Her  birth  occurred  September  7,  1837,  and  she  is  still 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmied  have  had  one  son,  Louis  W.,  born  March 
22,  1901,  and  died  October  20,  1901. 

Samuel  Robin'sox,  assistant  state  fire  marshal  of  Michigan,  is  a 
marked  proof  of  the  value  and  necessity  of  long  practical  training  for 
the  higher  officials  of  the  state  government.  The  best  years  of  his  life 
have  been  given  to  the  Michigan  fire  department,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  add  that  the  betterment  in  condition  has  been  mutual.  Marshal  Robin- 
son was  born  at  Charlotte,  Michigan,  his  present  home,  October  2,  1874, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  and  Rose  ( Whitcomb )  Robinson. 

Samuel  Robinson,  Sr.,  was  one  of  Michigan's  best  known  citizens  and 
for  years  was  a  leading  Democrat.  Lie  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  bom 
at  Birmingham,  that  state,  in  1844,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Robinson, 
who  brought  the  family  to  ^^lichigan  during  the.  early  fifties  and  settled 
at  Charlotte,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  minister  of  the  ATethodist  faith  and 
where  his  death  occurred.  The  mother  of  ]\Iarshal  Robinson  was  born 
in  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  lune  11,  1845,  the  daughter  of  Palmer  Whit- 
comb, a  pioneer  settler  of  Eaton  county,  who  came  to  the  state  during 
the  earlv  forties.  Sanuiel  Robinson,  Sr.,  was  engaged  in  the  furniture 
and  undertaking  business  at  Charlotte  for  many  years,  and  following 
this  became  identified  with  the  lumber  industry,  and  for  a  long  period 
carried  on  extensive  operations  therein.    He  was  highly  esteemed  and  re- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2111 

spected  in  his  community,  where  he  was  justice  of  the  peace  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  an  office  which  he  had  held  for  several  years.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  Democratic  state  politics,  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  state 
committee,  and  met  his  death  in  an  accident  while  on  his  way  to  attend 
as  a  delegate  from  the  state  to  the  Democratic  national  convention  at 
Kansas  City,  in  1900.  He  was  well  known  in  Alasonry  and  in  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  in  every  walk  of  life  was  a  dependable,  substantial  and 
thoroughly  reliable  citizen. 

Samuel  Robinson  was  reared  in  Charlotte,  where  his  education  was 
►  .'cured  in  the  public  schools.  After  laying  aside  his  books  he  became 
identified  with  his  father's  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment,  and 
when  fhe  elder  man  gave  up  that  business  to  enter  the  lumber  industry, 
the  son  joined  the  fire  department  of  Charlotte,  with  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated for  twenty  years,  six  years  of  his  time  acting  in  the  capacity  of 
assistant  chief  of  the  department.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Michigan  State  Firemen's  Association,  of  which  he  is  the  statistician  and 
the  oldest  official  in  point  of  tenure  of  office.  On  July  i,  1913,  Mr.  Rob- 
inson was  appointed  assistant  state  fire  marshal,  by  John  T.  Winship, 
.state  commissioner  of  insurance,  and  has  continued  to  serve  in  this  office 
to  the  present  time.  ^Marshal  Robinson  has  had  extensive  newspaper 
experience,  having  been  for  two  years  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the 
Charlotte  Leader,  the  only  Democratic  newspaper  in  Eaton  county,  and 
was  also  Charlotte  correspondent  for  the  Detroit  Daily  Xeti'S,  the  Grand 
Rapids  Press  and  the  Lansing  JourjtaL 

Mr.  Robinson  married  Miss  Carrie  M.  Hall,  of  Charlotte,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Doloris,  aged  seventeen  years ; 
Dorothea,  who  is  ten  years  old ;  and  Frank,  aged  seven  years. 

Erxest  Venn.  One  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  line  of  sanitary 
plumbing  and  steam  fitting  in  the  city  of  Detroit  is  Ernest  Venn,  who 
at  this  time  is  carrying  on  a  large  jobbing  business  at  Xo.  y/J  W^ood- 
ward  avenue.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Detroit,  where  his  entire  career  has 
been  passed,  and  has  been  engaged  in  business  under  his  own  name  for 
twenty-seven  years,  having  developed  a  prosperous  enterprise  from  mod- 
est beginnings.  A  self-made  man,  Mr.  Venn  has  gained  his  present  sub- 
stantial position  through  the  medium  of  his  own  efforts  and  industry, 
and  has  shown  himself  a  good  and  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  business 
man  with  a  high  regard  for  commercial  ethics. 

Ernest  \"enn  was  born  in  Detroit,  November  21,  1866,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  William  E.  and  Angeline  (Janise)  Venn.  The  A'enn  family 
is  of  English  stock,  and  was  founded  in  America  by  Robert  \'enn,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1809,  his  par- 
ents being  natives  of  England.  Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1823, 
he  located  at  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  learned  the  tanning  busi- 
ness, and  in  1840  came  to  Detroit,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  in  his  calling, 
in  which  he  continued  to  be  successfully  engaged  until  his  death  in  1880. 
William  E.  \'enn  was  born  at  Rochester,  New  York,  May  ifi.  1833.  He 
was  given  good  educational  advantages  and  for  a  lime  taught  school  in 
Detroit,  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  \\'ar.  He  was  a  great  student 
and  a  constant  reader,  and  was  well  informed  on  a  number  of  subjects. 
When  he  gave  up  educational  work,  Mr.  Venn  took  up  the  trade  of  car- 
penter and  joiner,  and  for  many  years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  late 
J.  P.  Clark,  the  pioneer  shipbuilder  of  Detroit.  In  still  later  years  he  be- 
came bookkeeper  for  his  son,  Ernest.  His  death  occurred  in  this  city  Au- 
gust 16,  1899.  Mrs.  Venn  was  born  at  Sandwich,  Ontario.  Canada,  June 
14,  1835,  the  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Josephine  (Perry)  Janise,  both  of 


2112  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

whom  were  natives  of  France  having  emigrated  to  Canada.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Venn  there  were  born  the  following  children :  William  E.,  who  is 
parole  officer  for  the  state  of  Michigan,  and  who  has  won  national  renown 
because  of  his  humanitarian  work  as  a  prison  reformer;  one  son  who  died 
in  infancy ;  a  daughter  who  also  died  as  a  babe ;  and  Ernest. 

Ernest  Venn  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  began  to  learn  the  plumber's  trade,  with 
Lane  Brothers.  He  proved  an  e.xcellent  and  retentive  student,  having  no 
doubt  inherited  much  of  his  mechanical  skill  from  his  father,  and  until 
1 88/  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman.  In  that  year  he  embarked  in 
business  for  himself  and  under  his  own  name,  doing  general  contracting 
in  plumbing  and  heating,  and  his  first  place  of  business  was  located  at  No. 
7,33  Woodward  avenue.  As  the  years  have  passed  his  business  has  steadily 
grown  and  developed,  and  at  this  time  he  is  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
his  line  in  Detroit.  He  has  been  very  successful  and  has  broadened  the 
scope  of  his  activities,  at  this  time  being  engaged  in  jobbing  in  sanitary 
plumbing,  heating,  steam  and  gas  fitting,  drain  and  sewer  work,  tinning, 
sheet  iron  work,  etc.  He  has  handled  some  of  the  largest  contracts  in 
the  city  and  his  general  skill  and  good  workmanship  have  merited  high 
commendation. 

Mr.  \'enn  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Aliss  Anna 
Heller,  of  Detroit,  who  died  in  August,  1902,  leaving  one  son,  Clarence, 
a  student,  who  was  born  July  21,  1899.  Mr.  Venn's  second  wife  was 
Mrs.  Anna  F.  Hartz,  of  Aurora,  Illinois,  who  died  .\ugust  23,  1913.  Mr. 
\^enn  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Itoard  of  Commerce  and  of  the  Detroit 
Yacht  Club,  and  has  numerous  friends  throughout  the  city  ])oth  in  luisi- 
ness  and  social  circles. 

Hon.  Louis  Convers  Cr.xmtgn.  Representing  the  Seventh  Michigan 
district  in  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives,  Air.  Cramton 
is  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  Michigan  delegation  in  Congress, 
but  is  a  student  of  economic  problems,  a  worker  in  public  affairs,  and  a 
resourceful  public  leader.  Mr.  Cramton  is  a  lawyer  by  profession  and 
an  experienced  newspaper  publisher. 

A  representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Michigan,  Louis 
Convers  Cramton  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Hadley  township  of  Lapeer 
county,  December  2,  1875,  ^  *0"  of  George  W.  and  Josephine  Bird 
( Osmun )  Cramton.  His  birthplace  was  the  same  farm  on  wdiich  his 
father  before  him  had  been  born,  and  in  1836  the  place  had  been  located 
in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  of  Lapeer  county  by  grandfather  Jonathan 
Cramton,  native  of  \'ermont.  Jonathan  Cramton  with  two  half-brothers 
were  the  founders  of  the  Cramton  family  in  Michigan.  George  W. 
Cramton,  father  of  the  congressman,  made  a  gallant  record  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war.  He  was  a  member  of  Companv  F  in  the  First  Michi- 
gan Cavalry,  and  served  under  Generals  Sheridan  and  Custer  in  the 
Shenandoah  \'alley  and  at  Gettysburg.  His  service  as  a  soldier  continued 
throughout  the  war,  and  after  his  return  home  he  resumed  his  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  became  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  Lapeer  countv, 
holding  the  offices  of  supervisor  and  under-sherifi:'.  Josephine  Bird  Cram- 
ton died  in  1904,  and  George  W.  Cramton  is  retired  and  lives  in  Lapeer. 
Their  children  in  addition  to  Louis  C.  are  as  follows :  Fred  J.  Cramton, 
who  is  a  leading  business  man  in  Montgomery,  Alabama :  and  Florence, 
wife  of  Ferdinand  E.  Lammert,  a  manufacturer  of  Chicago. 

Louis  C.  Cramton,  who  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  among  these 
children,  graduated  from  the  Lapeer  high  school,  was  a  student  one  vear 
in  the  literary  department  of  the  state  university,  spent  a  year  in  em- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2113 

plovment  in  Alabama,  and  this  was  followed  by  three  years  in  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  until  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1899.  His  practice  began  as  a  member  of  the  law  tirm  of  White, 
Loughnane  &  Cramton  at  Lapeer,  and  his  practice  with  that  firm  and 
later  with  the  firm  of  White  &  Cramton  continued  till  1905.  He  was  as- 
sistant prosecuting  attorney  during  two  terms.  His  public  service  has 
also  included  two  terms  as  circuit  court  commissioner  and  one  as  city 
treasurer  of  Lapeer.  For  two  terms  and  part  of  a  third  he  was  law 
clerk  to  the  state  senate. 

In  1905  he  purchased  the  Lapeer  County  Clarion,  one  of  the  oldest 
papers  in  this  part  of  the  state,  established  in  1856,  and  he  continues  its 
publisher.  Under  his  management  the  Clarion  has  not  only  increased  its 
•  circulation,  but  has  developed  into  one  of  the  most  influential  weekly 
papers  in  Michigan. 

After  Governor  Warner  appointed  Hon.  C.  L.  Glasgow  of  Nashville 
state  railroad  commissioner,  Mr.  Cramton  was  requested,  and  entirely 
unexpectedly  by  him,  to  take  the  position  of  deputy  commissioner  under 
Mr.  Glasgow  and  accepted  this  opportunity  for  valuable  service.  He  held 
the  office  until  the  position  of  state  railroad  commissioner  was  supplanted 
bv  the  railroad  commission,  in  September,  1907.  Mr.  Cramton  was  then 
made  secretary  of  the  comnfission,  and  served  it  in  that  capacity  during 
1907-08.  In  the  session  of  1909  he  served  as  a  melnber  of  the  state  legis- 
lature. During  his  one  term  at  Lansing.  Mr.  Cramton  was  one  of  the 
makers  of  the  Warner-Cramton  law,  for  the  regulating  of  saloons  in  the 
state.  This  law  was  given  teeth  and  enacted  largely  through  the  vigorous 
advocacy  of  Mr.  Cramton.  The  present  statute  under  which  the  rail- 
road commission  operates  was  also  drafted  and  its  passage  secured  by 
Mr.  Cramton. 

His  first  candidacy  for  Congress  was  made  in  the  fall  of  19 10,  but  he 
was  defeated  for  the  Republican  nomination  by  four  hundred  and  eighty 
votes  out  of  a  total  of  about  sixteen  thousand.  He  was  nominated  as  the 
Republican  candidate  in  191 2,  and  was  elected.  In  19 14  he  was  re- 
nominated without  opposition  and  reelected.  Mr.  Cramton  is  the  Michi- 
gan member  of  the  Republican  national  congressional  committee  and 
chairman  of  its  advisory  committee. 

Mr.  Cramton  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  is  Past  Grand  Marshal  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Michigan,  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has 
served  as  patriotic  instructor  of  the  Michigan  Division  of  the  Sons  of 
Veterans.  He  and  his  family  are  Presbyterians.  In  1903,  at  Detroit,  he 
married  Miss  Fame  Kay,  a  native  of  Ontario  and  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
P.  and  Margaret  (Monteith)  Kay.  both  parents  being  now  deceased. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Margaret  Louise,  born  in  Lapeer,  January 
30,  1907. 

Arthur  C.  Mason.  The  active  business  life  of  Arthur  C.  ]\Iason, 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  Mason  ]\Iotor  Company,  has  been 
connected  with  the  most  important  period  in  the  development  of  Flint, 
and  is  linked  with  the  founding  and  growth  of  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant industries  which  have  stimulated  the  city's  expansion  and  have 
been  the  bases  of  its  manufacturing  prestige.  Plis  is  a  career  eminently 
worthy  of  emulation.  Commencing  life  in  obscurity  and  modest  cir- 
cumstances, laboring  in  humble  occupations  with  steady  industry,  and 
practicing  economy  and  sobriety,  at  length  he  has  seen  his  arduous  efforts 
bear  fruit,  and  has  profited  beyond  the  fortune  of  most  men  in  the  value 
which  a  growing  community  confers  upon  a  fortunate  location. 


2114  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Arthur  C.  Mason  was  born  March  30,  1869,  at  Toronto,  Canada,  and 
is  a  son  of  WilHam  and  EHzabeth  Mason,  natives  of  England  who  emi- 
grated to  Canada  in  1S59.  The  father  has  spent  his  entire  Hfe  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  still  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  There  were  four 
children  in  the  family,  of  whom  three  are  living,  and  of  these  Arthur  C. 
is  the  oldest.  The  only  immediate  relations  of  Mr.  Mason  besides  those 
noted  are  an  uncle  and  an  aunt,  Herbert  Mason  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Bailey, 
both  of  Seattle,  Washington,  and  a  brother,  of  Los  Angeles,  California, 
an  automobile  salesman.  Arthur  C.  Mason  received  his  education  in 
the  common  night  schools  of  Canada,  and  is  a  self-made  man.  He  was 
engaged  in  assisting  his  father  in  the  operations  of  the  old  homestead 
farm  up  to  the  time  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  then 
served  as  a  bound  apprentice  to  Wilson  &  Cousins  for  four  years.  He 
started  in  at  a  salary  of  $2.30  per  week,  working  overtime  in  order  to 
pay  for  his  board  and  lodging,  the  second  year  received  $3.50  per  week, 
was  raised  to  $4.50  per  week  the  third  year,  and  during  the  fourth  year 
received  $5.50  per  week,  and  then  ])ut  in  two  extra  months  for  lost  time, 
the  company  complimenting  him  with  a  check  for  $100.00  for  his  faith- 
fulness and  good  behavior.  He  was  then  made  foreman  for  the  Wilson 
&  Cousins  Company,  and  held  that  position  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period  he  accepted  the  foremanship  of  the  Newburns  Bicycle  Com- 
pany, at  Woodstock,  Canada,  a  connection  which  continued  for  two 
years.  He  next  became  a  tool  designer  and  had  charge  of  the  tool  rooms 
of  the  Welland  &  \'ale  Manufacturing  Company,  at  St.  Catherine's  On- 
tario, for  four  years,  when  he  came  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  accepted 
a  position  as  tool  maker  with  the  Leland  &  Falconer  Company  of  that 
city.  Mr.  Leland  of  this  firm  is  now  general  manager  of  the  Cadillac 
Motor  Manufacturing  Company  of  Detroit.  Air.  Mason  remained  with 
this  firn.i  onlv  six  weeks  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  night 
superintendent,  a  capacity  in  which  he  continued  for  two  years,  and  in 
Novemljer.  1903,  accepted  the  superintendency  of  the  Buick  Motor  Com- 
pany, of  Flint,  Michigan,  a  place  which  he  held  for  six  years.  He  was 
then  promoted  to  assistant  general  superintendent  of  the  entire  Buick 
plant  and  was  with  this  concern  for  two  years.  Leaving  the  Buick  com- 
pany in  191 1,  he  began  to  manufacture  motors  and  to  sell  them  to  the 
general  trade,  under  the  style  of  the  Mason  Motor  Company,  and  the 
])lant,  located  on  West  Kearsley  street,  and  known  as  Buick  No.  2,  was 
built  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Mason  in  1903.  the  addition  thereto 
being  erected  in  1907-  The  floor  space  covers  70,185  sq.  ft.,  the  buildings 
being  respectively  three  and  four  stories.  There  are  174  regular  em- 
ployees at  this  time,  and  the  expected  increase  in  business  will  make  it 
necessary  that  a  much  larger  force  be  secured.  The  trade  extends  to 
everv  state  in  the  United  States,  to  everv  country  in  Europe  and  as  far 
as  Australia. 

Mr.  Mason  may  be  said  to  be  essentially  a  business  man.  \MTile  lie 
allows  himself  an  occasional  vacation  to  be  spent  in  automobiling.  his 
large  business  interests  are  carried  on  in  the  main  under  his  immediate 
supervision  and  care.  He  has  given  little  attention  to  what  he  has  con- 
sidered outside  of  his  legitimate  sphere  of  action  and  has  sought  no  dis- 
tinction other  than  that  accruing  froni  a  successful  and  honorable  con- 
duct of  his  business  enterprises.  His  distinguishing  characteristics  may 
be  said  to  be  firmness,  force  of  character,  indomitable  energy  and  execu- 
tive ability — potent  agencies  for  the  advancement  of  men  to  important 
stations  in  life.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican,  but  his 
connection  with  politics  has  been  confined  to  his  support  of  the  party's 
men  and  measures.     He  is  a  thirtv-second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2115 

the  Elks  and  the  Society  of  Automobile  Engineers,  holds  membership  in 
the  Flint  Country  Club,  and  is  valued  by  his  fellows  on  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce.    He  was  made  an  American  citizen  in  1905. 

Mr.  Mason  was  married  at  Toronto,  Canada,  January  8,  1894,  to 
Miss  Jane  Turner,  daughter  of  ^\'illiam  and  Jane  Turner,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  deceased,  while  the  former  is  a  wood-carver  and  sculptor  of 
Toronto.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Miss  Hilda  in 
the  Flint  High  school ;  Wilford  in  the  graded  schools  of  this  city ;  and 
Roy,  also  a  public  school  student.  The  family  residence  address  is  No. 
829  West  Kearsley  street.  Air.  Mason  is  interested  also  in  farming  in 
connection  with  his  motor  business,  and  owns  a  handsome  property  south 
of  the  city  of  Flint,  upon  which  he  takes  an  occasional  rest  from  the 
worries  of  business  life. 

Chakles  Hurlburt  Wetmore.  a  man  of  sterling  character  and  most 
engaging  personality,  Mr.  Wetmore  came  to  Detroit  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years,  and  he  became  closely  and  prominently  identified  with  the 
social  and  business  activities  of  this  city,  which  continued  to  represent 
his  home  until  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  It  is 
well  that  in  this  history  of  Michigan  be  reproduced  the  memorial  tribute 
which  appeared  in  a  publication  devoted  specifically  to  the  annals  of  De- 
troit, and  the  memoir  is  given  without  recourse  to  formal  evidences  of 
quotation. 

The  Wetmore  family  came  from  ]\IiddIetown,  Connecticut,  in  the 
early  period  of  American  history,  and  from  that  section  of  our  national 
domain  representatives  of  the  name  later  settled  in  other  states,  he  whose 
name  initiates  this  review  having  been  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  and 
having  received  excellent  educational  advantages  in  his  youth.  Charles 
Hurlburt  Wetmore,  son  of  Charles  Parsons  Wetmore  and  Eliza  (  Kellogg) 
Wetmore,  came  from  Utica,  New  York,  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years.  Relinquishing  the  idea  of  following  the  profession  of 
mechanical  engineering,  he  here  began  his  business  life  in  the  employ 
of  his  uncle,  the  late  Frederick  Wetmore,  who  was  long  engaged  in  the 
crockery  trade,  on  Woodward  avenue.  Taking  a  vital  interest  in  all 
that  concerned  his  new  home  in  the  west,  Mr.  Wetmore  identified  him- 
self with  various  interests  outside  those  of  business  order.  An  original 
member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard,  his  name  was  transferred  to  the 
veteran  corps  of  the  same  at  the  time  of  its  organization.  In  the  early 
days  of  his  residence  in  Detroit  he  was  president  and  trustee  of  the 
Young  Men's  Society,  a  representative  social  organization.  The  Detroit 
Boat  Club  also  claimed  him  as  a  member  from  the  early  days  when  the 
little  "shack"  at  the  foot  of  Hastings  street  served  as  the  club  boat-house 
until  the  members  were  able  to  provide  more  pretentious  quarters.  Mr. 
Wetmore  was  possessed  of  a  fine  tenor  voice,  well  cultivated,  and  was 
an  appreciative  and  valued  member  of  the  old  Philharmonic  Society,  the 
place  of  which  was  later  filled  by  the  Detroit  Musical  Society,  of  which 
Mr.  Wetmore  served  as  a  member  of  the  directorate,  as  well  as  president 
for  some  time. 

In  1862  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wetmore  to  Miss  Mary 
Buel,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Alexander  Woodruff  Buel,  to  whom  a 
special  memoir  is  dedicated  on  other  pages  of  this  volume,  so  that  fur- 
ther reference  to  the  family  history  is  not  demanded  in  the  present  con- 
nection. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wetmore  became  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  six  are  living — iMrs.  Charles  H.  Hodges,  who  re- 
sides in  the  old  Buel  homestead  in  Detroit ;  Alexander  Buel  Wetmore. 
Mrs.  Charles  B.  Warren,  Mrs.  Aluir  B.  Snow.  James  McMillan  Wet- 
more, and  Buel  Wetmore,  all  of  Detroit.     Charles  Amos  W'etmore,  the 


2116  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

eldest  son,  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years ;  Harold  Butler  Wetmore,  who 
had  gained  prestige  as  one  of  the  able  members  of  the  bar  of  Chicago, 
died  in  1900;  and  two  daughters,  Alice  and  May,  died  in  infancy,  Mr. 
Wetniore's  health  became  impaired,  and  in  1887  he  sought  change  and 
recuperation  through  the  medium  of  a  journey  to  the  Hawaiian  islands, 
his  sojourn  covering  a  period  of  six  months.  Upon  his  return  to  De- 
troit Mt.  Wetmore  associated  himself  with  the  Detroit  Transportation 
Company,  of  which  he  became  secretary. 

Air.  Wetmore  was  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  popular  members  of 
the  old  volunteer  fire  department  of  Detroit,  and  was  for  several  years  a 
member  of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  was  essentially  loyal  and  public- 
spirited  in  his  attitude  as  a  citizen  and  was  always  ready  to  give  his  in- 
fluence and  co-operation  in  the  furtherance  of  measures  and  enterprises 
advanced  for  the  general  good  of  his  home  city.  His  circle  of  friends  was 
coincident  with  that  of  his  acquaintances  and  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-nine  years,  was  deeply  deplored  in  the  community  in  which  he  had 
long  resided  and  in  which  his  interests  were  centered.  His  widow  still 
resides  in  Detroit,  which  city  has  been  her  home  from  the  time  of  her 
birth  and  in  which  she  has  been  a  loved  and  valued  factor  in  representa- 
tive social  activities  since  the  time  of  her  girlhood. 

George  W'.  Priest.  A  significantly  alert,  vigorous  and  productive 
business  career  has  been  that  of  this  well  known  and  representative  citi- 
zen of  Emmet  county,  where  his  interests  are  varied  and  important  and 
where  he  has  had  much  influence  in  the  furtherance  of  both  civic  and 
material  progress  and  prosperity.  He  is  one  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of 
the  thriving  village  of  Pellston,  and  his  prominence  in  the  community  is 
measurably  denoted  by  his  incumbency  of  the  office  of  president  of  the 
People's  State  Bank  of  this  place.  He  has  shown  much  administrative 
and  constructive  ability  in  his  various  operations  during  his  residence  in 
Michigan,  and  there  are  many  who  will  read  with  pleasure  even  a  brief 
review  of  his  career. 

George  Washington  Priest  was  born  in  the  county  and  Province  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Fessenden 
and  Isabiah  (Johnston)  Priest,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  1870  and 
the  latter  in  1866,  so  that  the  subject  of  this  review  was  doubly  orphaned 
while  still  a  mere  boy.  Fessenden  Priest  was  a  native  of  the  State  of 
Vermont,  and  there  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  removal  to  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where  his  marriage  was  solemnized  and 
where  he  reclaimed  and  developed  a  good  farm,  this  old  homestead  hav- 
ing remained  in  the  possession  of  the  family  until  1894.  Of  the  five 
children  two  are  deceased  and  George  W.,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  oldest 
of  the  three  surviving.  Mrs.  Maria  Clubine  is  a  widow,  has  three  chil- 
dren and  now  resides  at  Alpena,  Michigan ;  and  Mrs.  Hulda  Lisette  like- 
wise resides  at  Alpena,  where  her  husband  is  employed  in  the  mill. 

The  old  home  farm  in  Ontario  county,  Canada,  gave  environment  and 
youthful  experience  to  George  \\'.  Priest,  and  there  his  rudimentary  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  common  schools,  which  he  attended  until  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age.  Thereafter  he  was  employed  in  a  saw  mill  in 
his  native  province  until  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and 
thus  it  will  be  seen  that  he  early  became  dependent  on  his  own  resources 
and  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  At  the  age  last  noted 
he  made  his  way  to  Huron  county,  Ontario,  where  he  was  employed  a 
few  months  in  a  saw  mill.  In  1876,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  Mr. 
Priest  came  to  Michigan  and  obtained  work  in  a  saw  mill  at  Traverse 
City,  which  was  then  a  town  of  less  than  2,000  population.     .About  this 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  •   2117 

time  was  solemnized  his  marriage,  his  wife  having  been  wooed  and  won 
while  he  was  still  a  resident  of  Canada.  In  1878  he  established  his  home 
at  Kalkaska,  where  he  identified  himself  closely  with  lumbering  opera- 
tions, his  work  taking  him  also  into  Charlevoix  county  and  his  residence 
having  been  at  East  Jordan,  that  county,  for  a  period  of  about  six  years. 
Thereafter  he  passed  about  a  year  in  the  State  of  Colorado,  but  he  aban- 
doned his  plan  of  there  engaging  in  business  and  returned  to  Michigan, 
which  he  decided  was  a  more  inviting  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  abilities 
and  energies.  In  1885  Mr.  Priest  again  established  his  residence  at  East 
Jordan,  and  there  he  became  foreman  of  a  saw  mill  in  which  he  had  the 
supervision  of  a  force  of  forty  men.  From  that  place  he  finally  removed 
to  Bellaire,  Antrim  county,  where  he  purchased  timber  land  and  was 
successful  in  his  cutting  of  the  timJDer  and  manufacturing  it  into  lumber. 
At  this  juncture  in  his  independent  career  he  also  assumed  the  contract 
for  the  construction  of  four  and  one-half  miles  of  the  Pere  Marquette 
Railroad,  and  after  the  completion  of  this  work  he  was  tendered  and  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  logging  camps  of  the  firm  of 
Jackson  &  Tindle,  the  headquarters  of  which  are  now  established  at 
Pellston,  the  original  firm  name  having  been  Tindle  &  Jackson  and  its 
headquarters  having  been  at  Bellaire.  The  firm  manufacture  at  the  pres- 
ent time  hoops,  staves  and  other  cooperage  products.  After  accepting 
this  position  Mr.  Priest  also  purchased  a  section  of  land  near  Bellaire,  and 
he  reclaimed  eighty  acres  of  the  tract,  which  is  now  utilized  for  general 
farming,  the  property  having  been  sold  by  him  several  years  ago.  In 
1902  the  firm  of  Jackson  &  Tindle  established  their  manufacturing  busi- 
ness at  Pellston,  which  village  was  then  a  mere  hamlet  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest  and  with  a  population  of  about  fifty  persons.  In  advance  of 
the  firm's  removal  Mr.  Priest  had  been  sent  forward  to  make  a  careful 
survey  of  the  available  timber  resources,  the  firm  having  made  arrange- 
ments for  the  control  of  40,000  acres  and  relying  implicitly  on  the  judg- 
ment of  Mr.  Priest,  who  had  been  in  its  employ  both  in  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin.  The  Pellston  mills  of  the  firm  now  utilize  a  large  area  of 
land  and  employment  is  given  to  an  average  force  of  300  men,  the  plant 
being  the  largest  in  the  world  in  the  manufacturing  of  broom  handles 
and  the  products  being  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Mr.  Priest  is 
now  the  general  superintendent  of  the  immense  plant  with  the  exception 
of  the  mills,  and  has  supervision  also  of  the  firm's  railroad,  thirty  miles 
in  length,  as  well  as  of  its  lumber  and  real  estate,  including  a  farm  of 
240  acres,  near  Pellston, — a  place  devoted  principally  to  the  raising  of 
live  stock  and  the  crops  necessary  in  feeding  the  stock,  besides  which  the 
farm  included  an  excellent  orchard  of  twenty  acres.  Mr.  Priest  him- 
self has  fully  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunities  here  offered,  has  un- 
bounded faith  in  the  future  progress  and  greater  industrial  opulence  of 
Emmet  county,  and  he  owns  100  acres  of  timber  land  besides  other  real 
estate  in  his  home  county,  and  I'loo  acres  of  hardwood  timber  land  in 
Van  Cronett  county,  Canada.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Peo- 
ple's State  Bank  of  Pellston  and  is  president  of  the  institution,  which  af- 
fords excellent  financial  facilities  in  its  field. 

Mr.  Priest  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  served  with  marked  ability  as  a  member  of  the  village  council 
as  president  of  the  village  and  as  a  member  of  its  board  of  review.  He 
has  been  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  both  he  and  his  wife  are  most  zealous  members  and  he 
was  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  general  conference  of  the  church,  but 
found  his  business  exactions  too  great  to  permit  his  serving  in  this  capac- 
ity.    Mrs.  Priest  has  served  as  president  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of 


2118  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  church  and  is  now  its  vice-president,  besides  which  she  is  past  grand 
of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  an  adjunct  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  of  which  Mr.  Priest  formerly  was  in  active  affiliation ;  he 
is  now  an  active  member  of  the  Pellston  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  during  the  summer  months  the  family  residence  is  main- 
tained in  the  city  of  Petoskey,  where  the  home  is  known  for  its  generous 
hospitality. 

In  the  year  1878  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Priest  to  Miss 
Nancy  Maria  Niblock,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Province  of  On- 
tario, Canada,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Emeline  (Jackson) 
Niblock,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1900  and  the  former  in  1005.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Priest  have  two  daughters,  Isabiah,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
Thomas  L.  Eiryant,  of  Pellston,  her  husband  being  now  incumbent  of  the 
office  of  state  game  and  fire  warden,  and  they  have  two  children,  a  son 
and  a  daughter ;  Blanche  Murl,  the  younger  daughter,  is  attending  the 
public  schools,  has  pronounced  musical  ability  and  is  preparing  to  enter 
the  Universitv  of  Michigan. 

Henry  Rich.\rdi.  For  more  than  thirty  years  the  resources  of  the 
Richardi  family,  through  both  father  and  son,  have  been  devoted  to  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  Bellaire,  the  county  seat  of  Antrim  county. 
The  elder  Richardi  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  industrial  organizers 
of  the  village,  established  and  conducted  for  a  number  of  years  a  wood- 
working plant  which  was  regarded  as  the  chief  manufacturing  asset  of 
the  town,  and  the  influence  of  the  family  activities  is  still  continued 
through  Henry  Richardi,  the  son,  who  is  executive  head  and  manager  of 
the  Bellaire  Hydraulic  Power  and  Light  Company,  which  supplies  light 
and  power  to  Bellaire  and  Charlevoix  City. 

Speaking  first  of  the  career  and  activities  of  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ilv  at  Bellaire,  his  name  was  Robert  Richardi.  He  was  born  in  Germany 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  and  was  married  there  to  Louise  Gruen- 
wald,  who  was  a  native  of  Friedeberg-an-der-Newmarkt.  Robert  Rich- 
ardi served  a  thorough  apprenticeship  in  the  wood-working  trade,  became 
skillful  and  possessed  the  inventive  ability  which  afterwards  made  him 
more  than  a  journeyman  workman.  Toward  the  close  of  the  decade  of 
the  forties  Mr.  Richardi  and  wife  came  to  America,  and  at  Williamsport, 
Pennsylvania,  he  was  engaged  on  a  modest  scale  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
variety  of  woodenware  household  necessities.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  with  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  of  infantry  and  made 
a  record  as  a  faithful  and  efficient  soldier  in  his  adopted  country.  With 
the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  his  former  business  as  a  manufacturer, 
and  moved  his  plant  to  different  localities  convenient  to  stan.ding  timber. 
It  was  in  1881  that  he  located  in  Bellaire,  which  had  been  established  as 
the  county  seat  of  Antrim  county  in  the  preceding  year.  The  village  was 
then  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  great  forest,  and  bad  all  the'  advantages 
of  location  that  favored  his  particular  line  of  industry.  With  F.  W. 
Bechtold  as  a  partner,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at 
Bellaire,  Robert  Richardi  built  a  small  plant  for  woodenware  manu- 
facture. In  a  few  years  was  developed  an  industry  which  was  not  only 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  Michigan,  but  probably  the  most  extensive  in 
the  country.  Tlie  business  ability  of  the  partners  developed  markets  for 
continually  increasing  output,  and  the  factory  was  enlarged  from  time 
to  time  accordingly.  For  a  number  of  years  employment  was  given  to 
an  average  of  one  hundred  skilled  workmen,  and  man\-  different  articles 
of  woodenware  were  manufactured.  In  t8o,^  at  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  at  Chicago  the  firm  of  Richardi  &  Bechtold  were  awarded  first 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2119 

prize  and  diploma  for  tlie  exhibition  of  the  greatest  variety  of  useful  ar- 
ticles manufactured  from  native  woods,  and  second  prize  for  excellence  of 
workmanship.  Many  of  the  articles,  produced  in  the  factory  were  Mr. 
Richardi's  own  invention.  Robert  Richardi  also  built  at  Bellaire  the  dam 
which  supplied  water  power  for  the  factories  and  for  other  purposes, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  extending  the  com- 
mercial and  industrial  enterprises  of  that  village.  In  189S  Robert  Rich- 
ardi sold  his  entire  interests  in  Bellaire  and  retired  to  live  in  Punta  Gorda, 
Florida,  on  an  annuity  paid  him  by  his  son,  Henry.  All  interests  of  the 
estate  were  transferred  to  Henry  Richardi  at  this  time,  and  the  latter 
continued  the  woodenware  business  until  the  year  1905,  when  the  nlants 
were  destroyed  by  fire.  Of  the  five  children,  Henry  was  the  oldest  son : 
Charles,  the  youngest  son,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  as  a  result 
of  injuries  received  from  an  accident  in  his  father's  factory:  one  child 
died  in  infancy ;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Henry  C.  Adamson  of  Bellaire ;  and 
Emma  is  the  wife  of  W.  J.  Nixon  of  Bellaire. 

Henry  Richardi,  who  is  now  the  head  of  his  family  at  Bellaire,  was 
born  at  Williamsport,  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  8,  1863.  As 
a  boy  he  attended  public  schools,  and  at  twenty-three  was  graduated  from 
Valparaiso  University  in  Indiana.  He  became  actively  associated  with 
his  father  in  manufacturing,  and  since  the  latter's  retirement  has  had 
the  general  supervision  of  the  affairs  of  the  estate.  In  1906,  the  year 
following  the  destruction  of  the  woodenware  factory,  Henry  Richardi 
organized  the  Bellaire  Hydraulic  Power  &  Light  Company,  of  which  he 
is  president  and  general  manager.  The  principal  source  of  power  is 
through  a  dam  constructed  on  Intermediate  river  by  means  of  which  are 
developed  200  to  300  horse  power.  This  is  combined  with  the  500  horse 
power  developed  through  a  modern  steam  plant,  both  under  the  control 
of  the  same  company. 

Besides  his  position  as  a  manufacturer,  Henry  Richardi  has  found  a 
prosperous  outlet  for  his  activities  and  has  done  much  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  Antrim  county  through  his  farming  operations.  He  was  one 
of  the  leaders  in  the  introduction  of  alfalfa  in  this  section  of  the  state.. 
At  the  beginning  he  seeded  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  his  farm,  and 
the  results  have  fully  justified  his  confidence  in  this  crop,  and  his  enter- 
prise has  been  imitated  by  many  other  progressive  farmers.  Mr.  Rich- 
ardi's farm  is  located  half  a  mile  distant  from  I'ellaire. 

In  politics  Henry  Richardi  is  independent,  giving  his  support  to  men 
and  measures  meeting  the  approval  of  his  judgment  without  regard  to 
party.  As  a  citizen  he  is  liberal  and  progressive,  and  his  record  entitles 
him  to  popular  confidence  and  esteem.  Henry  Richardi  is  a  prominent 
Mason,  has  taken  the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  is  also  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Perry  Eugene  White,  M.  D.  Representing  the  younger  generation 
in  the  field  of  medicine  and  surgery,  a  practitioner  of  thorough  ability 
and  training.  Dr.  White  since  locating  at  Clio  has  built  up  a  large  prac- 
tice, and  has  an  important  field  of  service  in  that  part  of  Michigan. 

Perry  Eugene  White  was  born  in  Hull,  Sioux  county,  Iowa,  May  15, 
1882,  only  son  of  Isaac  P.  and  Louise  M.  (Pease)  White.  Both  par- 
ents were  born  in  Illinois  and  moved  out  to  Iowa  in  1S78,  settling  in  Sioux 
county.  The  father  became  a  successful  farmer  in  that  section  and 
still  owns  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  has  had  his  home  in  Chicago,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years 
has  been  connected  with  the  law  department  of  the  Chicago  Street  Rail- 


2120  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

way  Company.  He  was  born  in  1857,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  1859. 
Dr.  White  received  his  early  training  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa, 
and  in  preparation  for  his  professional  career  entered  the  Northwestern 
University  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1908.  He  had 
unusual  facilities  and  opportunities  for  training,  largely  due  to  his  schol- 
arship, and  spent  two  and  a  half  years  in  interne  and  general  hospital 
experience.  In  1909  Dr.  White  engaged  at  Flint  in  practice,  and  though 
successful  there 'after  three  years  moved  to  Clio,  where  he  began  prac- 
tice in  November,  191 1.  He  is  a  member  of  the  health  department  of 
Clio,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  has  membership  in  the  Genesee 
County  and  State  Medical  Societies,  and  the  American  Medical  .-\sso- 
ciation,  and  his  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  His  church  is  the  Presbyterian.  On  November  25,  1910, 
at  Rockford,  Illinois,  Dr.  White  married  Miss  Ethel  M.  Bliss,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  C.  Bliss.  Her  father  is  superintendent  of  the  watch  factory 
in  South  Bend,  Indiana.  Dr.  White  and  wife  have  one  child,  Perry  Eu- 
gene, Jr.,  born  June  20,  1912,  and  died  July  4,  1913. 

JuDSON  Newell  Churl  hill  has  been  identified  with  the  city  of 
Lansing  since  1903  as  an  architect,  and  during  this  time  has  enjoyed  an 
excellent  professional  business  and  a  constantly  expanding  reputation. 
He  is  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a  product  of  the  farm,  having  been  born 
in  a  log  house  on  his  father's  homestead  in  Mussey  township,  St.  Clair 
county.  Time  20,  1871,  a  son  of  Nelson  and  Roxanna  (Frost)  Churchill. 

Nelson  Churchill  was  born  in  Connecticut,  April  8,  1835,  a  son  of 
David  Churchill,  who  took  the  family  from  the  New  England  state  to 
Canada,  and  about  the  year  1839  came  to  Michigan,  locating  in  Berlin 
township,  St.  Clair  county.  There  the  grandfather  located  as  a  pioneer, 
experienced  all  the  hardships  of  life  in  a  new  community,  and  through 
persistent  industry  succeeded  in  the  development  of  a  valuable  farm. 
The  mother  of  Judson  N.  Churchill  was  born  in  Peimsylvania,  March  12, 
1836,  a  daughter  of  James  Frost,  who  moved  to  Michigan  about  the  year 
1839,  and  settled  in  Richmond  township,  McComb  county,  where  he  died. 
Nelson  Churchill  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Michigan,  and  as  a 
youth  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering,  in  which  occupations  he  was 
engaged  until  1899,  at  that  time  removing  to  Lansing  in  order  to  give 
his  sons  educational  advantages,  and  there  he  passed  away  in  1904.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  and  saw  active  service 
as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Michigan  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, his  war  record  being  a  brilliant  one.  He  was  a  Baptist  in  his 
religious  faith.  Mrs.  Churchill,  who  survives  her  husband,  is  a  resident 
of  Lansing. 

Judson  Newell  Churchill  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  and  his  early  edu- 
cation was  secured  in  the  district  schools,  which  he  attended  until  reach- 
ing the  age  of  fifteen  years.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  Capac  High 
school,  and  after  his  graduation  from  that  institution,  in  1892,  began 
school  teaching  with  a  second-grade  certificate,  continuing  as  an  edu- 
cator for  eight  years.  It  had  always  been  his  ambition,  however,  to  be- 
come an  architect,  and  during  his  spare  time  he  devoted  himself  assidu- 
ously to  a  study  of  this  profession,  also  attending  night  school  while  work- 
ing day  times  at  the  trade  of  carpenter.  Later,  in  1907,  he  took  special 
studies  at  the  University  of  Michigan. 

Mr.  Churchill  began  his  career  as  an  architect  in  Lansing  in  1903, 
when  he  opened  an  office,  and  since  that  time  he  has  steadily  advanced  to 
a   foremost  position   in   his  calling.     He   has   carried   on   general   archi- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2121 

tectural  work,  and  specializes  to  some  extent  in  school  buildings.  In 
the  latter  field  may  be  mentioned  the  Allen  Street  School,  Lansing,  a 
835,000  structure;  and  the  Christiancy  School,  also  costing  $35,000,  the 
latter  contract  being  secured  from  the  board  of  education  without  com- 
petition. Among  his  business  blocks  are  those  of  the  Scott  &  O'Connor 
three-story,  three  store  building,  Lansing,  and  a  five-story  brit;k  depart- 
ment store  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Michigan.  In  addition  he  has  erected 
many  private  residences,  ranging  from  $7,000  to  $10,000,  the  Mayflower 
Congregational  church,  Lansing,  a  $15,000  edifice,  and  all  the  additions 
to  the  Hotel  Wentv^forth.  ]\Ir.  Churchill  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  America  and  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 

In  1904  Mr.  Churchill  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nellie  Edith 
Cady,  of  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  daughter  of  the  late  Abraham  Cady.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Churchill  are  consistent  members  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  have  numerous  friends  in  the  city. 

Alvin  N.  Cody.  Under  the  modern  conditions  of  American  society. 
there  is  no  more  important  factor  than  the  teacher,  the  head  or  the  in- 
structor in  the  great  public  school  system.  The  public  school  has  been 
an  institution  of  American  society  almost  from  the  beginning  of  the 
government,  but  never  until  within  the  present  era  has  the  scope  of  its 
importance  or  usefulness  reached  out  so  far  and  broad  as  in  the  present 
generation.  One  of  the  ablest  present-day  educators  in  the  state  is  Alvin 
N.  Cody,  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  Flint.  Mr.  Cody  has  been 
teaching  school  more  or  less  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  is  thoroughly 
alive  to  progressive  conditions  and  movements  in  modern  educational 
affairs,  and  has  been  able  to  introduce  many  important  changes  and  re- 
forms in  the  school  system  of  Flint. 

Alvin  N.  Cody  was  born  at  Mayville.  Tuscola  county,  Michigan,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1868,  a  son  of  Nelson  and  Emily  (Swift)  Cody.  The  father 
was  born  in  Canada,  and  the  mother  in  Lapeer,  Michigan.  When  a  young 
man  the  father  came  to  this  state,  followed  his  trade  as  a  millwright  and 
carpenter,  and  for  a  number  of  years  managed  and  operated  saw  and 
grist  mills.  His  death  occurred  in  1903  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
The  mother  died  in  1907  when  sixty-seven  years  old.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  Flint  educator  was  the  fifth. 

As  a  boy  he  attended  rural  and  public  schools  at  Mayville,  and  got  his 
higher  education  by  working  hard  on  a  farm  and  at  other  occupations, 
in  order  to  pay  his  tuition  and  keep  himself  fed  and  clothed  while  study- 
ing. In  1901  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
from  Albion  College,  and  received  the  degree  of  ]\Iaster  of  Arts  from  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  1902.  Mr.  Cody  came  to  Flint  as  principal  of 
the  high  school  during  1902-04,  and  following  that  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  the  city  school  system,  an  oflice  which  he  has  held  since  1904. 
A  close  study  of  educational  afl:'airs  at  Flint  would  show  that  in  the  last 
ten  years  more  improvements  have  been  made  to  increase  the  efficiency 
of  the  schools  and  bring  them  into  closer  relations  with  the  people  than 
could  be  credited  to  any  twenty  years  period  previous  to  that  time.  Mr. 
Cody  has  had  active  work  in  the  educational  field  in  various  capacities 
and  places.  He  was  principal  of  the  Fostoria  school  for  three  years, 
was  at  the  head  of  the  Laingsburg  school  from  1894  to  1898,  and  for 
four  years  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  school  examiners  in  Shia- 
wassee county. 

Mr.  Cody  is  a  Master  Mason,  a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of 
the  Methodist  church,  and  for  six  years  was  superintendent  of  the  Court 
Street   Sunday   school.     At   Mayville,   Michigan,  on   June   28,    1893,  he 


2122  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

married  Miss  Bertha  Waters,  a  daughter  of  Whitfield  and  Mary  EHza- 
beth  Waters.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Xew  Jersey  and  came  to  Michi- 
gan in  1879,  being  still  residents  of  Mayx'iUe.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cody  have 
one  child,  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  August  4,  1904,  at  Flint,  and  is  now 
in  the  third  grade  of  the  public  schools. 

Dr.  George  J.  White.     For  many  years  Dr.  George  J.  White,  late  of 

this  city,  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  surgery  and  medicine  in  Jack- 
son. His  career  was  cut  short  in  October,  1909,  as  the  result  of  a  fall 
that  caused  an  injury  to  the  lirain.  Dr.  White  long  held  a  prominent 
place  in  the  medical  fraternity  of  the  city  and  county,  and  his  passing 
was  held  as  a  distinct  loss  in  professiona"  and  other  circles. 

Dr.  George  J.  White  was  born  at  Saratoga,  New  York,  on  September 
2,  1855,  and  was  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Walsh)  White.  The  father 
was  born  at  St.  Michaels,  England,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Limerick,  Ireland.  They  early  emigrated  to  the  states,  and 
settled  in  New  York,  moving  in  1855  to  ^Michigan,  and  locating  in  Jack- 
son county,  near  the  village  of  Concord,  and  some  time  later  removing 
to  Spring  Arbor.  There  they  identified  themselves  with  farm  life,  and 
at  one  time  the  father  owned  a  three  hundred  acre  farm  in  Summitt 
township. 

George  J.  White  had  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Summitt  township,  and  following  a  few  terms  in  the  schools  of  Horton, 
an  adjacent  town,  he  attended  Devlin's  Commercial  College  in  Jackson, 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  1877.  Some  months  later  he  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  AI.  D.  in  1880. 

Following  his  graduation  Dr.  White  went  to  White  House,  Ohio,  and 
there  practiced  medicine  for  eighteen  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  returned  to  Jackson,  here  forming  an  association  with  Dr.  M.  Mc- 
Laughlin, who  in  addition  to  his  medical  practice,  maintained  and  op- 
erated a  drug  store.  Dr.  White's  interest  in  the  association  extended  to 
the  business  end,  as  well  as  the  professional,  and  for  four  years  they  en- 
joyed a  nice  success  in  their  joint  enterprise.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
thev  dissolved  partnership  in  so  far  as  their  professional  activities  were 
concerned,  though  they  continued  to  operate  the  drug  store  in  their  former 
manner  for  two  years,  when  Dr.  White  bought  the  interest  of  Dr.  Mc- 
laughlin. During  the  later  years  of  the  life  of  Dr.  White  he  left  the 
drug  store  in  the  entire  charge  of  a  competent  pharmacist,  devoting  his 
time  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Dr.  White  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  physicians  in 
Jackson.  He  was  a  man  who  exercised  to  the  limit  the  liumane  sentiments 
that  one  in  his  profession  will  always  find  opportunity  to  indulge,  and 
he  was  widely  known  in  the  city  as  the  Poor  Man's  Doctor.  He  was  that, 
in  very  truth,  for  he  never  refused  a  call  in  any  extremity,  whether 
there  was  a  fee  in  sight  or  not,  and  his  clientele  held  a  goodly  number 
of  those  who  seldom  found  it  possible  to  remunerate  him  for  his  services. 
When  he  died,  still  young  in  years  and  at  the  very  height  of  his  useful- 
ness, a  wide  circle  of  friends,  representative  of  all  classes  of  society  in 
Jackson,  mourned  his  passing. 

Dr.  \\'hite  was  married  on  January  13,  1884,  to  Miss  Agnes  Loretto 
Brennan,  who,  with  their  seven  children,  yet  survives  him.  Airs.  White 
was  born  in  New  York  City  on  September  2,  1862,  her  natal  day  being 
the  same  as  was  the  Doctor's.  The  children  are  as  follows :  Harry,  who 
now  manages  the  drug  store  that  his  father  controlled  for  years,  and 
which  is  still  one  of  the  assets  of  the  family ;  Rhea,  the  wife  of  Byrne 
Daley;  \'onnie,  who  married  Paul  Reiler;  Eunice;  George  J.,  Jr.;  Helen 


'^.m^im/ 


■jam   msL 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2123 

and  Harriet.     The  family  has  lOng  been  socially  prominent,  and  is  one 
that  has  a  leading  place  in  its  particular  coterie  in  Jackson. 

\\'iLLiAM  Read  Shelby.  After  forty-four  years  of  continuous  of- 
ficial service  with  the  Grand  Rapids  &  Indiana  Railway  Company,  under 
its  successive  organization  and  reorganization,  William  Read  Shelby 
retired  from  his  position  as  vice  president  in  1913.  Mr.  Shelby  has  for 
more  than  forty  years  been  a  resident  of  Grand  Rapids,  and  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  best  known  railroad  men  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  He  saw 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  from  the  close  of  the  war  until  very  recently 
his  entire  career  was  devoted  to  transportation  in  some  department.  His 
career  has  all  the  interesting  features  of  progress  from  a  position  as 
minor  clerk  to  one  of  the  highest  places  in  the  service,  his  ability  and  . 
personal  character  having  won  a  steady  promotion  from  one  grade  to 
another. 

The  Shelby  family  to  which  Mr.  Shelby  belongs  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prominent  in  American  history,  beginning  with  the  period  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  continuing  through  all  the  successive  decades 
of  our  national  existence.  William  Read  Shelby  was  born  in  Lincoln, 
Kentucky,  Decemljer  4,  1842.  The  name  is  a  household  word  in  Ken- 
tucky, the  first  governor  of  which  state  was  the  great-grandfather  of 
the  Grand  Rapids  railroad  man.  The  Shelby  family  was  founded  in 
America  by  Evan  Shelby,  who  came  from  Cameron,  Wales,  about  1730, 
and  located  near  North  Mountain  in  the  vicinity;  of  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land. Evan,  a  son  of  Evan,  was  noted  both  as  a  hunter  and  Indian 
trader,  and  rose  to  the  grade  of  brigadier  general,  under  appointment 
by  the  state  of  \'irginia,  in  1779  for  services  rendered  in  Indian  warfare. 
He  was  the  first  officer  of  that  grade  who-  saw  service  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghany Mountains.  Isaac  Shelby,  son  of  Brigadier  General  Evan  Shelby, 
was  born  December  11,  1750,  on  the  old 'homestead  near  Hagerstown, 
Maryland.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  to  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground'' 
of  Kentucky,  where  he  founded  an  estate  in  Lincoln  county,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  "Travellers  Rest."  Isaac  Shelby  was  elected  the 
first  governor  of  Kentucky,  and  reelected  in  1812.  His  record  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  gave  him  distinction  which  will  be  found  noted  in 
all  the  larger  and  more  comprehensive  accounts  of  that  struggle,  and 
he  was  one  of  the  chief  heroes  of  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain.  In 
the  war  of  1812  again,  at  the  head  of  a  brigade  of  four  thousand  Ken- 
tuckians.  General  Shelby  marched  to  the  aid  of  General  Harrison,  and 
participated  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  In  1817  President  Monroe 
offered  General  Shelby  a  seat  in  his  cabinet  as  Secretary  of  War.  This 
honor  was  declined.  Isaac  Shelby  died  at  Travellers  Rest  in  Kentucky, 
July  18,  1826.  Evan  Shelby,  son  of  Governor  Isaac,  was  born  July 
27,  1787,  inherited  a  portion  of  his  father's  estate,  and  named  his  share 
"Millwood,"  and  was  a  wealthy  land  and  slave  owner.  The  military  serv- 
ices continues  through  Evan  Shelby,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.    His  death  occurred  at  Seguin,  Texas,  April  ig,  1875. 

John  Warren  Shelby,  father  of  Mr.  W.  R.  Shelby,  was  a  son  of  Evan 
Shelby.  He  was  born  at  ^lilhvood,  Kentucky,  November  11,  1814, 
and  having  later  obtained  a  portion  of  his  father's  estate,  gave  it  the 
name  of  "Knightland,"  in  compliment  to  his  wife.  On  tlie  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war  it  was  characteristic  of  the  Shelby  family  that  they 
never  forgot  their  allegiance  to  the  country  which  their  early  ancestors 
had  helped  to  estalilish,  and  John  Warren  Shelby  espoused  the  LInion 
cause,  and  lost  all  his  extensive  properties,  consisting  of  a  valuable 
estate,  stock  and  slaves.  In  1875,  his  residence  was  established  in  the 
Pewee  \'alley,  where  he  died  February  25,  1881.     On  January  16,  1840, 


2124  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

John  W.  Shelby  married  JMary  Humphrey  Knight,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
Joseph  \V.  and  Ann  Catherine  (Humphrey)  Knight.  Her  grandfather 
was  Dr.  John  Knight,  a  surgeon  in  the  Revohitionary  army,  and  descended 
from  the  family  of  the  Scottish  Earl,  John  Graham,  of  Claverhouse. 
In  the  history  of  the  American  Revolution,  as  it  was  fought  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  the  name  of  Dr.  Knight  is 
familiar  to  all  who  have  read  of  the  specific  accounts  of  the  campaigns 
in  the  upper  Ohio  Valley.  It  was  Dr.  John  Knight  who  was  a  com- 
panion of  Col.  Crawford  on  the  expedition  from  the  upper  Ohio  against 
the  Indians  about  Sandusky,  Ohio,  towards  the  closing  years  of  the 
Revolution.  Dr.  Knight  and  Col.  Crawford  were  both  captured  by  the 
Indians,  and  the  doctor  was  forced  to  witness  the  burning  of  Col.  Craw- 
.  ford  at  the  stake,  one  of  the  barbarities  committed  by  the  western  In- 
dians, which  has  had  a  part  in  every  historical  account  concerning  those 
times.  A  similar  torture  was  to  be  inflicted  on  Dr.  Knight  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  but  in  the  meantime  he  managed  to  make  his  escape  and 
his  recital  of  the  event  has  been  the  source  of  the  only  authentic  account 
of  the  end  of  Col.  Crawford. 

William  Read  Shelby  was  educated  at  Center  College  in  Danville, 
Kentucky,  until  his  sophomore  year  in  1861.  The  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war  terminated  his  studies,  and  as  a  loyal  Unionist  he  became  a  member 
of  the  home  guard  and  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  Union  cause,  in  en- 
listing and  recruiting  men  for  the  Federal  army.  During  1863-64-65 
his  service  consisted  in  supplying  wood  to  the  steamers  on  the  ^Mississippi 
River  at  Island  Xo.  yi,  under  the  protection  of  United  States  gun  boats. 
His  business  career  began  in  1865  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Adams  E.xpress  Company  in  their  office  at  Louisville.  Several  years 
later,  in  1869,  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  took  the  position 
of  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Continental  Improvement  Company,  a 
company  composed  of  such  eminent  financiers  as  General  G.  W.  Cass, 
Thos.  A.  Scott,  William  Thaw,  of  Pennsylvania ;  Hon.  S.  J.  Tilden  and 
F.  J.  D.  Lanier  of  New  York ;  Hon.  John  Sherman  and  Reuben  Stringer 
of  Ohio.  This  company  was  organized  under  a  charter  from  Pennsyl- 
vania for  the  purpose  of  building  railroads.  His  service  as  secretary  and 
treasurer  continued  from  1869  to  1877. 

From  1870  to  1873  ■'^I''-  Shelby  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Southern  Railway  Security  Company,  a  company  which  operated  in 
East  Tennessee,  Virginia  and  Georgia  roads,  the  Memphis  &  Charleston 
and  other  southern  railroads.  In  1869  Mr.  Shelby  was  elected  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Grand  Rapids  &  Indiana  Railroad  Company.  To 
look  after  his  duties  in  this  connection  he  moved  his  residence  in  1871 
to  Grand  Rapids,  and  that  city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  His  con- 
nection as  secretary  and  treasurer  continued  until  1887,  when  he  was 
promoted  to  vice  president  and  treasurer  of  the  same  corporation.  At 
the  reorganization  of  the  company,  beginning  with  1893,  and  during 
the  reorganization  period  from  1893  to  1896,  Mr.  Shelby  was  acting 
president.  At  the  completion  of  the  reorganization  in  1896,  he  became 
vice  president  and  treasurer  of  the  new  company,  under  the  name  of  the 
Grand  Rapids  &  Indiana  Railway  Company.  This  position  belonged 
to  Mr.  Shelby  until  January  i,  1Q13,  at  which  date  he  retired  on  a  pension 
after  forty-four  years  of  continuous  service.  His  work  as  a  railway 
man  includes  other  important  positions.  From  October  24,  1899,  to  Jan- 
uary I,  19 1 3,  he  served  as  president  of  the  Cincinnati,  Richmond  &  Fort 
Wayne  Railroad  Company;  was  president  of  the  Muskegon,  Grand 
Rapids  &  Indiana  Railroad  Company,  from  October  16,  1899,  to  January 
I,  1Q13  :  was  president  of  the  Traverse  City  Railroad  Company  from  1899 
to  the  first  of  1 91 3. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2125 

His  work  as  a  railroad  man  has  not  absorbed  all  his  energies,  and  the 
development  of  farming  interests  in  different  sections  of  the  country  has 
been  a  matter  in  which  he  has  long  been  keenly  interested.  Since  1875 
Mr.  Shelby  has  been  manager  of  the  "Cass  Farm,"  a  portion  of  which 
is  more  generally  known  as  "The  Great  Dalrymple  Farm"  in  North 
Dakota.  He  is  president  of  the  "Lake  Agriculture  Company,"  owners 
of  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  what  is  known  as  the  Kankakee 
Valley  about  fifty  miles  south  of  Chicago,  the  land  being  situated  in 
both  Indiana  and  Illinois.  On  this  large  project  of  reclamation  from 
conditions  of  an  original  swamp  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
have  been  expended  by  this  company. 

Mr.  Shelby  was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  and  the  national 
committee  of  the  national  Democratic  party  !n  1896.  His  name  is  found 
among  those  of  the  forty  original  Gold  Democrats  at  the  Chicago  confer- 
ence, a  conference  which  led  to  the  Indianapolis  convention  of  the  Gold 
Democrats,  and  the  nomination  of  the  Palmer  and  Buckner  ticket  and 
the  subsequent  defeat  of  W.  J.  Bryan.  It  was  Mr.  Shelby  who  offered 
the  original  resolutions  resulting  in  what  has  since  been  known  in  political 
history  as  the  Gold  Democrat  Campaign  of  i8g6.  Mr.  Shelby  was  chair- 
man of  the  State  Central  Committee  of  Michigan  for  the  gold  wing  of 
the  party  in  1896. 

Among  other  relations  with  the  business  and  civic  community  of 
Grand  Rapids,  Mr.  Shelby  is  a  director  in  the  Old  National  Bank  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  was  also  a  director  in  its  predecessor,  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
at  Grand  Rapids,  and  chairman  of  its  committee  on  grounds,  and  to  his 
efforts  and  work  may  be  credited  the  establishment  of  the  beautiful  play 
grounds  now  to  be  found  in  this  west  Michigan  metropolis,  .\nother 
public  service  that  is  well  remembered  for  its  efficiency  and  public  spirit 
was  his  membership  and  presidency  of  the  board  of  public  works  in 
Grand  Rapids  from  May,  1888,  until  May,  1893. 

At  Sewickley,  Pennsylvania,  on  June  16,  1869,  Mr.  Shelby  married 
Miss  Mary  K.  Cass,  daughter  of  General  George  W.  Cass  of  Pittsburg. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  survive,  namely :  Cass 
Knight,  born  September  18,  1870;  Charles  Littleton,  born  August  9, 
1872;  Walter  Humphrey,  born  ilarch  i,  1875,  and  died  in  1902;  Ella 
Dawson,  born  February  20,  1876;  George  Cass,  born  December  5,  1878; 
William,  born  April  30,  i88r,  and  died  in  infancy;  Violette,  born  April 
23,  1882.  The  Shelby  home  in  Grand  Rapids  is  at  65  Lafayette  Avenue, 
N.  E. 

Allyn  K.  Moore.  Concrete  success  worthily  achieved  ever  stands 
to  the  credit  and  honor  of  the  man  who  has  accomplished  it,  and  this 
desideratum  has  not  been  denied  to  Mr.  Moore,  who  is  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Moore  &  Carter,  dealers  in  lumber  and  coal,  with  yards  and 
offices  at  both  Sandusky  and  Croswell,  Sanilac  county.  Mr.  Aloore  has 
not  only  proved  himself  one  of  the  aggressive  and  reliable  business  men 
of  this  section  of  the  state,  with  a  record  that  marks  him  as  a  man  of 
intrinsic  integrity  and  vigorous  purpose,  but  he  is  a  native  son  of  the 
county  which  is  still  his  home,  being  here  a  scion  of  the  third  generation 
of  the  family,  the  name  of  which  has  been  identified  most  worthily  with 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Sanilac  county. 

Allyn  Keith  Moore  was  born  in  Speaker  township,  Sanilac  county, 
Michigan,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Augusta 
(Harf)  Moore,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  the  latter  at  Owego,  Tioga  county.  New  York.  Andrew 
Moore  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  removal 


2126  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

to  Michigan,  and  the  family  home  was  estabhshed  in  Sanilac  county  in 
1856.  Alartin  Moore,  father  of  Andrew,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  lumber 
operators  in  Sanilac  and  other  counties  of  eastern  Michigan,  and  he  had 
no  little  influence  in  public  affairs  in  the  earlier  years  of  statehood.  An- 
drew Moore  received  a  good  common-school  education  and  that  he  made 
a  good  use  of  his  advantages  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  as  a  youth 
he  was  a  successful  teacher  in  the  pioneer  schools  of  Sanilac  county. 
When  the  Civil  war  was  precipitated  on  the  nation  he  found  it  impos- 
sible to  enlist  until  March.  1865,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Michigan  \'olunteer  Infantry.  With  his  command  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  and  granted 
his  honorable  discharge  in  July,  1865.  After  the  war  he  took  up  the 
study  of  metlicine,  in  which  he  fortified  himself  adequately,  as  gauged 
by  the  standards  of  the  day,  but  after  devoting  a  short  time  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession  he  engaged  in  the  drug  and  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness in  the  village  of  Speaker,  Sanilac  county,  where  he  long  continued 
his  activities  and  where  he  built  up  a  most  substantial  and  prosperous 
enterprise,  the  while  he  commanded  the  unqualified  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  him,  as  he  was  signally  loyal  and  upright  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life.  Dr.  ]\Ioore  was  one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of 
Sanilac  county  for  many  years  and  after  his  retirement  from  active  busi- 
ness, in  1904,  he  continued  to  reside  in  the  village  of  Speaker  until  his 
death.  May  I.  1907,  at  the  age  of  sixty -three  years.  The  Doctor  served  in 
the  offices  of  supervisor  and  clerk  of  Speaker  township,  was  a  stalwart 
Republican  in  politics,  and  was  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  widow  still  resides  at 
Speaker,  in  the  fine  old  family  homestead,  which  has  always  been  a 
center  of  generous  and  refined  hosjjitality.  Of  the  five  children  the 
first  born  was  Darwin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Wilfred  E. 
is  a  representative  farmer  of  Speaker  township;  Allyn  K.  is  the  imme- 
diate subject  of  this  sketch;  Martin  A.  is  associated  with  Allyn  K.  in 
the  lumber  and  coal  business  and  also  in  farming  operations;  John  H.  is 
bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  the  United  States  Pipe  Company  at  Bay  City, 
^Michigan ;  and  Benjamin  W.  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Sandusky,  Sanilac 
county. 

After  availing  himself  of  the  advantages  of  the  public  schools  of 
Speaker,  his  home  town.  Allyn  Keith  ]\Ioore  completed  a  course  in  the 
Ferris  Institute,  at  Big  Rapids.  In  1901  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Anketell  Lumber  Company,  at  Applegate,  Sanilac  county,  where  he 
remained  eighteen  months.  The  company  then  assigned  him  to  the 
management  of  its  retail  lumber  yards  at  Sandusky,  and  he  remained 
in  the  employ  of  this  company  another  year.  In  February,  1901,  he 
became  associated  with  his  younger  brother,  Martin  A.,  and  Peter  Carter 
in  the  purchase  of  the  lumlDcr  business  of  the  firm  of  Cook  &  Leonard, 
of  Sandusky,  the  business  having  been  fomided  about  one  year  pre- 
viously. The  Moore  brothers  brought  to  bear  much  energy  and  executive 
ability  in  the  development  of  the  enterprise,  and  their  efforts,  as  coupled 
with  their  high  reputation  in  their  home  county,  enabled  them  to  make 
a  success  in  a  field  where  others  had  failed,  and  this  in  opposition  to 
large  lumber  corporations,  including  the  Anketell  Lumber  Company. 
Though  the  two  brothers  had  but  little  capital  at  the  initiation  of  their 
independent  business,  they  had  ample  financial  backing,  and  their  labors 
have  been  attended  with  gratifying  success.  In  September,  1912,  they 
purchased  the  business  of  the  ^Iclntyre  Lumber  Company  at  Croswell, 
and  the  fimi  of  Moore  &  Carter  now  operate  their  yards  at  both  Sandusky 
and  Croswell,  with  the  best  of  facilities  and  service  and  with  a  trade 
that  is  constantly  expanding  in  scope  and  importance.    The  third  member 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2127 

of  the  firm  is  Peter  Carter.  The  IMoore  brothers  Hkewise  purchased  a 
farm  of  i6o  acres  from  their  father's  estate,  this  property  lying  adjacent 
to  Sandusky,  and  the  youngest  of  the  brothers,  Benjamin  W.,  has  the 
general  supervision  of  this  property,  which  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms 
of  Sanilac  county.  Allyn  K.  ]\Ioore  has  an  attractive  home  in  Sandusky 
and  in  addition  to  owning  this  property  and  his  interest  in  the  lumber  and 
coal  business  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  incorporators  of  the  San- 
dusky Tile  &  Brick  Company,  one  of  the  important  industrial  corpora- 
tions of  the  county. 

Allyn  K.  Aloore  has  not  hedged  himself  in  with  the  affairs  of  his 
personal  business  but  has  shown  himself  essentially  progressive  and 
liberal  in  his  civic  attitude.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Repub- 
lican partv  and  in  the  Masonic  fraternitv  he  has  completed  the  circle  of  the 
York  Rite.  He  is  past  master  of  Custer  Lodge,  Xo.  393,  F.  &  A.  M., 
a  member  of  Sanilac  Chapter,  Xo.  145,  R.  A.  M.,  a  member  of  Sandusky 
Council,  No.  yj,  R.  &  S.  M.,  a  member  of  Lexington  Commandery,  No. 
27,  K.  T.,  and  is  now  worthy  patron  of  Sandusky  Chapter,  Xo.  368,  Order 
of  Eastern  Star. 

In  June,  1903,  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mabel  A. 
Putney,  who  was  boni  and  reared  at  Speaker.  Sanilac  county,  and  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Elmore  and  Harriet  (  Porteus )  Putney,  now  residents 
of  Sandusky,  the  county  seat.  Mr.  Putney  served  three  years  as  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Union  in  the  war  between  the  north  and  the  south,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Xew  York  Volunteer 
Infantry,  with  which  he  participated  in  many  of  the  important  engage- 
ments marking  the  progress  of  the  great  conflict.  He  was  severely 
wounded  in  an  engagement  at  Cold  Harbor,  also  wounded  in  the  engage- 
ment at  Winchester.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  legislature 
in  1898-99,  from  Sanilac  county,  where  he  settled  on  a  farm,  in  Speaker 
township,  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  He  retired  from  active 
labors  in  1905  and  he  and  his  wife  have  since  maintained  their  home  at 
Sanduskv.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
of  whom  three  are  living,  Marion  was  born  March  13,  1913,  and  died 
October  5,  1913;  Beryl  was  born  April  23,  1904;  Gertrude,  March  7, 
1906;  and  Ruth,  July  10,  1909. 

W'lLLi.vM  H.  Anderson.  Few  men  in  Michigan  following  the  pur- 
suits of  private  life  are  better  known  than  William  H.  Anderson,  president 
of  the  Fourth  Xational  Bank  of  Grand  Rapids.  A  native  of  the  state, 
having  been  born  in  Plymouth,  Wayne  county,  September  6,  1853.  he 
grew  to  vigorous  manhood  among  environments  that  stimulate  honest 
effort  and  sturdy  determination  to  build  up  and  develop  such  enterprises 
as  he  might  become  identified  with.  His  father,  Goran  Anderson,  and 
mother,  Maria  L.  (Earle)  Anderson,  were  early  settlers  of  Sparta  town- 
ship, Kent  countv,  Michigan,  settling  there  in  1855,  and  did  much  toward 
developing  northern  Kent  and  inspiring  the  improvements  which  have 
since  brought  that  part  of  the  county  up  to  a  condition  of  thrift  and 
prosperity.  In  that  work,  the  son  William  H.  rendered  substantial  assist- 
ance, and  while  doing  this  acquired  habits  of  industry  and  energy  which 
were  of  valuable  aid  to  him  in  achieving  the  success  that  came  to  him 
later  in  years. 

^Ir.  Anderson  was  edticated  in  the  schools  of  the  county  and  re- 
mained on  the  farm  until  he  settled  in  Grand  Rapids  in  1883.  He  at 
once  became  actively  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business ;  he 
was  fortunate  in  his  investments,  and  was  soon  recognized  as  a  man  of 
rare  judgment,  untiring  energy  and  possessed  of  that  ability  for  which 
there  is  an  ever  increasing  opportunity.      In   1891   he  became  identified 


2128  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

with  the  Fourth  National  Bank,  assuming  the  position  of  cashier,  and 
after  six  years  of  service  in  that  capacity,  the  bank  had  developed  such 
a  degree  of  prosperity  that  he  was  invited  to  take  the  higher  position  of 
president,  in  1897,  which  he  holds  at  this  date,  in  1914. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  largely  interested  in  agriculture  and  various  enter- 
prises, banking,  manufacturing  and  commercial,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  active  of  the  city's  prominent  men.  Besides  his  position 
with  the  Fourth  National  Bank,  he  is  a  director  in  the  Commercial  Sav- 
ings Bank,  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  and  the  South  Grand  Rapids  State 
Bank,  the  Grand  Rapids  Gas  Light  Company,  and  the  Grand  Rapids 
Street  Railway  Company. 

While  his  many  investments  and  responsibilities  are  exacting  in  their 
demands  upon  his  time  and  thoughts,  he  nevertheless  is  foremost  in  pro- 
moting such  affairs  as  will  benefit  the  city  as  a  whole.  He  served  three 
years  as  president  and  is  now  a  life  director  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  and  his  influence  and  advice  have  done  much  toward 
bttilding  up  that  large  and  influential  organization  of  business  men.  He 
also  served  ten  years,  from  1902  to  1912,  as  president  of  the  West  Michi- 
gan State  Fair  Association. 

Personally  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  pleasant,  approachable  man,  modest 
and  quiet  in  his  methods,  and  although  highly  successful  in  a  business 
way,  he  is  cordial  and  hearty  in  his  greeting  of  those  who  are  less  for- 
tunate. In  an  unostentatious  way,  he  does  much  good  where  assistance 
is  deserving  and  lends  a  helping  hand  to  others  who  are  struggling  over 
the  road  which  he  traveled  early  in  life.  His  home  is  at  25  Lafayette 
Avenue,  S.  E. 

J.OiMES  McCoLL.  A  banker,  manufacturer  and  prominent  citizen  of 
Yale,  James  McColl  has  been  identified  with  that  community  for  the  past 
quarter  of  a  centtiry,  and  has  done  much  to  promote  general  business 
activity  and  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  from  a  commercial  and  civic 
standpoint. 

Born  in  Scotland,  September  12,  1856,  he  was  the  oldest  of  the  seven 
children  born  to  James  and  Jane  (Bright)  ]\IcCg11.  His  mother  died 
in  1869,  and  his  father,  who  moved  to  Ontario,  Canada,  at  an  early  date, 
was  a  well  known  engineer.  He  died  in  1895.  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 
James  McColl  attended  tlie  schools  of  Scotland,  and  early  left  his  studies 
to  take  up  the  practical  duties  of  life,  and  practically  all  he  has  has  been 
won  bv  good  judgment  and  energy  as  a  business  man.  In  1871.  after 
moving  to  Ontario.  Canada,  he  became  identified  with  tlie  manufacture 
of  flax  and  linseed  oil,  and  had  a  thorough  training  in  the  mills  of  that 
province.  After  coming  to  Michigan,  in  February,  1887,  and  locating  at 
Yale,  he  continued  in  the  same  business,  and  his  name  ever  since  that 
date  has  been  identified  with  the  flax  industry,  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant in  that  section.  Along  with  other  affairs  he  has  become  especially 
prominent  as  a  banker.  Mr.  McColl  is  vice  president  of  the  Yale  State 
Bank,  is  president  of  the  Yale  Lumber  i^  Coal  Company,  president  of  the 
Yale  Milling  Company,  president  of  a  bank  at  Posen,  Michigan,  and  a 
director  in  the  State  Bank  at  Harbor  Beach,  in  the  Marlette  Bank,  the 
Peck  Bank  and  a  bank  at  Clare.  His  attention  to  his  business  has  not 
prevented  him  from  serving  his  community  in  a  public-spirited  manner, 
and  for  four  terms  he  held  the  office  of  mayor  of  Yale  and  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  three  terrtis.  Mr.  INIcColl  affiliates  with  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  worships  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2129 

At  Baden,  Ontario,  on  September  30,  18S9,  he  married  Miss  Louise 
Livingston,  a  daughter  of  James  Livingston.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Louise,  born  in  Canada,  and  who  died  in  1893;  Jack  L., 
born  at  Yale  in  1893;  and  Elizabeth,  born  at  Yale  in  1896,  and  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  local  high  school. 

James  Livingston,  father  of  Mrs.  James  McColl,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, a  son  of  Peter  and  Barbara  (Bright)  Livingston.  His  father  died 
in  Scotland,  but  his  mother  came  to  Canada  and  brought  her  family  of 
children.  James  Livingston  received  his  education  in  his  native  land, 
and  after  coming  to  Canada  in  1856  was  engaged  in  the  flax  and  linseed 
oil  business  in  Perth  county,  Ontario.  That  line  of  manufacturing  has 
been  the  basis  of  his  splendid  business  record,  and  he  has  for  many  years 
been  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  that  class  of  manufacturing  at  Yale. 
He  established  the  Yale  State  Bank,  and  has  been  president  of  the  institu- 
tion since  its  organization.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Alarlette  State 
Bank,  is  president  of  the  Harbor  Beach  State  Bank  and  has  numerous 
other  business  interests.  He  still  lives  in  Baden.  James  Livingston 
married  Louise  Lierch,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
one  of  whom  is  Louise,  the  wife  of  James  McColl. 

Reuben  Hatch.  A  former  judge  of  the  circuit  court,  and  now  senior 
member  of  the  well  known  Grand  Rapids  law  firm  of  Hatch,  McAllister 
&  Raymond,  with  offices  in  the  W'iddicomb  Building,  Mr.  Hatch  has  been 
for  over  forty  years  an  active  member  of  the  Michigan  bar,  and  his  home 
and  practice  have  been  in  Grand  Rapids  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  centurv. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  born  at  Alstead,  Cheshire  county.  New  Hampshire, 
October  11,  1847,  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Almira  (Kilbourn)  Hatch.  His 
father,  who  died  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  1908,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four 
years,  had  a  career  which  was  remarkable  for  its  length  of  years,  and 
more  so  for  its  disinterested  service  in  behalf  of  education  and  religion. 
Rev.  Reuben  Hatch  was  born  at  Alstead,  New  Hani]5shire,  June  3.  1814. 
Educated  in  New  England  and  Oberlin,  according  to  the  standards  of 
that  time,  he  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  a 
long  career  was  devoted  to  the  active  work  of  the  ministry  and  affairs 
of  education  under  the  auspices  of  his  church.  Among  the  numerous 
congregations  which  he  served  as  pastor  were  those  at  Windom,  \'er- 
mont,  York,  Ohio,  Union  City  and  Traverse  City,  in  Michigan.  Rev. 
Hatch  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Olivet  College  in  Michigan,  and  the 
last  thirty  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  Oberlin,  Ohio.  He  and  his 
wife  were  graduates  of  Oberlin  College,  and  his  relations  with  that  in- 
stitution for  many  years  were  of  a  business  nature,  he  having  supervision 
of  the  buildings,  and  the  construction  of  new  buildings  for  the  college. 
Rev.  Reuben  Hatch  was  married  at  Hudson,  Ohio.  December  16,  1846, 
and  his  wife  died  in  1859.  Though  ninety-four  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  never  ceased  work,  and  seldom  is  a  lifetime  of  beneficent 
activity  prolonged  so  that  it  covers  more  years  than  the  ordinarv  length 
of  man's  life.  His  earlier  activity  in  his  many  pastorates  was  marked  by 
great  energy  and  ability  as  an  organizer,  and  in  every  place  he  served  he 
built  churches,  and  in  some  cases  both  church  and  parsonage.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Benzonia  College  in  Michigan,  and  for 
three  years  held  the  chair  of  professor  of  languages  in  that  institution. 

Reuben  Hatch.  Jr.,  was  educated  in  the  higher  branches  of  learning 
under  his  father's  immediate  direction,  and  his  was  a  liberal  literary  train- 
ing. His  law  studies  were  begun  under  the  preceptorship  of  E.  S.  Pratt, 
Esq.,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Traverse  City.  On  ]\Iav  12.  1S70.  came  his 
admission  to  the  bar  before  the  circuit  court  of  Grand  Traverse  countv. 


2130  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

His  first  associations  in  practice  were  with  his  former  preceptor  as  a 
partner,  a  relationship  which  continued  until  'Sir.  Hatch's  election  to  the 
bench  of  the  thirteenth  judicial  circuit  of  Michigan  in  April,  1S75.  His 
service  as  judge  continued  until  January  i,  1882.  On  retiring  from  his 
judicial  position  he  again  became  associated  with  Mr.  Pratt,  and  also 
with  H.  C.  Davis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pratt,  Hatch  di  Davis.  That 
was  one  of  the  strong  firms  of  Traverse  City,  and  Judge  Hatch  prac- 
ticed law  there  until  March,  18S8.  At  that  date,  his  liome  was  removed 
to  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Harry  D.  Jewell. 
The  election  of  Mr.  Jewell  as  probate  judge  of  Kent  county  terminated 
the  partnership,  and  from  1892  to  July,  1906,  Judge  Hatch  was  in  part- 
nership with  Hugh  E.  Wilson.  In  July,  1906,  Fred  M.  Raymond  became 
associated  with  Mr.  Hatch  vmder  the  name  of  Hatch  &  Raymond,  and 
in  October,  1910,  James  T.  McAllister  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  making 
the  present  title  of  Hatch,  McAllister  &  Raymond.  Theirs  is  a  general 
law  practice,  in  all  the  courts,  and  their  prestige  as  lawyers  is  second  to 
that  of  no  other  firm  in  Kent  cotinty. 

Judge  Hatch  was  married  at  Traverse  City,  Michigan,  August  28, 
1872,  to  Mrs.  Esther  H.  (Sprague)  Day.  Her  death  occurred  in  Febru- 
ary, 191 1.  Judge  Hatch  resides  in  the  Hoffman  Apartments  in  Grand 
Rapids. 

Herbert  A.  Otto.  One  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Saginaw,  is  that 
of  Otto  &  Davis.  Mr.  Otto  is  a  native  of  Saginaw,  and  paid  his  own  way 
through  University,  and  has  won  all  the  advancement  that  has  come  to 
him  in  the  profession. 

Herbert  A.  Otto  was  born  at  Saginaw,  April  9,  1881,  a  son  of  John 
Martin  and  Katherine  R.  (Hus)  Otto.  His  father,  a  native  of  Pomer- 
ania,  Germany,  was  twelve  years  old  when  brought  to  America  by  his 
parents.  The  mother  was  born  in  Portmouth,  England,  and  was  a  girl 
when  she  came  to  America.  The  father's  people  first  settled  in  Detroit, 
and  then  moved  to  Saginaw,  and  in  that  city  on  April  9,  1861,  the  father 
and  mother  were  married.  For  many  years  John  M.  Otto  was  identified 
with  the  lumber  business.  During  1863-65,  he  was  in  California,  in  charge 
of  a  lumber  boom  gang.  Returning  to  Saginaw  in  1865  he  was  for  several 
years  identified  with  lumbering,  and  then  moved  out  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Saginaw,  where  he  still  lives  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  His  wife 
is  also  living,  being  now  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  Eleven  children  were 
born  to  their  union,  four  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  the  lawyer  of  Sag- 
inaw was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth. 

His  early  schooling  was  received  in  the  schools  at  Kochville,  in  Sag- 
inaw county.  \\'hen  he  reached  the  point  where  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  plan  his  career,  he  had  a  definite  ambition  to  become  a  lawyer,  but  had 
no  capital  sufficient  to  train  him  for  entrance  to  that  profession.  To 
secure  such  means,  he  qualified  and  taught  school  in  the  country  for  six 
terms,  three  terms  in  Saginaw  county,  and  three  terms  in  Bay  county. 
With  the  money  saved  from  his  school  teaching  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in  1907. 
He  also  attended  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1902.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  in  active  practice  as  a  member  of 
the  Saginaw  bar.  For  a  time  he  was  with  the  firm  of  Camp  &  Brooks, 
and  then  formed  his  present  partnership  with  Mr.  Earl  J.  Davis.  They 
act  as  attorneys  for  a  number  of  large  business  interests,  and  have  a  fine 
clientele  both  as  to  extent  and  quality.  Mr.  Otto  is  a  member  of  the 
county  and  state  bar  association,  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  since 
1910  has  represented  the  thirteenth  ward  in  the  city  council.  His  fraternal 
affiliations  are  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2131 

Odd  Fellows,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  his 
church  is  the  Methodist  Episcopal. 

At  Kochville  in  Saginaw  county,  August  29,  1907,  Mr.  Otto  married 
Miss  Mary  B.  Gerber,  a  daughter  of  John  Gerber,  who  for  a  period  of 
twenty  years  was  supervisor  of  Kochville  township,  and  still  lives  in  that 
vicinity.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otto  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren:  Gilbert  Gerber  Otto,  born  at  Saginaw,  June  11,  1908;  Dorothy 
Margaret,  born  in  November  1910,  and  Howard  Spencer,  born  at  Sag- 
inaw, August,  1912.  His  only  diversion  from  his  professional  pursuits, 
Mr.  Otto  finds  in  an  occasional  hunting  and  fishing  trip. 

G.  Elmer  McArthur  is  an  attorney  of  Eaton  Rapids  whose  marked 
ability  has  been  recognized  in  Eaton  county  on  numerous  occasions,  this 
community  having  been  the  scene  of  his  endeavors  since  1905.  He  has 
won  his  way  to  a  position  of  eminence  in  his  chosen  calling  through  the 
exercise  of  perseverance  and  well-directed  effort,  and  is  known  among 
his  colleagues  as  one  who  recognizes  and  respects  the  highest  ethics  of 
the  profession.  Mr.  McArthur  is  a  native  Michigander,  born  at  Irving, 
Barry  county,  Michigan,  September  25,  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  Ira  W. 
and  Betsy  (Wells )  McArthur.  The  father  was  born  at  Jonesville,  Michi- 
gan, and  was  a  cooper  by  occupation,  a  trade  which  he  followed  the  most 
of  his  life.  In  political  matters  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  never  sought  nor 
held  public  office. 

G.  Elmer  McArthur  acquired  his  preliminary  educational  training  in 
the  public  schools  of  Grand  Rapids,  Albion  and  Eaton  Rapids,  attending 
the  high  school  at  Eaton  Rapids,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1898. 
Mr.  McArthur  was  of  poor  parentage  and  only  able  to  remain  in  school 
by  working  as  chore  and  news  boy,  working  in  the  cooper  shop  and 
doing  such  odd  jobs  as  he  was  able  to  do  when  not  in  school.  He  left 
the  high  school  just  before  graduation  when  war  with  Spain  was  de- 
clared in  answer  to  the  first  call  for  volunteers  and  enlisted  with  the 
Thirty-second  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry.  Having  decided  on  the  law 
as  the  field  in  which  to  prosecute  his  life  work,  and  with  a  determination 
to  obtain  a  thorough  legal  training,  Mr.  McArthur  worked  at  his  trade 
as  a  cooper,  as  a  miner  in  Wyoming,  and  as  a  clothing  salesman  in  Eaton 
Rapids  for  three  years  in  order  to  earn  sufficient  funds  to  meet  his  first 
years  expenses  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  \\'ith  what  he  was  able 
to  earn  while  attending  the  University  and  that  earned  during  the  vaca- 
tions he  was  able  to  graduate  with  the  law  class  of  1905  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B. 

Mr.  McArthur  soon  learned  by  experience  that  the  acquiring  of  a 
clientele  was  not  a  speedy  process,  and  in  common  with  nearly  all  young 
lawyers  he,  in  the  course  of  that  evolution  through  which  all  attorneys 
must  go,  if  without  financial  backing,  successfully  passed  through  the 
"starvation  stage."  While  waiting  for  clients,  he  devoted  himself  as- 
siduously to  study  and  reading  along  his  professional  lines,  thus  supple- 
menting the  legal  training  he  had  received  while  at  college.  His  aljility. 
earnestness  and  honesty,  however,  soon  produced  as  lucrative  a  practice 
as  is  possible  in  a  town  the  size  of  Eaton  Rapids,  and  from  the  time  he 
began  the  practice  of  law  to  the  present  his  business  has  continued  to 
grow,  until  today  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  leading  legists  of  his  county. 
In  1909  he  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Eaton  Rapids,  a  capacity  in  which 
he  served  three  years  with  great  ability  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  A  vigorous  and  virile  man,  an  astute  and  discerning 
attorney,  and  a  forceful  speaker,  Mr.  McArthur  embodies  in  his  per- 


2132  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

sonality  those  qualities  that  command  the  respect,  approval  and  regard 
of  his  townspeople.  He  is  independent  in  thought  and  speech,  without 
self-conceit,  easy  to  approach  and  of  broad  sympathy,  a  constant,  con- 
sistent worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance  and  other  movements  for  the 
elevation,  betterment  and  happiness  of  mankind.  His  political  support 
has  been  invariably  given  to  the  policies  and  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  is  known  to  wield  a  strong  influence  in  Eaton  county  politics. 
He  has  been  somewhat  interested  in  fraternal  work,  and  at  this  time  is  a 
popular  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  having  served  six  years 
as  a  Great  Camp  officer  of  the  latter  society. 

On  December,  25,  1907,  Mr.  McArthur  was  married  to  IMiss  Laura 
B.  Williams,  of  Eaton  Rapids,  a  daughter  of  Lamora  Williams,  an  old 
settler  of  Eaton  county,  Alichigan,  who  was  for  many  years  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  McArthur  have  no  children. 

Theodore  E.  Bissell.  For  the  past  eighteen  years  probably  no  one 
citizen  has  been  more  actively  and  beneficially  identified  with  the  city  of 
Munising  than  Theodore  E.  Bissell,  whose  business  as  a  merchant  has 
made  him  known  all  over  that  section  of  the  state,  who  has  given  dis- 
interested service  in  behalf  of  civic  improvements  and  home  institutions, 
and  has  been  a  real  leader  in  politics  and  social  life.  For  twenty  years 
or  more  Mr.  Bissell  was  a  railroad  man,  and  the  discipline  and  close  at- 
tention to  duty  which  are  the  first  essentials  in  railroading  have  since 
proved  invaluable  to  him  in  the  conduct  of  private  business. 

Theodore  E.  Bissell  was  born  September  5,  1859,  at  Geneseo,  New 
York.  He  comes  of  good  family  stock.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Albert 
G.  and  Cornelia  (Gibbs)  Bissell. 

Dr.  Bissell  was  a  pioneer  physician  and  business  man  and  lived  for 
many  years  in  East  Saginaw,  Michigan.  Theodore  E.  Bissell's  education 
was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  East  Saginaw,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  in  1876,  he  entered  the  general  manager's  office  of  the  Flint  & 
Pere  Marquette  Railroad  at  Saginaw.  He  learned  telegraphy,  and  con- 
tinued with  that  company  until  1883  as  station  agent  at  various  towns 
on  the  line,  and  then  transferred  his  services  to  the  Saginaw,  Tuscola  & 
Huron  Railroad  for  four  years,  acting  as  agent,  train  dispatcher  and 
train  master.  In  1887  Mr.  Bissell,  having  resigned,  entered  the  hard- 
ware business  at  West  Bay  City,  Michigan,  with  Edward  L.  Mather 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bissell  &  Mather. 

Since  i8g6  Mr.  Bissell's  home  and  business  interests  have  been  cen- 
tered at  Munising,  where  with  Charles  E.  Stebbins  he  established  the 
hardware  firm  of  Bissell  &  Stebbins,  which  is  still  in  existence.  They 
now  have  a  building  25x142  feet,  of  which  they  are  owners,  and  carry 
a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  hardware,  implements,  paints,  sash  and 
doors,  and  heavy  hardware,  and  are  recognized  as  the  leading  firm  in 
that  line  in  .Alger  county. 

The  success  with  which  he  has  managed  his  own  affairs  has  also  been 
characteristic  of  his  relations  with  the  community.  In  1886  Mr.  Bissell 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  East  Saginaw,  served 
as  city  treasurer  of  West  Bay  City  in  1889-90,  and  in  1891  was  chair- 
man of  the  city  Democratic  committee  of  West  Bay  City.  After  coming 
to  Munising  he  became  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  village, 
during  1896-97,  and  from  1896  for  many  years  afterwards  served  as  a 
meniljer  of  the  Munising  board  of  education,  in  the  offices  of  president 
and  treasurer.  In  1914  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Republican  county 
committee,  an  office  he  holds  at  the  present  writing.     Brought  up  as  a 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2133 

Democrat,  Air.  Bissell  affiliated  with  that  party  until  1896,  when  the 
free  silver  issue  caused  him  to  support  the  Republican  candidate  for  presi- 
dent, and  he  has  continued  his  relations  with  that  party  up  to  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Bissell  is  now  president  of  the  jNIunising  Hospital  Association, 
and  a  director  and  former  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation in  Munising. 

His  fraternal  interests  are  also  broad.  In  1888  he  joined  West  Bay 
City  Lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  went  through 
the  various  grades  until  in  1895  he  became  grand  master  of  the  state  for 
two  years.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  Knight  Templar,  and  an 
affiliate  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  in  1903-04  served  as 
worshipful  master  of  the  Grand  Island  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Bissell  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  secret  society  work. 
Born  and  reared  a  devoted  Episcopalian,  he  is  now  and  for  many  years 
has  been,  ever  since  its  organization,  senior  warden  of  St.  John's  church 
at  Munising,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  standing  committee  of  the 
Marquette  Diocese,  and  also  a  lay  reader  in  the  church. 

On  October  26,  1887,  Mr.  Bissell  married  Anna  E.  Wickes,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  W.  Wickes  of  East  Saginaw.  They  have  one 
son,  Harrie  Gibbs,  who  was  married  in  1914  to  Miss  Flattie  E.  Gray, 
daughter  of  John  W.  and  Ida  (Phillips)  Gray  of  Homell,  New  York. 

George  W.  Karpus.  Coming  to  the  L-nited  States  as  a  poor  boy, 
with  no  knowledge  of  English,  and  handicapped  by  the  lack  of  financial 
support,  George  W.  Karpus,  notwithstanding  these  early  obstacles  in 
his  career,  overcame  them  all,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  large 
retail  mercantile  concerns  of  Bay  City.  He  is  a  man  who  merits  to  the 
fullest  extent  the  esteem  and  respect  in  which  he  is  held  at  Bay  City. 

German  Poland  was  his  birthplace  on  October  18.  1864.  His  parents 
were  Andrew  and  Susan  (Redtlewski)  Karpus.  His  parents  came  to 
America  from  Germany  in  1888,  settling  in  Bay  City,  where  his  father 
followed  farming  and  city  work  until  his  death  in  January,  1908,  at  the 
age  of  seventy- four  years.  The  mother  still  lives  at  Bay  City  at  the  age 
of  sixty-eight.  C)f  the  eleven  children,  two  are  now  deceased,  and  the 
Bay  City  merchant  was  the  oldest  of  this  large  family. 

As  a  boy  he  attended  school  in  Germany.  From  early  childhood  he 
had  heard  of  America,  and  it  was  an  ambition  formed  almost  in  his  boy- 
hood to  realize  his  dreams  in  the  new  world.  As  the  oldest  member  of 
the  family  it  devolved  upon  him  to  begin  earning  his  own  support  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  while  still  a  young  man  he  ventured  to  America  alone, 
and  after  some  search  found  employment  as  clerk  in  a  store.  He  finally 
reached  Bay  City,  and  in  order  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  English 
and  of  American  business  customs,  he  took  a  course  and  graduated  from 
the  Bay  City  Business  College.  For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Karpus  was 
steadily  employed  as  a  clerk,  in  various  lines  and  in  various  establish- 
ments. With  the  proof  of  this  long  experience  and  with  the  credit  which 
his  industry  and  integrity  had  gained  for  him,  and  with  some  capital  of 
his  own  he  established  in  1901  the  G.  W.  Karpus  Mercantile  Company, 
which  from  a  small  beginning  has  developed  into  one  of  the  large  retail 
department  stores  in  Bay  City.  A  large  and  varied  and  well  selected 
stock  of  merchandise  is  handled  and  the  business  uses  two  floors  and 
basement  of  a  building  sixty  by  sixty  feet.  Besides  Mr.  Karpus  himself, 
eight  expert  salesmen  are  employed  iDCsides  other  minor  clerks. 

Mr.   Karpus  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  belongs  to  the   Knights  of 


2134  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Columbus,  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association,  the  Polish  National 
Alliance,  and  worships  in  the  Catholic  faith.  At  Bay  City,  on  November 
18,  1890.  he  married  Miss  Pelegia  Muszynski.  Her  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Muszynski,  are  a  well  known  family  still  living  in  Bay  City. 
Mrs.  Karpus  died  September  13,  1909.  Mr.  Karpus  married  for  his 
second  wife,  November  6,  1914,  Anna  B.  W'olorzyk.  Her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Wolorzyk,  are  well  known  farmers  in  Kawkawlen  town- 
ship, Michigan.  Mrs.  Karpus  has  served  in  various  lines  and  in  various 
establishments  as  a  bookkeeper,  and  during  the  last  four  years  had  full 
charge,  as  City  Deputy  Recorder,  of  Bay  City. 

\\'iixi.\M  Henry  Morgans.  In  that  group  of  men  whose  enterprise 
and  infiuence  and  capital  have  been  devoted  to  the  development  of  Pon- 
tiac's  business  and  ci\'ic  prosperity,  the  name  of  William  Henry  ^Morgans 
must  always  be  prominent,  since  he  has  been  during  the  last  two  decades 
of  the  past  century  and  the  first  decade  of  the  twentieth  century,  one 
of  the  leaders  in  affairs  in  that  city.  Mr.  Morgans  is  now  leading  a 
retired  life,  though  he  still  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  general  business 
situation  and  holds  a  place  of  high  esteem  in  the  community  where  he 
has  worked  out  his  success. 

William  Henry  Morgans  was  born  in  New  York  City,  October  5, 
1844,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Edwards)  Morgans.  His  father 
was  born  in  Whales,  and  the  mother  in  New  York  City.  Isaac  Morgans 
when  ten  years  of  age  came  with  his  parents  from  Wales  to  New  York 
City,  was  reared  there,  and  had  his  education  in  the  local  schools,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  shoe  maker.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged 
in  the  making  of  ladies'  fine  shoes  in  New  York  City.  He  and  hiswife 
were  married  December  9,  1833.  His  death  occurred  March  16,  1844,  and 
resulted  from  drowning  in  the  Connecticut  River.  His  widow  died  in 
January,  1883,  when  sixty-eight  years  old.  Of  their  six  children  two 
died  in  infancy.  Da\id  E.  Morgans,  who  died  at  Detroit  in  1910,  was  a 
private  in  the  Seventh  Ohio  Regiment  tluring  the  war,  and  was  in  the 
government  service  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Charles  A.  Alorgans,  who 
died  April  3,  1907,  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  was  also  a  soldier,  having  gone  with 
Company  E  of  the  Seventy-First  New  York  Regiment,  serving  as  sergeant 
and  also  as  newspaper  correspondent,  became  Well  known  in  later  years 
in  the  newspaper  field,  was  a  well  known  writer,  and  was  living  retired 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  A  sister,  Annie  Robertson  Elders,  is  living  at 
Toledo,  Ohio.    She  was  born  in  1835. 

William  H.  Morgans  received  his  education  partly  in  the  schools  of 
New  York  City,  and  partly  at  Milan,  Ohio.  His  mother  moved  to  Milan, 
Ohio,  in  1856,  but  eighteen  months  later  returned  to  New  York.  Mr. 
Morgans  was  sixteen  years  old  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out.  Plis  en- 
thusiasm for  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  his  desire  for  military  expe- 
rience led  him  to  attempt  enlistment  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  How- 
ever, his  mother  was  opposed  to  his  entering  the  army  and  prevented 
him  twice.  He  finally  succeeded  in  his  desires,  however,  and  went  out 
as  a  musician  with  the  First  New  York  Ind.  Battalion,  commonly  known 
as  the  "Lost  Children  Battalion."  Among  the  more  important  battles 
in  which  he  was  engaged  were  those  at  Williamsljurg.  Millburn,  Bufort, 
North  Carolina,  Hiltons  Head,  S.  C,  in  the  assault  on  Morris  Island, 
at  the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner,  was  wounded  at  Morris  Island,  September 
27,  1863,  and  was  mustered  out  and  received  honorable  discharge  Febru- 
ary 5,  1864.  A  little  more  than  a  year  later  on  Alarch  29,  1865,  he  reen- 
listed  in  Company  E.  8th  New  York  Cavalry,  and  served  until  discharged 
at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  June  27,  1865.  After  the  war  he  wandered 
about  the  country  for  several  months,  between  New  York  and  Ohio,  spend- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2135 

ing  one  month  at  Milan,  Ohio,  then  going  to  Sellars  Landing  in  IlHnois, 
where  he  hved  until  the  spring  of  1866,  and  finally  at  Toledo,  Ohio, 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  David,  and  under  the  name  of 
Morgans  Brothers,  began  the  manufacture  of  sails.  In  the  fall  of  1866 
he  went  to  Detroit,  where  he  followed  the  business  until  1870.  William 
H.  Morgans  then  became  identified  with  the  gas  company  at  Detroit.  That 
was  the  field  in  which  his  later  business  success  was  largely  won.  He 
continued  to  be  associated  with  the  Detroit  Gas  Company  for  ten  years, 
and  in  1880  moved  to  Pontiac.  It  may  be  said  that  his  real  success  in 
life  has  been  comprised  within  the  years  spent  at  Pontiac.  Here  he  took 
charge  of  the  gas  works  as  superintendent  and  general  manager.  The 
business  for  many  years  was  known  as  the  L.  R.  Madbury  Gas  Company, 
and  he  managed  the  plant  with  much  success  for  nineteen  years.  Just 
before  the  death  of  Mr.  Madbury,  he  bought  the  business,  borrowing 
the  necessary  capital,  and  organized  a  stock  company,  with  a  capital 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  finance  the  proposition.  He  continued 
as  general  manager  of  the  business,  organized  as  the  Pontiac  Gas  &  Elec- 
tric Company,  and  owned  the  majority  of  stock.  Mr.  Morgans  was  active 
with  this  business  until  1902  when  he  sold  his  interests  to  the  present 
owners. 

During  the  last  twenty-five  years  there  has  hardly  been  any  large 
plant  established  in  Pontiac  which  has  not  benefited  by  the  practical 
support  of  Mr.  Morgans.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  realize  the  necessity 
of  attracting  outside  capital  for  industrial  work,  and  has  given  generously 
of  his  money  and  of  his  advice  in  the  location  of  various  plants.  It  has 
been  his  conviction  that  the  men  who  prospered  in  Pontiac  should  never 
withhold  their  money  and  other  means  from  movements  for  creating 
a  better  and  larger  city,  and  that  the  bulk  of  the  responsibilities  should 
fall  upon  the  successful  men  rather  than  that  the  city  as  a  whole  should 
be  bonded  to  raise  capital  for  such  promotion  purposes. 

Mr.  Alorgans  has  for  many  years  been  actively  identified  with  Grand 
Army  matters,  and  through  his  individual  efforts  the  half  dozen  cannon, 
relics  of  the  Civil  war,  were  placed  and  mounted  at  his  own  expense. 
In  those  various  forms  of  charity  which  succor  and  relieve  the  poor  and 
needy,  Mr.  Morgans  has  always  borne  his  full  share.  He  is  an  active 
Republican,  and  for  four  years  represented  the  First  Ward  in  the  city 
council.  For  five  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works, 
and  served  on  the  board  of  commissioners.  For  eighteen  years  he  served 
on  the  fire  department  as  assistant  chief  and  a  short  time  as  chief,  and 
is  now  serving  on  the  Cemetery  Board  as  president.  His  chief  business 
connection  at  the  present  time  is  as  first  vice  president  of  the  Pontiac 
Light  Company,  and  he  owns  a  number  of  valuable  properties  in  the  city. 
Surrounding  his  beautiful  home  are  ten  acres  of  land  constituting  in 
fact  a  small  farm.  To  the  cultivation  and  adornment  of  these  acres  he 
gives  a  large  share  of  his  leisure  and  that  is  perhaps  his  most  pleasant 
form  of  recreation  and  serves  to  keep  his  health  and  vitality. 

In  Detroit  on  November  18,  1867,  Mr.  Morgans  married  Mrs.  Mary 
•  (Cole)  Pittenger,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  November  28,  1838,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Betsey  (Newell)  Cole.  The  Coles  are  a  pioneer  family 
of  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  and  James  Cole  was  a  soldier  in  the  famous 
"Toledo"  war.  The  family  located  in  Wayne  county  in  1835,  having 
come  from  New  York  State  where  the  parents  were  married.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morgans  are  the  parents  of  four  children :  Kate  O.  is  the  wife  of 
Edward  Everett  Morrell,  living  at  Oak  Park,  in  Chicago,  Illinois;  Flor- 
rence  E.  is  the  wife  of  Richard  R.  G.  Soper  of  Dallas,  Texas;  Allen  A. 
is  the  wife  of  Alartin  L.  Pulcher,  general  manager  of  the  Federal  Motor 
Truck  Company ;  Morgan  Morgans  is  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Dc- 


2136  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

troit  and  is  the  youngest.  ]Mrs.  Alorgans'  first  husband  was  John  Pitten- 
ger,  who  was  killed  in  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  Mr.  Alorgans  and  family 
worship  in  the  Episcopal  church. 

\ViLLi.\M  Veit.  The  \'eit-Davison  Lumber  Company  is  one  of  the 
largest  lumber  concerns  engaged  in  the  retail  trade  at  Flint,  and  also 
handles  a  general  line  of  building  and  kindred  supplies.  William  Veit, 
who  is  at  the  head  of  this  important  local  enterprise,  has  spent  practically 
all  of  his  life  in  Flint,  and  is  one  of  the  men  who  started  out  some  twenty 
or  twenty-live  years  ago  with  no  particular  advantages  in  the  way  of 
fortune  or  influence,  and  has  since  made  good  by  sheer  force  of  their 
personal  energy  and  ability. 

\\'illiam  \  eit  was  born  at  Flint,  April  ii,  1870,  the  only  son  of  Jajob 
and  Elizabeth  (.\ckerman)  \'eit.  The  father  was  born  in  Germany  and 
the  mother  at  Grosse  Point,  Michigan.  When  the  father  was  two  years 
old  his  parents  immigrated  to  America  and  settled  near  Alount  Clemens, 
Michigan,  where  he  grew  up.  His  first  vocation  was  farming,  after 
which  he  entered  the  harness  and  leather  trade  with  Mr.  Perry  at  Flint. 
He  is  still  living  in  that  city,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  The  mother  died 
soon  after  the  birth  of  her  son  William. 

William  \'eit  continued  his  school  work  until  he  had  completed  his 
eleventh  grade  in  the  Flint  schools,  and  then  found  emi^loyment  as  a 
wage  earner  in  the  Hubbard  Hardware  Company,  and  his  three  years 
with  Mr.  Hubbard  laid  a  solid  foundation  for  a  business  career.  He 
then  entered  the  Genesee  County  Savings  Bank  as  assistant  teller,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  resignation  was  teller  in  that  institution.  He  was 
connected  with  the  Genesee  County  Bank  altogether  for  seventeen  years. 
On  leaving  the  baiik  he  established  the  \'eit-Davison  Lumber  Company, 
in  1908.  This  concern  under  his  management  has  grown  to  large  and 
flourishing  proportions,  and  its  yards  and  offices  occupv  one  and  a  half 
city  blocks.  Twenty  men  are  employed  in  handling  lumber  and.  coal, 
and  the  company  does  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.     • 

Mr.  Veit  is  an  independent  in  politics,  is  a  Kniglit  Templar  Mason 
and  Shriner,  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
and  belongs  to  the  Country  Club.     His  church  is  the  Episcopal. 

At  Flint,  on  February  20,  1893,  Mr.  Veit  married  Miss  Nellie  Nye, 
a  daughter  of  Han-ey  and  Queen  V.  Nye,  of  a  well  known  Flint  family. 
Her  father  died  in  1900  and  her  mother  is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
\'eit  have  one  child,  William  \'eit,  Jr.,  born  at  Flint,  February  26,  1900, 
and  now  in  the  ninth  grade  in  school. 

JoTTN  Person  Cl.\rk.  Tlie  late  John  P.  Clark  was  for  many  years 
one  of  Detroit's  most  conspicuous  and  most  successful  citizens.  He  was 
a  pioneer  in  the  fishing  business  in  both  the  Maumee  and  Detroit  rivers, 
as  well  as  a  pioneer  shi|)builder,  with  a  yard  at  Spring  Wells.  His  whole 
life  was  filled  with  active  endeavor  and  he  was  pre-eminently  successful 
in  every  line  he  entered.  He  died  possessed  of  an  estate  exceeded  by  few- 
others  of  his  time  in  this  section. 

John  P.  Clark  was  born  near  Catskill  on  the  Hudson  river,  New  York, 
April  10,  t8oS.  the  son  of  John  and  Sally  (Person)  Clark.  The  father 
lost  an  eye  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  On  April  18, 
1813,  the  mother  (Sally  Person)  died  at  Black  Rock.  New  York,  and  in 
November,  1813.  he  married  Sally  Swayne.  and  two  children  were  born 
to  that  marriage  at  Black  Rock.  New  York.  In  1S18,  the  father  deter- 
mined to  move  west,  take  up  government  land  and  establish  a  home  for 
his  boys,  and  in  that  same  year  the  family  came  to  Michigan  by  boat  from 
Buffalo  and  landed  on  the  south  end  of  Hickory  Island.     So  impressed 


'^^LyK 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2137 

was  the  boy,  John  P.  Clark,  with  the  beauty  of  Sugar  Islands  and  Hickory, 
where  they  camped  out,  that  he  then  and  there  decided  to  some  day  own 
those  islands.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  man  that  with  his  first  surplus 
money  he  purchased  the  islands,  which  he  continued  to  own,  and  they 
were  a  part  of  his  estate.  John  Clark,  the  father,  established  the  family 
on  the  farm  in  Erownstown,  Wayne  county,  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  dying  February  22,  1827,  aged  fifty  years. 

The  first  employment  of  John  P.  Clark  secured  away  from  home  was 
at  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  for  a  firm  for  fifty  cents  a  week  and 
board.  In  1826  he  began  his  fishing  business,  with  fishing  grounds  in  the 
Maumee  river,  subsequently  removing  his  operations  to  the  Detroit  river. 
He  was  successful  from  the  very  start,  and  as  his  trade  increased  he  em- 
ployed both  a  day  and  a  night  crew,  and  even  then  was  barely  able  to 
supply  the  demand ;  for,  although  Detroit  at  that  time  was  merely  a  trad- 
ing post,  he  found  a  market  for  tons  of  his  daily  catch,  and  it  was  here  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  ample  fortune.  For  ten  years  after  inaugurat- 
ing his  fishing  enterprise  he  fished  the  Maumee  river  in  conjunction  with 
the  Detroit  river,  and  shipped  large  quantities  of  Maumee  catfish  to  New 
Orleans  until  the  Civil  war  came  on.  While  on  the  Maumee  river  he  sup- 
plied cargoes  of  wood  to  the  canal  boats  on  a  side  issue.  In  1833,  he 
bought  a  steam  barge  and  began  the  towing  business.  Three  years  later 
he  went  on  an  exploring  tour  around  the  coast  of  Lake  Michigan,  with 
Indians  for  pilots,  who  pointed  out  to  him  their  choicest  fishing  grounds, 
and  with  fifty  men  he  located  at  White  Fish  Bay,  Wisconsin. 

In  1837  ]\Ir.  Clark  came  to  Detroit  to  make  his  home.  To  his  manifold 
enterprises  he  added  that  of  ship-building,  in  that  year  building  a  dry- 
dock  at  Spring  Wells  (now  in  the  city  limits'),  where  he  built  and  owned 
many  boats,  notably  the  steamers  "Alaska,"  "Jay  Cooke,"  "Pearle," 
"Gazelle"  and  "Riverside,"  all  well  remembered  by  many  citizens  of  today. 
In  this  line  of  business,  as  in  all  others  in  which  he  engaged  prosperity 
continued  to  smile  upon  him.  Among  his  properties  were  Sugar,  Hickory 
and  Celeron  Islands  in  the  Detroit  river,  an  island  in  the  Maumee  river, 
Ohio,  also  Horson  Island  at  the  mouth  of  Huron  river,  and  he  owned  the 
upper  end  of  Grosse  Isle,  all  of  which  he  held  for  years,  finally  disposing 
of  them  at  a  handsome  profit.  His  holdings  of  Detroit  real  estate  were 
large,  including  the  house  at  the  corner  of  Cass  and  Fort  streets,  where 
he  first  resided  on  coming  to  the  city,  and  his  old  homestead  on  the  river 
road.  He  also  at  one  time  was  largely  interested  in  Michigan  and  Wis- 
consin timber  lands. 

Mr.  Clark  was  a  man  of  marked  individuality  and  was  known  widely  . 
in  his  time.  In  the  operation  of  his  business  he  combined  rare  foresight 
and  sagacity  with  the  strictest  integrity.  His  rugged  honesty  was  uni- 
versally known  and  his  credit  was  unlimited.  He  possessed  none  of  the 
speculator's  spirit,  yet  was  not  too  conservative  to  branch  out  into  new 
lines,  and  when  once  interested  in  a  new  business  to  push  it  to  the  utmost. 
But  he  never  made  an  investment  until  he  was  absolutely  certain  as  to  its 
ultimate  outcome.  At  an  age  when  most  men  retire  from  active  life  he 
continued  in  the  harness,  and  was  as  active  almost  as  in  his  prime,  never 
content  to  give  over  the  direction  of  his  large  interests  to  others.  He 
died  on  September  3,  1888,  after  a  long,  successful  and  useful  life  of  four- 
score years.  He  had  endured  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life  and  lived  to 
see  the  little  trading  post  grow  to  a  mighty  city,  in  which  he  and  his  en- 
joyed the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  modern  civilization,  procured  by  his 
own  toil  and  talent.  He  left  a  part  of  his  farm  on  Clark  avenue  to  the 
city  which  is  now  known  as  Clark  Park. 

On  February  20,  1838,  Mr.  Clark  married  Susan  E.  Booth.  She  was 
born  in  England,  the  daughter  of  a  Yorkshire  yeoman,  and  she  died  May 
18,  i860.    The  children  of  this  marriage  were:    Mrs.  J.  A.  Hecking,  who 


2138  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

for  a  long'  number  of  years  resided  in  Paris,  France,  where  she  died; 
Mrs.  George  Atcheson,  of  Detroit,  now  deceased;  Alvin  S.,  deceased; 
Mrs.  W.  O.  Ashley,  deceased ;  Arthur  J.,  deceased ;  Walter  B.  and  Nor- 
man S.,  both  deceased.  On  February  9,  1863,  Mr.  Clark  married  Eliza 
W.  Whiting,  who  died  January  14,  1883. 

Captain  George  Atcheson,  who  was  married  in  Detroit,  September  25, 
1866,  to  Alice  E.  Clark,  daughter  of  the  late  John  P.  Clark,  was  born  in 
New  York  state  in  1841.  While  Captain  Atcheson  never  attended  school 
after  he  was  teii  years  old,  he  succeeded  by  his  own  efforts  in  gaining 
more  than  ordinary  learning  and  culture.  He  was  an  inveterate  student, 
both  of  the  liible  and  .'^hakespeare,  and  knew  them  thoroughly.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  United  States  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  served  through  the  Civil  war,  first  as  private,  then  corporal  and 
sergeant,  and  was  later  brevetted  captain,  .\fter  the  war  he  continued  in 
the  army  until  1872,  when  he  resigned  from  the  service  and  made  his 
home  in  Kansas.  In  1880  he  came  to  Michigan,  and  died  in  Detroit  in 
1893.  To  the  marriage  of  Captain  .Vtcheson  and  .Alice  Clark  were  born 
three  sons,  as  follows:  Walter  C,  of  Kalamazoo,  who  married  .A.lice 
Williams;  George  W..  who  died  April  13,  1908;  and  Norman  S.,  a  well 
known  architect  of  Detroit. 

NoRM.w  .Sw.MN  Atcheson.  The  city  of  Detroit  has  some  of  the 
foremost  architects  of  the  country,  and  in  the  younger  membership  of 
the  profession  Norman  S.  .Atcheson  has  found  a  conspicuous  place,  and 
being  a  product  of  the  modern  schools  has  brought  to  this  profession  par- 
ticular ability  and  progressive  ideals.  Mr.  .Atcheson  is  also  a  noteworthy 
citizen  of  Michigan  as  a  representative  of  one  of  Detroit's  old  and  lead- 
ing families. 

Norman  Swain  Atcheson  was  born  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Alissouri, 
October  12,  1876.  He  is  a  son  of  Captain  George  Atcheson,  of  the 
United  States  Army,  and  his  mother  was  Alice  E.  (Clark)  Atcheson. 
John  P.  Clark,  his  grandfather,  was  one  of  Detroit's  foremost  citizens, 
a  shipbuilder,  a  financier,  and  a  man  of  large  afifairs,  whose  record  is 
indelibly  written  on  the  pages  of  local  history. 

.Xorman  S.  .Atcheson  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
St.  Louis,  attended  the  Detroit  school  for  boys,  and  was  in  the  literary 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1896-97.  On  leaving  the 
university  he  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  California,  and  while  there 
gained  much  practical  experience  in  the  profession  of  architecture.  From 
the  west  coast  he  went  to  New  York  city,  was  a  student  in  the  Art  Stud- 
ents League,  and  followed  that  with  experience  in  the  offices  of  several 
leading  firms  of  architects,  including  llowells  and  Stokes,  Barney  and 
Chapman,  and  Westervelt  and  .Austin.  With  this  complete  equipment 
Mr.  .Atcheson  returned  to  Detroit  in  1905,  and  after  two  years 
spent  in  the  office  of  George  D.  Mason,  one  of  the  oldest  architects 
of  the  city,  in  1907  established  an  ofiice  of  his  own  and  has  since  prac- 
ticed his  profession  with  success.  In  January,  1914.  he  was  elected  to  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  .Ashley  and  Dustin  Steamer  Line.  June  4,  1914, 
he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  Architects  Business  .Association  of  Mich- 
igan and  .August  14,  1914,  was  elected  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Detroit 
Multiplier  Company,  a  Michigan  corporation. 

Mr.  .Atcheson  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  of  the 
Michigan  Club,  and  affiliates  with  Palestine  Lodge  of  the  Ma.sonic  order 
and  with  Diamond  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  He  married  Aliss  Daisy  B. 
Kellam,  daughter  of  S.  .A.  Kellam,  late  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  They  are 
the  parents  of  one  son  and  one  daughter,  namely:  Douglas  .Atcheson  and 
Eleen  Rosemary  .Atcheson. 


TH!   KEW  TOM 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2139 

George  Bush  Richardson.  The  present  treasurer  of  Oakland 
county,  Michigan,  George  Bush  Richardson,  has  advanced  to  his  present 
prominent  and  influential  position  through  the  medium  of  individual 
ability  and  merit.  Although  a  figure  in  the  public  life  of  his  community 
only  since  1905,  his  rise  has  been  certain  and  continuous.  His  incum- . 
bency  of  his  office  has  been  characterized  by  a  strict  and  conscientious 
devotion  to  duty,  and  he  has  given  the  people  of  Oakland  county  no 
reason  to  regret  their  choice  in  placing  him  in  charge  of  the  public 
finances.  Air.  Richardson  is  a  native  son  of  Oakland  county,  born  at 
Rochester,  December  17,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Hosea  Ballou  and  Char- 
lotte ( Averill )  Richardson,  natives,  respectively,  of  \'ermont  and  Canada 
and  of  English  and  Scotch  parentage. 

Hosea  B.  Richardson  spent  his  boyhood  in  the  Green  Mountain  state, 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  given  the  advantages ' 
of  a  military  training,  although  he  never  had  experience  as  a  soldier.  In 
1849  he  came  to  Rochester,  Michigan,  and  here  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  woolen  goods,  and  was  a  mill  owner,  having  early  learned  the 
trade  of  millwright  in  his  native  state.  He  became  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  liis  day  and  vicinity,  rose  to  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  and  was  known  as  a  devout  member  df  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  in  the  faith  of  which  he  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  He  was  first  married  to  a  Mi*s  LeRoy,  who  died  after  the 
birth  of  one  daughter,  Sarah,  who  is  SlSo  ncnv- -tle'ceased.  He  married 
second  Miss  Charlotte  Averill,  who  died  .irf'  1876.  a,^ii~' fifty- four  years, 
and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Rochester  Cemetery.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson,  of  whom  but  two  survive :  Emma, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Walter  Lowe,  and  nfiw  resid^s.^at  Pasadena,  Cali- 
fornia;   and  George  Bush.  ■■.'•'■.. r-;    -.•:  •  s*..:  - 

George  B.  Richardson  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Rochester,  following  which  he  learned  the  profession  of  stationary  en- 
gineer, and  began  to  work  in  his  father's  mill  at  that  vocation.  There 
he  continued  until  four  years  after  his  father's  death,  when  he  went  to 
Canada  and  spent  four  vears  in  working  at  his  trade.  On  his  return  to 
Pontiac  in  1806  he  became  engineer  for  the  Dunlap  Carriage  and  X'ehicle 
Company,  ne.xt  worked  for  the  Standard  \'ehicle  Company,  the  Auto 
Top  and  Trimming  Company,  the  City  Water  Works  and  the  Steam 
Laundn',  where  he  continued  to  be  employed  tmtil  igto.  In  1905  he  was 
elected  supervisor  of  the  Third  Ward  of  Pontiac,  a  capacity  in  which  he 
acted  for  five  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1910  became  his  party's  candidate 
for  the  office  of  county  treasurer.  He  was  elected  thereto  by  a  hand- 
some majority,  and  so  ably  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office  that 
he  received  the  re-election  in  1912.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  takes 
an  active  part  in  advancing  his  party's  interest,  and  has  been  delegate  to 
Republican  conventions.  He  has  been  successftil  in  his  business  invest- 
ments, owning  a  pleasant  home  at  No.  67  Seneca  Street.  Fraternallv, 
Mr.  Richardson  is  connected  with  the  Foresters  of  America,  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  of  which  he  is  business  manager,  and  the 
Knights  and  Eadies  of  Security,  of  which  he  is  president.  In  Masonry 
he  has  reached  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  and  is  Captain  General  in 
the  Temple.  Mr.  Richardson  stands  high  in  his  profession,  being  secre- 
tary of  the  National  Association  of  Stationary  Engineers.  He  is  a  man 
of  excellent  character,  and  has  done  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion and  education.  In  the  latter  connection  he  is  an  advocate  of  a 
more  thorough  historical  course  in  our  schools,  especially  in  those  matters 
pertaining  to  our  own  state. 

On  Tune  20,  1880.  Mr.  Richardson  was  married  at  Royal  Oak.  Michi- 
gan, to  Miss  Ada  B.  Stone,  a  native  of  Almont,  Lapee  county,  Michigan, 


2140  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

daughter  of  Amos  and  Betsey  (Kyes)  Stone,  the  father  a  pioneer  farmer 
and  stockman  of  Lapeer  county,  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  there  has  come  one  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
born  January  13.  1885.  at  I'ontiac,  a  young  lady  of  much  artistic  talent, 
who  is  now  a  student  of  the  .School  of  Designs,  Detroit. 

Rev.  John  K.  Stakk.  Forty-five  years  of  service  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  is  the  splendid  record  of  Rev.  John  K.  Stark,  now 
chaplain  of  the  ^lichigan  Soldiers'  Home  at  Grand  Rapids,  which  post 
he  lias  held  since  1905.  It  is  impossible,  in  the  brief  space  allotted  to 
mention  of  Rev.  Stark,  to  more  than  touch  here  and  there  upon  the 
salient  facts  of  his  career  in  the  church,  but  endeavor  will  be  made  to 
present  facts  that  will  indicate  in  some  measure  the  genuine  worth  of 
such  a  life  of  service  as  has  been  his.  Rev.  Stark  has  given  unreservedly 
of  his  strength  and  of  all  his  powers  in  the  furtherance  of  his  work,  and 
in  those  communities  where  he  has  labored,  he  is  beloved  of  all  who 
came  under  the  mantle  of  his  influence  and  kindly  ministrations. 

Rev.  Stark  is  a  New  York  state  product,  born  in  Me.xico,  Oswego 
county,  that  state,  on  March  21.  1834,  so  that  he  is  now  well  advanced  in 
years,  and  just  reaching  his  eightieth  milestone.  He  is  a  son  of  Erastus 
Stark,  of  New  England  birth  and  ancestry  and  a  member  of  the  same  fam- 
ily to  which  belonged  General  John  Stark,  famous  in  American  history  for 
his  services  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the  later  wars  of  that  period, 
and  also  as  one  who  was  a  member  of  the  court  martial  that  condemned 
Major  Andre.  In  1837  Erastus  Stark  migrated  to  Michigan,  taking  his 
family  with  him,  and  his  name  will  go  down  in  future  generations  as  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cass  county.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Pokagon 
Prairie,  then  a  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land  in  Silver  Creek  township, 
and  in  the  heart  of  the  forest  he  built  a  log  cabin  of  one  room.  He  sjilit 
shakes  for  the  roof,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  day,  and  this  humble  abode 
was  the  family  shelter  for  the  space  of  seven  years.  He  commenced  at 
once  to  clear  the  land,  and  the  spirit  of  the  man  is  indicated  in  the  fact 
that  he  bought  and  operated  one  of  the  first  steam  saw  mills  ever  used 
in  Michigan.  The  use  of  the  mill  greatly  augmented  the  work  of  clear- 
ing the  land,  and  as  fast  as  he  had  an  acre  ready  for  the  plow  it  was 
l)lantcd  and  began  to  bear.  Erastus  Stark  lived  there  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  when  he  was  about  fifty-eight  years  old.  He  made  a 
good  many  improvements  on  the  farm,  built  a  nice  home  and  got  the 
place  in  excellent  shape,  so  that  it  was  even  in  his  day  regarded  as  a  valu- 
able bit  of  i)roperty. 

l'"rastus  Stark  married  Matilda  Ann  Cook,  a  New  \"ork  girl  and  the 
daugliter  of  Captain  Cook  and  his  wife,  ^lary  (Elliott)  Cook,  both  na- 
tives of  England.  Captain  Cook  commanded  a  vessel  in  the  British 
Merchant  Marine  service  for  many  years,  hut  when  he  retired  from  the 
sea  he  came  direct  to  America  and  settled  in  New  Y'ork  state,  there 
spending  the  balance  of  his  life.  His  widow  and  eleven  of  his  twelve 
children  came  to  Michigan  and  all  the  children  married,  their  descendants 
being  widely  scattered  throughout  this  county,  and  representing  practic- 
ally every  one  of  the  professions. 

The  mother  of  the  subject  died  in  1838  on  the  'Michigan  farm,  not 
long  after  they  settled  in  this  state,  and  the  father  married  a  second  time, 
Anna  Riggins  becoming  his  wife.  She  survived  him  a  few  years.  The 
children  of  the  first  marriage  were  Philander,  John  and  Myron,  while 
those  of  the  second  marriage  were  Edward,  William,  Mary,  Taicy,  Loucdy, 
Emma  and  Alyra. 

John  K.  Stark  was  only  three  years  old  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  Michiean,  and  he  is  able  to  recall  but  few  incidents  connected 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  .  2141 

with  the  migration  of  the  family  to  a  new  state.  He  remembers,  how- 
ever, though  btit  faintly,  that  the  trip  was  made  overland  by  wagon,  via 
Canada,  and  recalls  slight  incidents  in  connection  with  the  long  journey. 
He  was  reared  amid  pioneer  scenes  and  shared  in  all  the  hard  experi- 
ences attendant  upon  early  life  in  a  new  country.  At  the  time  the  family 
settled  in  Cass  county  the  land  was  chiefly  in  control  of  the  government 
and  was  for  sale  at  the  very  low  figure  of  $1.25  per  acre.  Natural  condi- 
tions prevailed  entirely  and  the  forests  abounded  with  wild  game,  and 
deer  in  great  numbers  were  often  seen  less  than  forty  rods  from  the  cabin. 
Mr.  Stark  commenced  at  a  very  early  age  to  assist  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  place,  and  he  spent  many  hours  of  arduous  toil  in  helping 
to  clear  up  the  wilderness  and  reduce  the  place  to  a  state  where  cultiva- 
tion and  cropping  were  possible.  Until  he  was  twenty  years  old  he  re- 
mained at  home  with  the  family,  and  then  commenced  to  clear  up  a  farm 
for  himself.  He  was  not  long  in  buying  a  saw  mill,  which  he  continued 
to  operate  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  on  which  he  promptly  en- 
listed in  Company  L,  Second  Michigan  Cavalry.  His  regiment  was  or- 
dered south  and  he  saw  several  months  of  hard  service  before  he  was 
sent  home  because  of  disability. 

Early  in  life  Rev.  Stark  had  a  deep  and  lasting  religious  experience, 
and  as  he  grew  older  it  came  to  be  borne  in  upon  him  that  his  services 
were  needed  in  the  church,  and  accordingly  he  began  preaching  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  1867.  The  following  year  he  joined  the 
Michigan  Conference,  and  from  then  until  this  time  his  work  has  been 
carried  on  under  the  direction  of  the  Conference.  Rev.  Stark  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  in  1870,  and  he  has  held  churches  in  Benton  Harbor, 
Manistee,  Ludington,  Mount  Pleasant.  Cadillac  and  other  points  of  equal 
prominence.  He  was  active  in  the  ministry  up  to  1894,  when  ill  health 
compelled  him  to  relinquish  his  labors  and  take  a  well  earned  rest.  He 
did  not  again  enter  upon  active  work  until  1903,  and  in  1905  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  post  of  Chaplain  of  the  Michigan  Soldiers'  Home  at  Grand 
Rapids,  and  here  has  been  his  work  since  that  time. 

In  1855  Rev.  Stark  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Gushing.  She  was 
born  in  Oswego,  New  York,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Otis  and  Clarissa 
(Moore)  Gushing.  She  died  in  1889.  In  later  years  Rev.  Stark  married 
Miss  Helen  A.  Gardner,  also  of  New  York  birth.  Five  children  came 
of  the  first  marriage, — Melvin  E.,  Alice,  Albert  P.,  Amy  and  Martha. 
Melvin  lives  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  is  in  the  employ  of  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  and  Albert  P.  is  a  successful  and 
prominent  lavi^yer,  now  serving  as  a  district  judge  in  Montana,  where  he 
has  settled  and  has  his  residence. 

Rev.  Stark  has  had  a  long  and  busy  life,  and  in  his  closing  years  it  is 
especially  gratifying  that  he  finds  himself  so  happily  situated  among  his 
old  comrades  in  his  capacity  as  spiritual  adviser. 

Judge  David  G.  Sl.^fter.  One  of  the  fine  old  pioneers  of  Tuscola 
county  who  have  done  their  work  and  passed  on  was  the  late  David  Grow 
Slafter.  who  died  at  his  home  in  \'assar  May  18,  1908,  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  ninety-one  years. 

David  Grow  Slafter  was  born  January  I,  1817,  at  Norwich.  \"ermont, 
the  sixth  child  and  son  of  John  and  Persis  (Grow)  Slafter.  His  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  three  first  white  settlers  at  Norwich,  and  was  one 
of  the  men  who  assisted  in  the  erection  of  a  log  building  comprising  the 
first  group  of  structures  of  Dartmouth  College.  Grandfather  Slafter 
was  a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars  and  a  drum-major  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.     David  G.  Slafter  grew  up  in  Norwich,  and  besides 


2142  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

a  district  schooling  was  a  student  one  year  in  the  Academy  at  Canaan, 
New  Hampshire.  On  February  ii,  1843,  he  married  Ann,  daughter  of 
John  Lucas  of  Pierpont,  New  York.  They  had  no  children.  From  1S46 
to  1850  Mr.  Slaftcr  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Norwich. 

In  185 1  Judge  Shifter  came  to  Michigan,  locating  in  Tuscola  village. 
He  became  engaged  in  lumbering  and  dealt  extensively  in  timber  and  farm 
lantl,  and  in  general  business  ability  was  excelled  by  few  men  in  his  section 
of  the  state.  He  was  prominent  in  public  affairs,  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Tuscola  county  from  1852  to  1867,  with  the  exception  of  one 
year,  and  from  1856  to  i860  was  judge  of  probate.  On  June  3,  1863,  he 
was  appointed  enrolling  officer  for  Tuscola  county~and  was  deputy  provost 
marshal  for  the  Sixth  district  of  Alichigan  from  July,  1863,  until  the  end 
of  the  war.  In  1863  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  and 
served  at  the  extra  session  of  1864.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republi- 
can, was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was 
both  a  member  and  a  generous  giver  to  the  First  Baptist  church  at  \'assar. 

Judge  Slafter  had  moved  to  the  village  of  \assar  about  1883,  becom- 
ing interested  in  the  organization  of  Uae  First  National  Bank,  and  about 
six  years  later  being  elected  its  president,  an  office  he  filled  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  His  life  was  one  of  great  business  activity,  he  was  the 
owner  of  several  farms  in  Tuscola  county,  much  improved  and  unim- 
proved real  estate  in  town  and  country,  and  had  large  timber  land  inter- 
ests in  the  South.  At  his  death  he  left  a  large  estate,  the  largest  that  had 
ever  been  probated  in  Tuscola  county.  During  his  long  life  his  years  had 
been  years  of  usefulness,  and  his  greatest  enjoyment  was  in  helping  others. 
His  wife  had  dietl  several  years  before  his  own  death,  and  besides  a 
sister  the  only  members  of  his  family  to  sur\  ive  were  two  adopted  chil- 
dren, a  son  named  Morgan  B.  Slafter,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Grant  Palmer, 
of  Tuscola. 

Will  \V.  Parr.  A  representative  business  man  of  Traverse  City, 
Mr.  Parr  has  been  long  and  prominently  identified  with  the  manufactur- 
ing and  ship]Mng  of  lumber  in  Michigan  and  is  one  of  the  influential  fac- 
tors in  this  field  of  industry  at  the  present  time,  his  principal  association 
being  with  the  Brown  Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  executive 
head.  He  has  been  one  of  the  workl's  ])roductive  workers  and  his  success 
is  the  more  gratifying  to  contemplate  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  it  stands 
as  the  direct  result  of  his  own  ability  and  well  ordered  efforts.  He  is  one 
of  the  progressive  and  public-spirited  men  of  the  fine  metrojiolis  and 
county  seat  of  Grand  Traverse  county,  and  as  such  is  consistently 
accorded  specific  recognition  in  this  history  of  a  state  in  which  he  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  among  men  of  prominence  in  commercial,  railroad 
and  general  business  circles. 

\\  ill  Waller  I'arr  was  born  at  Brasher  Falls,  St.  Lawrence  county. 
New  York,  and  the  date  of  his  nativity  was  September  2,  i860.  He  is  a 
son  of  Heman  Burr  Parr  and  Chloe  (Smith)  Parr,  both  of  whom  were 
born  and  reared  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Heman  B.  Parr,  who  was  a 
machinist  by  trade  and  vocation,  died  in  1865,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
four  years,  and  in  the  following  year  his  widow  removed  with  her  two 
children  to  the  state  of  Indiana.  Later  she  became  the  wife  of  A.  H. 
Wood,  and  she  passed  the  closing  years  of  her  life  on  their  homestead 
farm  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan.  The  first  child  of  her  first  marriage 
is  Lillian,  who  maintains  her  residence  at  Sturgis,  St.  Joseph  county, 
during  the  summer  seasons,  and  has  a  winter  home  at  Petersburg.  Florida, 
she  being  the  wife  of  Oliver  Moore.  The  one  son  of  the  second  marriage 
was  Heman  A.  Wood,  named  in  honor  of  his  mother's  first  husband,  and 
he  was  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  North  Dakota  State  Agricultural 
College  at  Fargo  at  the  time  of  his  death.    Professor  Wood  wedded  Miss 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2143 

Mabel  Fister,  who  survives  him.  He  was  graduated  in  OUvet  College, 
at  Olivet,  Michigan,  and  thereafter  served  as  principal  of  the  public 
schools  in  the  city  of  Alarshall,  Calhoun  county.  Later  he  was  graduated 
in  chemistry  at  Johns  Hopkins  University,  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, and  soon  afterward  he  assumed  charge  of  the  chemical  department 
of  an  aluminum  manufactory  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
thus  engaged  until  the  business  was  absorbed  by  the  aluminum  syndicate 
or  trust  and  the  plant  closed  down.  He  then  became  professor  of  chem- 
istry in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  at  Manhattan,  from  which 
institution  he  w^ent  to  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  where  he  held  the  chair  of 
chemistry  in  the  State  Agricultural  College  until  the  close  of  his  life, 
which  had  been  filled  with  large  and  worthy  achievement  and  had  brought 
him  to  influential  position  in  educational  circles. 

Will  W.  I'arr  was  a  lad  of  about  five  years  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  and  his  early  educational  advantages  were  limited  to  the  district 
schools,  thoug:h  he  has  effectually  overcome  this  handicap  and  gained  the 
liberal  education  which  may  be  gleaned  through  active  association  with 
men  and  aft'airs.  He  assisted  in  the  work  and  management  of  his  step- 
father's farm  until  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  and 
he  then  went  to  the  village  of  Burr  (Jak,  St.  Joseph  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  retail  lumber  business  in  partnership  with  Edward  L. 
North.  From  a  modest  nucleus  the  firm  evolved  a  substantial  and  pros- 
perous business,  and  the  alliance  continued  eleven  years,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  Mr.  Parr  sold  his  interests  at  Burr  Oak  and  removed  to  the 
city  of  St.  Johns,  Clinton  county,  where  he  organized  the  Parr  Lumber 
Company,  which  engaged  in  the  retail  lumber  business  and  also  operated 
a  planing  mill.  He  continued  at  the  head  of  this  corporation  until  1903, 
when  he  removed  to  Traverse  City  and  purchased  an  interest  in  the  South 
Side  Lumber  Company,  with  which  he  continued  to  be  actively  identified 
until  its  mills  were  destroyed  by  fire,  in  iyi2.  Immediately  afterward 
Mr.  Parr  purchased  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Brown  Lumber  Com- 
pany, of  this  city,  this  company  having  been  organized  in  1910  and  being 
incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $30,000,  the  other  principal  stock- 
holder being  Thaddeus  B.  Preston,  who  is  a  resident  of  Ionia,  this  state. 
Aside  from  the  general  lumber  business,  the  company  manufactures  all 
kinds  of  mill  work  and  certain  lines  of  interior  finish,  as  well  as  sash, 
doors,  frames,  etc.  The  plant  is  one  of  thoroughly  modern  equipment, 
operates  its  own  electric  plant,  which  has  sufficient  capacity  to  supply  all 
lights  required  for  the  lighting  of  streets,  business  places  and  houses  in 
Traverse  City,  and  the  establishment  aft'ords  employment  to  an  average 
force  of  fifty  men.  Mr.  Parr  has  identified  himself  fully  with  the  interests 
of  this  city  and  is  one  of  its  progressive  and  liberal  citizens,  as  well  as  one 
who  has  gained  unqualified  popularity  in  both  business  and  social  circles. 
At  439  West  Sixth  street  he  erected  his  handsome  modern  residence, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  attractive,  even  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  hospitable, 
in  Traverse  City. 

Mr.  Parr  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  basic  principles  and  policies  for 
which  the  Republican  party  has  ever  stood  sponsor,  and  he  has  been  an 
active  worker  in  behalf  of  the  party  cause,  though  he  has  had  no  aspira- 
tion for  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office.  He  has  been  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity  since  he  attained  to  his  legal  majority,  and  in 
the  York  Rite  his  maximum  affiliation  is  with  Columbia  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar  in  the  city  of  Sturgis.  St.  Joseph  county,  the  while  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  temple  of  the  .\ncient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids.  In  his  home  city  he 
is  enrolled  as  a  popular  and  appreciative  member  of  the  lodge  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


2144  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1887,  at  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  was  solemnized 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Parr  to  Miss  Lueta  Crooks,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
James  \V.  Crooks,  and  the  three  children  of  this  union  are  Alary,  who 
was  born  at  Burr  Oak,  Alichigan,  on  the  1st  of  February,  1888,  and  who 
remains  at  the  parental  home;  Lillian,  who  was  born  at  Burr  Oak, 
March  5th,  i8(jo,  and  who  is  now  a  student  in  St.  Mary's  Academy  at 
South  Bend,  Indiana ;  and  Edith,  who  was  born  at  Burr  Oak,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1892,  and  who  is  at  the  Normal  Training  School  at  Battle  Creek. 

Rev.  .Vxthony  O.  Bosler,  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  West  Bay  City,  Michigan,  was  born  March  23,  18S8,  at 
Maria  Hill,  Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of  Louis  and  Mary  (Kreiling)  Bosler. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  natives  of  Germany  and  Austria,  and  the 
American  founder  of  the  family  was  Simon  Bosler,  from  whom  descended 
the  Boslers  of  Spencer  and  Dubois  counties,  Indiana.  The  family  has  al- 
ways been  connected  with  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  The  maternal  ances- 
tors of  Father  Bosler  came  from  Hanover,  Germany,  and  the  Kreilings 
were  also  known  early  in  the  history  of  Dubois  county,  Indiana.  Louis 
Bosler  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  there  spent  his  entire  life,  dying  Febru- 
ary 2,  1892,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years.  The  mother,  who  was  born  in 
Memphis,  lennessee,  still  survives,  and  is  a  resident  of  Maria  Hill, 
Indiana. 

The  preliminary  educational  training  of  Father  Bosler  was  secured  in 
the  schools  of  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  and  he  early  decided  upon  the 
priesthood  as  the  field  of  his  life  work.  Accordingly  he  studied  for  twelve 
years  at  the  Papal  College  Josejjhinum,  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  was  ordained 
priest  June  7,  1913.  His  first  charge  was  his  present  one,  when  he  became 
assistant  pastor  to  the  Rev.  Edward  A.  Caldwell,  at  St.  Mary's  Church, 
Father  Caldwell  having  recently  been  assigned  to  St.  Mary's  church  at 
Saginaw.  Father  Bosler  arrived  in  Bay  City  July  12,  1913,  and  expects 
to  make  this  state  his  permanent  home.  He  is  more  than  pleased  with  his 
location  and  charge  at  St.  Mary's  Church.  During  the  brief  time  that  he 
was  under  the  charge  of  Feather  Caldwell  he  reaped  great  benefits  from 
his  superior's  wise  teachings,  and  still  holds  him  in  the  greatest  reverence. 
A  studious  and  zealous  young  priest,  ambitious  to  aid  in  the  salvation  of 
his  fellow-beings  and  in  the  furthering  of  their  spiritual,  moral  and 
material  welfare,  he  undoubtedly  has  a  promising  future  in  the  work 
which  he  has  chosen  and  to  which  he  was  ordained. 

Herbert  Asa  Tuompsu.n,  of  Willianiston,  Ingham  county.  Past  Grand 
Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Michigan  and  Grand  Representative  to  the 
Sovereign  Grand  Lodge,  Independent  C)rder  of  Odd  Fellows,  is  one  of 
the  best  known  men  in  the  state,  both  in  journalistic  and  fraternal  circles. 
He  is  a  native  son  of  Michigan  and  is  descended  from  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  here,  his  grandfather,  Asa  Thompson,  having  come  to  the  state 
in  1833,  two  years  before  Michigan  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  Asa 
Thompson  was  born  in  New  York,  where  his  father  died  when  he  was 
but  a  lad,  and  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  widowed  mother  came 
to  Ingham  county,  Michigan,  locating  in  the  vicinity  of  Stockbridge. 
There  Asa  Thompson  grew  to  manhood  as  an  industrious  and  energetic 
citizen,  had  a  long  and  useful  life,  and  occupied  a  high  jjosition  in  the 
community.  A  lifelong  Republican,  he  held  various  official  townshi])  ])osi- 
tions  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens,  among  them  that  of  chairman 
of  the  board  of  county  supervisors  during  the  Civil  War,  when  the  find- 
ings of  the  board  were  of  the  gravest  importance.  He  was  what  is  now 
termed  an  "Under  the  Oaks"  man  at  the  founding  of  the  Republican  party 
at  Jackson. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2145 

The  father  of  Herbert  A.  Thompson  was  the  late  Byron  E.  Thomp- 
son, who  was  born  at  Stockbridge,  Ingham  county,  Michigan,  in  1848, 
and  died  in  1900.  He  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  which  he  fol- 
lowed throughout  his  career,  and,  like  his  father,  was  a  prominent  and 
influential  man  in  his  community,  being  active  in  a  political  way,  but 
always  declining  office,  which  was  profi^ered  to  him  on  many  occasions. 

Mr.  Thompson  married  \"esta  M.  Howe,  of  Stockbridge,  Michigan, 
born  in  Branch  county,  Michigan,  and  she  still  survives  him. 

Herbert  Asa  Thompson  was  born  at  Stockbridge,  Ingham  county, 
Michigan,  July  26,  1872.  He  attended  the  Stockbridge  public  and  high 
schools  and  later  attended  school  at  Ypsilanti.  For  six  years  he  was  a 
teacher  in  various  public  schools  in  Michigan.  In  1895  Mr.  Thompson 
entered  the  newspaper  field  at  Williamston  by  purchasing  an  interest 
in  the  Williamston  Enterprise,  and  subsequently  bought  the  entire  publi- 
cation, of  which  he  has  since  continued  to  be  the  publisher  and  editor. 
In  1897  Mr.  Thompson  bought  a  small  Odd  Fellow  publication,  which  he 
converted  into  a  magazine  known  as  The  American  Oddfellow,  which 
is  the  official  publication  of  the  order  in  Michigan  and  one  of  the  leading 
fraternal  publications  of  America.  Under  Mr.  Thompson's  able  manage- 
ment it  has  increased  steadily  in  tone  and  circulation,  and  is  constantly 
broadening  in  scope. 

On  January  i,  1896,  Mr.  Thompson  was  initiated  into  Williamston 
Lodge  No.  205,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  as  soon  as  the 
laws  of  the  order  would  permit  passed  all  the  chairs  of  the  subordinate 
lodge  and  since  1897  has  been  an  official  of  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  has 
filled  all  the  official  positions  up  to  and  including  that  of  grand  master, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  1913,  and  in  1915,  1916  and  1917  will  be 
Grand  Representative  of  the  Michigan  Grand  Lodge  to  the  Sovereign 
Grand  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  America.  His 
selection  for  the  position  as  Grand  Representative  for  three  years  and 
the  plan  to  make  him  a  permanent  representative  from  Michigan  in  the 
Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  is  an  honor  that  never  came  to 
any  other  Michigan  jnan.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Williamston  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter.  Mr.  Thompson  has  been 
active  and  prominent  in  Republican  politics  in  Ingham  county  for  twenty 
years,  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Ingham  county  central  committee 
several  times,  and  in  1913-15  was  President  of  the  Zach  Chandler  Repub- 
lican Club,  one  of  the  largest  political  organizations  in  the  state. 

Mr.  Thompson  married  Miss  Jessie  A.  Andrews,  who  was  born  at 
Williamston,  daughter  of  E.  S.  Andrews,  who  was  Mr.  Thompson's  orig- 
inal partner  in  the  newspaper  business.  Two  children  have  come  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thompson:  Theodore  A.,  born  October  10,  1897;  and  Florence 
O.,  born  July  21,  1899,  both  in  attendance  at  the  Williamston  high  school. 

WiLLi.\M  Poi.son'.  Head  of  the  \\'illiam  Poison  &  Company,  one  of 
the  most  extensive  wood-working  and  planing  mills  in  the  Saginaw  \'al- 
ley,  and  an  alderman  in  his  home  city,  William  Poison,  twenty-five  years 
ago  was  a  worker  at  his  trade,  and  since  then  has  established  himself  as 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  citizens  of  Saginaw. 

Mr.  Poison  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  London,  April,  1864.  His 
parents,  John  and  Helen  (Habbick)  Poison,  were  both  natives  of  Scot- 
land, where  they  were  educated,  reared  and  married,  and  on  leaving 
Scotland  moved  to  London,  later  crossed  the  ocean  and  found  a  home  in 
Canada.  The  father  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  there  for  many 
years,  and  for  a  short  time  was  connected  with  the  lumber  interests  of 
the  state  of  Michigan.     His  death  occurred  in  1905,  when  eighty-seven 


2146  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

years  of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1884  at  the  age  of  sixty.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  William  was  the  seventh  in  age. 

William  Poison  grew  u])  in  Canada,  graduated  from  a  high  school  in 
the  dominion  in  1881.  and  his  lirsl  experience  and  training  for  a  practical 
carc?er  was  in  a  wood-working  factory.  .\t  the  time  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  had  become  an  expert  in  that  line,  and  began  a  career  as 
journeyman,  which  took  him  to  various  cities  in  the  United  States.  For 
three  years  he  was  in  Detroit,  spent  six  months  in  Saginaw,  worked  at 
his  trade  for  a  year  and  a  half  in  Chicago,  then  returned  to  Detroit  for 
two  years,  and  in  18S7  located  permanently  in  Saginaw,  which  city  has 
been  his  home  ever  since.  After  a  brief  period  of  employment  at  his 
trade,  in  1889,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  A.  C.  White,  he  engaged  in  the 
wood-working  business  in  a  small  shoji.  and  that  was  the  nucleus  and 
foundation  for  the  present  large  establishment  of  the  William  Poison  & 
Company.  After  two  years  of  partnership.  Air.  Poison  obtained  all  the 
interests  and  formed  the  William  Poison  &  Company.  When  that  shop 
was  started  only  fifteen  workmen  were  employed,  and  at  the  present  time 
its  capacity  has  been  increased  several  fold,  and  seventy  expert  men  are 
operatives  of  the  elaborate  machinery  comprised  within  the  plant.  They 
have  every  facility  for  all  kinds  of  wood-working  and  also  planing  busi- 
ness. The  payroll  of  the  business  amounts  to  fifty-two  thousand  dollars 
every  year. 

Mr.  Poison,  while  building  up  a  large  business  of  his  own,  has  been 
sought  for  his  influence  and  al)ility  in  other  undertakings,  and  is  a  director 
in  several  corporations.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  has  been  honored  by 
his  home  ward,  the  Eighth,  as  alderman.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason 
and  Shriner,  and  affiliates  with  the  lienevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Knights  of  Maccabees,  and  his  church  is  the  Episcopal.  At 
Saginaw,  in  1892,  Mr.  Poison  married  Miss  Sarah  Dudgeon,  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hugh  Dudgeon,  the  father  still  living  in  Saginaw.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  two  children,  as  follows :  Harold,  born  at 
Saginaw  in  1895  and  now  attending  high  school;  and  Leah,  born  in  1897, 
and  also  a  student  in  the  high  school. 

Wii.L.\UD  J.  Turner.  Among  the  notable  Michigan  families  none 
have  been  more  conspicuous  in  public  and  professional  life  nor  borne  the 
responsibilities  of  citizenship  with  greater  dignity  and  social  service  than 
have  the  Turners  during  the  three  generations  of  their  residence  in  this 
state.  The  law  in  which  many  of  them  gained  distinction  furnished  a  fine 
field  in  which  they  were  able  to  contrilnUc  their  talents  and  energies  to 
the  service  of  their  respective  communities  and  the  entire  state.  Men  of 
the  name  have  been  prominent  in  politics  from  the  territorial  era,  have 
served  on  the  bench,  both  in  the  circuit  and  supreme  court,  and  as  lawyers 
have  always  held  a  front  rank.  Willard  J.  Turner,  above  named,  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  bar  of  Michigan  for  the  past  thirty  years 
aiul  for  twenty  years  has  been  a  resident  of  Muskegon. 

Willard  J.  Turner  was  bom  at  Coruiina,  Shiawassee  county.  Michigan. 
July  30,  1861,  a  son  of  Jerome  W.  and  Martha  F.  Gregory  Turner. 
The  paternal  grandparents  were  Josiah  and  Eveline  (Ellsworth)  Turner, 
the  former  a  native  of  \'ermont  and  the  latter  of  Connecticut.  They  came 
to  Michigan  during  the  territorial  ])eriod  and  Josiah  Turner  took  up  land 
in  \\'ashlenaw  county.  He  was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  was  elected  county 
judge,  probate  judge,  and  for  twenty-six  years  held  the  office  of  circuit 
judge.  He  was  also  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Michigan.  He  studied  law  under  Bates  Turner,  his  uncle,  who  was  one 
of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  \'ermont.     Josiah  Turner  was 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2147 

among  the  original  organizers  of  the  Republican  party  in  ^Michigan,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  convention  of  1850.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  the  Muskegon  lawyer  was  Edward  E.  Gregory,  who  was 
himself  a  man  of  remarkable  talent  and  intellectual  attainments.  A 
graduate  of  Princeton  University,  he  was  for  many  years  a  minister  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Judge  Campbell  of  the  Michigan  Supreme  court 
studied  Latin  under  Mr.  Gregory.  He  was  a  splendid  linguist  and  had 
a  reputation  throughout  the  state  as  a  scholar.  Many  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  as  an  invalid,  but  he  lived  to  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-four. 

Jerome  W.  Turner,  father  of  Willard  J.,  was  born  at  St.  Albans,  Ver- 
mont, in  1836,  and  died  in  September,  1907.  His  wife  was  born  at  Saline, 
in  Washtenaw  county,  Michigan,  in  1837,  and  died  in  September,  1910. 
They  were  married  in  1857.  Jerome  W.  Turner  was  liberally  educated, 
and  some  years  after  he  had  begun  his  professional  career,  while  a  member 
of  the  state  senate,  he  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  a  bill  appropriating  money 
for  the  State  University,  and  saved  the  measure  from  defeat.  On  this 
account  the  university  granted  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  He  studied  law  under  Judge  Fred  Whittle,  one  of  the  eminent 
attorneys  of  the  state  and  an  associate  of  Jacob  Howard,  at  one  time 
attorney  general  of  Michigan.  Mr.  Turner  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1857,  and  became  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  his  generation.  He  made 
a  large  fortune  and  his  achievements  as  a  lawyer  have  a  secure  place  in 
the  history  of  the  state  bar.  He  was  very  broadly  read  and  possessed 
considerable  genius  in  literature.  He  corresponded  for  a  number  of 
papers  in  the  east,  and  at  one  time  composed  a  poem  under  the  title  of 
"The  Thrasher's  Nest,"  which  came  under  the  observation  of  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  and  received  some  very  favorable  comments  from  that 
noted  critic  and  author.  Jerome  W.  Turner  and  wife  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely :  Jerome  E. ;  Wil- 
lard J. ;  Charles  G.,  an  attorney  and  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  bar  at  Grand 
Rapids;  Eveline,  who  married  a  Mr.  Decker,  a  Michigan  farmer;  Edward 
E.,  an  attorney,  who  died  in  1901  ;  Horace  B.,  who  is  in  real  estate 
business  in  the  west ;  and  E.  P.  and  Milo,  both  living  in  the  west.  The 
parents  were  active  members  of  the  Congregational  church.  Jerome  W. 
Turner  went  to  the  war  in  a  Michigan  regiment,  and  at  the  end  of  his 
service  hekl  the  rank  of  major.  Later  he  had  an  active  part  in  Grand 
Army  circles.  In  politics  his  support  was  given  to  the  Republican  cause 
until  the  Greeley  movement  in  1872,  after  which  he  was  a  Democrat  up 
to  1890.  From  that  time  he  supported  William  McKinley  and  the  Repub- 
lican principles. 

Willard  J.  Turner  is  a  graduate  of  the  Owosso  high  school.  In  1880 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  his  father's  office  and  recited  his  lessons  to 
his  grandfather.  On  September  11,  1882,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
at  once  started  to  practice  in  Owosso.  That  city  remained  his  home  until 
the  spring  of  1890.  since  which  time  he  has  lived  and  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  bar  of  Muskegon,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in 
Detroit.  Three  months  after  his  removal  to  Muskegon  came  his  nomina- 
tion to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  His 
opponent  was  J.  C.  McLaughlin,  now  congressman  from  that  district. 
The  county  had  a  normal  Republican  majority  of  twenty-five  hundred, 
but  Mr.  Turner  succeeded  in  overturning  that  majority  and  was  elected. 
He  had  served  one  term  in  the  same  office  while  living  in  Owosso.  Some 
time  later  the  governor  offered  him  the  appointment  of  Deputy  Warden 
at  the  penitentiary,  but  that  honor  was  declined.  He  served  two  years  as 
circuit  court  commissioner.  His  practice  has  always  been  large  and  has 
identified  him  with  many  of  the  most  important  cases  tried  in  the  western 
courts  of  Michigan.     Mr.  J.  H.  Moore  a  few  years  ago  appointed  him  to 


2148  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  office  of  city  altonicy.  At  the  first  convention  of  the  Progressive 
party  he  was  nominated  for  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  and  was  de- 
feated by  only  thirty-five  hunch-ed  votes,  running  away  ahead  of  the  rest 
of  the  ticket.  In  1885  Mr.  Turner  married  Louise  Gute,  a  daughter  of 
John  Gute,  at  one  time  mayor  of  the  city  of  Owosso.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  their  marriage.  W'illard  G.,  now  city  editor  of  the  Muskegon 
Chronicle,  graduated  from  the  Muskegon  high  school  and  spent  one  year 
in  Ann  Arbor  at  the  State  University ;  Margaret,  who  has  made  ,a  fine 
record  as  a  student,  graduated  from  the  high  school  and  later  from  the 
teachers'  department  of  Columbia  University  at  Xew  York  City,  has 
taught  kindergarten  in  the  Muskegon  city  schools,  is  an  accomplished 
musician  and  at  the  present  writing  is  resuming  her  studies  in  music. 
John  G.,  the  youngest,  is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1914  in  the  Muskegon 
high  school.  The  family  worship  in  the  Congregational  church  and  Mr. 
Turner  is  active  in  the  fraternity  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  having  made 
addresses  on  several  occasions  for  the  lodge.  His  politics  is  of  the  Pro- 
gressive Republican  brand. 

William  Ek.\stus  Cr.\ne.  Starting  out  in  life  a  poor  boy,  by  his  own 
efforts  William  E.  Crane  paid  for  his  education  and  won  a  place  of  dis- 
tinction as  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  Saginaw  bar.  Mr.  Crane 
has  practiced  law  at  Saginaw  for  twenty  years,  and  among  other  honors 
which  have  come  to  him  in  the  course  of  his  long  and  successful  private 
practice,  he  is  now  president  of  the  Saginaw  County  Bar  Association,  an 
office  which  indicates  his  high  standing  in  the  legal  profession. 

William  Erastus  Crane  was  born  in  Saginaw  county,  Michigan, 
March  17,  1858,  a  son  of  William  A.  Crane.  His  father  was  one  of  the 
well  known  pioneers  of  Saginaw.  At  one  time  he  w'as  connected  with  the 
Coun'cr-Hcrald.  was  a  school  teacher,  and  a  man  of  scholarship  and  influ- 
ence in  the  community,  ^\'illiam  E.  Crane  had  to  work  hard  to  get  his 
education,  and  paid  his  own  way  through  the  University  of  Michigan, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1882  from  the  law  department.  Returning  to 
his  native  locality,  he  opened  his  office  and  has  ever  since  been  winning 
cases  in  the  courts  and  has  a  high  standing  as  a  counselor.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  and  other  secret  orders. 
For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Crane  was  head  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  State  Bar  Association  of  Michigan. 

At  Ann  Arbor,  in  1884,  Mr.  Crane  marrietl  Miss  Ada  B.  Tremper,  a 
daughter  of  Albert  Louis  Tremper,  of  a  prominent  old  family  of  Ann 
Arbor.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crane,  namely:  Lloyd,  who  was  born  at  Saginaw  in  1886,  attended  the 
local  schools  and  the  law  department  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  gradu- 
ating in  1908,  and  after  one  year  as  a  member  of  the  university  faculty 
began  his  practice  in  1909  at  Saginaw,  in  his  father's  office;  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Alasonic  and  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  ;  he  is  vice  president  of  the  Saginaw  Bar  Associa- 
tion and  a  member  of  the  State  Piar  Association.  Gladys  Crane,  the 
second  of  the  family,  was  born  at  Saginaw  in  1892,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Birmingham  .Seminary  of  PcnnsyKania,  and  lives  at  home.  Miss  Lois 
Crane,  liorn  in  1895  at  Saginaw,  is  a  student  in  the  Lake  Erie  Seminary 
at  Paines\ille,  Ohio.  William  E.  Crane,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Saginaw  in  1902 
and  is  a  student  in  the  local  schools.  William  E.  Crane  is  the  owner  of 
considerable  real  estate  in  Saginaw  and  has  a  splendid  practice  which 
gives  him  a  definite  position  and  a  large  income. 

Jf)ii\  \'.  Fr.vzier,  M.  D.  For  many  years  in  active  practice  in  Michi- 
gan and  now'  a  resident  of  Port  Huron,  Dr.  Frazier  is  probably  one  of 


HISTORY   OF  MICHIGAN  2149 

the  best  known  ph\'sicians  in  Michigan,  stands  at  the  top  of  his  profession 
and  among  his  colleagues  is  known  as  a  careful,  painstaking  and  con- 
scientious man,  using  the  utmost  care  in  his  work  and  possessing  an 
unusual  range  of  experience  and  professional  attainments.  Dr.  Frazier 
has  given  attention  not  only  to  a  large  private  practice,  but  also  to  the 
cause  of  public  health,  and  has  also  been  prominent  in  military  circles, 
having  seen  service  in  Canada,  and  was  in  the  volunteer  and  regular  forces 
during  and  after  the  Spanish-American  War. 

Dr.  Frazier  was  born  at  Hamilton,  Ontario,  June  8,  1857,  a  son  of  John 
F.  and  Frances  (McKee)  Frazier.  Both  parents  were  born  in  Canada 
and  the  father  was  a  farmer,  a  vocation  which  he  followed  throughout 
his  active  years.  His  death  occurred  at  Toronto  in  1884,  when  sixty-one 
years  old.  The  mother  was  reared  and  educated  in  Canada  and  is  now 
living  at  Toronto,  aged  seventy-seven. 

The  youngest  of  the  family.  Dr.  Frazier  received  his  literary  training 
in  the  public  schools,  and  later  attended  Upper  Canada  College.  He 
entered  the  medical  department  of  Toronto  University  and  received  his 
degree  in  medicine  from  that  institution  in  1888.  His  first  regular  practice 
was  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Michigan,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and 
after  that  for  eighteen  years  was  in  continuous  practice  at  Lapeer,  in 
Lapeer  county.  There  he  established  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  skilled 
practitioner,  and  while  there  was  prominent  in  military  afl^airs,  and  his 
army  service  fell  in  that  period  of  his  career.  Since  March,  1912,  Dr. 
Frazier  has  controlled  a  successful  practice  in  Port  Huron.  He  has  taken 
post-graduate  work,  spending  the  years  1899-1900  in  the  New  York  Post- 
Graduate  Hospital,  and  was  in  Chicago  during  1912. 

Dr.  Frazier  is  a  member  of  the  County  and  State  Medical  Societies, 
and  tluring  his  residence  at  Lapeer  was  health  officer  of  Lapeer  county 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  has  also  done  much  to  further  educational 
[irogress  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  at  Lapeer.  He  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Home  for  Feeble-Minded  and  Michigan 
Training  School.  His  part  in  fraternal  v.-ork  has  also  been  a  feature  of 
his  life,  being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  Shriner,  and  belongs  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Pienevolent  and -Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  Modern  Brotherhood,  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters, 
and  is  past  high  physician  for  Michigan  in  the  Foresters. 

At  Toronto,  in  1890,  Dr.  Frazier  married  Miss  Ida  Reid,  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Walter  Reid ;  one  son  born  to  this  marriage,  namely :  Walter 
Frazier,  born  at  Rochester,  New  York,  in  1891,  a  graduate  in  architecture 
from  the  Toronto  LTniversity  and  now  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Kahn  of  Detroit. 

The  career  of  Dr.  Frazier  has  been  diversified  by  military  service  at 
different  times.  For  five  years  after  leaving  the  public  schools  he  was 
in  the  Canadian  army  during  the  eighties,  and  was  on  the  western  prairies 
during  the  northwest  rebellion  of  1885.  Later  he  joined  the  Michigan 
Troops  in  the  thirty-second  regiment  during  the  Spanish-American  War, 
served  as  sergeant-major,  and  after  the  volunteers  were  returned  home  he 
entered  the  regular  army  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  major,  connected  with  the  Michigan  National  Guards,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1913  was  on  duty  in  the  strike  district  of  the  upper 
peninsula.  Dr.  Frazier,  as  his  record  indicates,  is  a  man  fond  of  the 
outdoor  life  and  the  rugged  activities,  and  when  not  otherwise  engaged 
enjoys  hunting  and  fishing. 

Wir.LiAM  Batson.  One  of  the  well-to-do  business  men  of  I'ig  Rap- 
ids and  one  who  may  safely  claim  the  credit  for  every  item  of  prosperity 
that  has  come  to  him  is  William  Batson,  a  pioneer  marble  dealer  of  the 


2150  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

city,  and  one  whose  Ijusiness  activities  carry  him  throui;hout  the  state. 
Mr.  Batson  began  life  as  an  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  marble  cutter, 
and  he  has  advanced  step  by  step  up  the  scale  of  business  achievement 
until  he  is  today  among  the  foremost  men  of  the  community. 

Born  in  Bransford.  Canada,  on  April  5,  1852,  William  Batson  is  a 
son  of  Nelson  H.  and  Ann  (Foulks)  Batson.  The  father  was  born  in 
New^  Jersey  on  February  29,  1826  and  died  in  1897,  while  the  mother 
was  a  native  of  England,  l)orn  in  1822  and  died  in  1867.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Canada  in  1842,  whither  Nelson  H.  Batson  went  as  a  young  man. 
He  was  a  farmer  as  well  as  an  ordained  exhorter  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  he  long  took  an  active  part  in  the  activities  of  the 
church.  In  1854  he  settled  in  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  with  his  family, 
and  there  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  having  a  place  of  prominence 
in  the  county  to  the  end  of  his  days.  He  was  fur  years  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  took  an  important  ])art  in  the  leading  political  activities  of 
the  Republican  party  in  his  district.  He  was  a  Mason,  but  had  no  other 
fraternal  affiliations.  In  1869  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Ionia  and  lived 
retired  from  business  until  his  death  in  1897.  His  wife  was  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  Foulks  who  died  in  England. 

To  Nelson  and  Ann  Batson  were  born  eight  children,  three  of  whom 
are  yet  living:  Mary  Jane,  William  and  Emma.  The  first)  named  mar- 
ried John  Pickhaver  and  lives  in  Ionia,  Michigan,  and  the  other  daugh- 
ter. Emma,  is  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Gould,  also  resident  in  Ionia. 

William  Batson  had  his  education  mainly  in  the  schools  of  Ionia  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Ionia  High  School  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  It 
was  then  he  engaged  in  the  marble  business  as  an  apprentice  to  the  trade, 
and  in  1875  he  came  to  Big  Rapids  and  established  a  monument  works. 
He  was  but  twenty-three  years  of  age  at  that  time,  and  it  will  be  seen 
that  he  had  lost  no  time  in  getting  settled  in  his  business.  Though  Mr. 
Batson  came  to  this  city  almost  penniless,  certainly  without  any  avail- 
able cash  capital  with  which  to  found  a  business  such  as  he  had  in  mind, 
he  nevertheless  succeeded  in  his  aim,  and  today  he  is  known  from  border 
to  border  of  the  state  as  a  maker  and  dealer  in  monuments.  He  is  known 
for  one  of  the  financially  indejjendent  men  of  the  city  and  he  is  prominent 
in  various  circles  in  liig  Rapids,  socially,  politically  and  in  a  business  way. 

In  May.  1874,  Mr.  Batson  was  married  to  Addie  Hendricks,  the 
daughter  of  Emanuel  Hendricks,  a  miller  of  Ionia,  who  came  to  Mich- 
igan from  Pennsylvania  in  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Batson  attend  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  have  a  share  in  the  leading  activities  of  that  body. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  prominent  in  the  Demo- 
cratic political  activities  of  the  city  and  county. 

Gkorc.k  ^\'.  Lyons.  Probably  nine-tenths  of  the  insurance  business 
written  in  Hillsdale  county  is  through  the  office  of  George  W.  Lyons  at 
Hillsdale.  Mr.  Lyons  had  peculiar  talent  for  real  estate  and  insurance, 
else  he  could  hardly  have  made  his  abundant  success.  He  is  an  energetic 
business  man,  goes  out  for  business  beyond  the  strict  lines  of  his  com- 
munity, and  has  been  constantly  building  up  a  patronage  since  he  did  his 
first  work  in  insurance  and  real  estate  more  than  ten  years  ago. 

George  W.  Lyons  was  born  at  Hillsdale,  in  Hillsdale  county,  June  26, 
1881,  a  son  of  William  T.  and  Mary  (L'nderwood)  Lyons.  His  mother, 
who  was  born  at  Hillsdale  in  i860,  still  li\es  in  that  city.  There  were  three 
children,  George  W.,  Charles  W'.,  and  Ral])h  P. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  having  up  to  that  time  attended  the  grammer 
and  high  schools  of  Hillsdale,  George  W.  Lyons  entered  the  office  of  J.  W. 
Marvin,  insurance  and  real  estate.  Three  years  later  the  clerk  bought  a 
half  interest  from  Mr.  Marvin.    That  was  in  1900,  and  they  continued  as 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2151 

associates  in  a  successful  enterprise  until  1910,  when  Mr.  Lyons  became 
sole  proprietor,  and  now  represents  as  agent  more  than  forty  companies 
in  the  insurance  field,  and  also  handles  a  large  amount  of  real  estate 
transaction.  His  motto  has  been  honest  and  square  business  methods, 
and  that  system,  combined  with  his  scrupulous  integrity  and  remarkable 
energy,  has  been  the  secret  of  his  success. 

At  Hillsdale  on  June  i,  1905,  Mr.  Lyons  married  Lily  Prideaux,  who 
was  born  in  England,  a  daughter  of  George  D.  and  Emma  Prideaux.  Her 
father,  who  died  in  1904,  was  a  grain  buyer.  Mr.  Lyons  and  wife  have 
one  child,  Kathryn.  Fraternally  he  has  taken  the  York  Rite  degrees  of 
Masonry,  including  the  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Commandery,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Among  other  interests  he  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Hillsdale  Elgin  Creamery  Company  and  the  Alamo  Manufacturing 
Company.  He  owns  his  own  home  and  stands  very  high  as  a  business 
man  and  citizen.  In  politics  he  is  a  Progressive,  and  at  the  present  time 
is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  Of  outdoor  recreations  he  is 
perhaps  fondest  of  fishing.  His  brother  Ralph  P.  married  Ada  Whitlock 
and  has  one  child,  Jane.  Ralph  P.  Lyons  is  cashier  in  the  Hup  Motor 
Company  at  Detroit. 

Aaron  Sibley.  For  many  years  Aaron  Sibley  has  been  a  resident  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  others  of  the  name,  as  well,  have  contributed  worthily 
to  the  growth  and  progress  of  this  city.  Mr.  Sibley  was  born  in  Platts- 
burg,  Clinton  county.  New  York,  and  his  father,  another  Aaron  Sibley, 
also  claimed  the  same  community  for  his  birthspot.  Aaron  Sibley,  father 
of  the  subject,  was  a  son  of  a  New  Hampshire  Sibley,  the  family  having 
long  been  established  in  the  Green  Mountain  state,  and  he  moved  to  New 
York  in  young  manhood,  settling  in  Clinton  county  and  ending  his  days 
there.  Thus  there  were  at  least  three  generations  of  this  fine  old  family 
associated  with  that  region.  He  was  the  father  of  five  sons — John,  W'il- 
lard,  Aaron,  Luther  and  Russell.  Willard  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  he  commanded  the  first  steamer  that  plied  on  the 
Grand  River.  He  made  this  city  his  home  until  his  death,  after  which 
his  widow  married  a  Mr.  Piatt,  both  being  now  deceased. 

Aaron  Sibley,  father  of  the  subject,  learned  carpentry  in  his  native 
community.  He  came  to  Grand  Rapids  in  1833  as  a  mere  youth,  follow- 
ing his  elder  brother  here.  The  now  thriving  city  was  then  the  merest 
hamlet,  and  young  Sibley  hired  out  to  one  Louis  Campau,  a  builder,  later 
engaging  in  contracting  on  his  own  responsibility.  The  place  was  a  grow- 
ing one,  even  then,  and  there  was  ample  opportunity  for  the  young 
carpenter  to  try  his  mettle  in  the  contracting  business.  In  1837  he  returned 
to  Clinton  county.  New  York,  there  remaining  until  1851,  when  he  went 
to  California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  He  arrived  safely  in  California,  but 
soon  after  that  was  drowned  in  the  San  Juan  river.  Mr.  Sibley  had 
married  in  his  native  community  Miss  Pauline  Doty,  who  was  born  in 
Genesee  county.  New  York,  and  after  the  death  of  her  husbanil  she 
returned  to  New  York  with  her  little  family,  living  in  Clinton  county  for 
some  years  and  then  moving  to  Grand  Rapids.  Here  she  spent  her  remain- 
ing years,  death  claiming  her  in  1901.  She  reared  three  of  her  eight  chil- 
dren. They  are :  Julia,  now  the  wife  of  George  Keet ;  Elsie,  who  married 
Fred  S.  Nult,  and"  Aaron  Sibley,  whose  name  introduces  this  somewhat 
brief  review. 

Aaron  Sibley  attended  the  public  schools  in  Clinton  county  and  he 
was  sixteen  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  Michigan.  He 
attended  school  at  Ionia  for  two  years  thereafter,  after  which  he  went  to 
Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  and  there  for  a  few  months  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  Washington  Mills  Company.     He  returned  to  Ionia  and  in  1874 


2152  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

came  to  (irand  Rajiids.  In  thai  year  he  was  appointed  to  the  post  of 
letter  carrier,  free  clehvery  of  the  mails  having  but  lately  come  into  exist- 
ence in  the  city,  which  then  had  a  pojjulation  of  28,000  and  a  force  of 
eight  mail  carriers.  For  twenty  years  Aaron  Sibley  remained  in  the 
government  service  as  a  mail  carrier,  and  then,  owing  to  continued  ill 
health,  he  resigned  from  the  service.  For  a  time  he  lived  in  the  south, 
in  search  of  renewed  strength,  but  his  condition  did  not  improve  suffi- 
ciently to  warrant  his  further  sojourning  there,  so  he  returned  and  took 
up  his  residence  on  the  shore  of  the  lake.  Here  he  had  opportunity  to 
realize  the  curative  powers  of  Michigan's  climate,  for  he  regained  his 
health,  and  in  a  comparatively  short  time  was  able  to  resume  business 
activities.  He  became  associated  with  the  Northern  Life  Assurance  Com- 
pany as  superintendent  of  the  loan  department,  and  has  continued  with 
that  company  until  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Sibley  was  married  in  August,  1875,  to  Helen  \'an  Slyke,  born 
in  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  Uie  daughter  of  Herman  and  Lucy  (Lewis) 
\'an  Slyke,  people  of  Holland  and  English  ancestry.  Mrs.  Sibley  died 
in  1892,  the  mother  of  three  children.  They  were  Lillian,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years;  .Vbbie,  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  Burleson  and  the 
mother  of  two  sons — John  and  ^\  ill;ird.  Ruth  married  Ralph  I^.  W'inan 
and  has  one  daughter,  Helen. 

Judge  Fl.wius  L.  Brooke  was  born  at  Simcoe,  Norfolk  county, 
Ontario,  on  October  7,  1858.  His  parents  were  John  and  Sarah  (Mann) 
Brooke.  The  common  schools  of  Ontario  laid  the  basis  for  his  educa- 
tion and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  .\lbert  University  at  Belleville, 
taking  a  two-years"  course  in  the  liberal  arts.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
began  the  reading  of  law  and  spent  one  year  in  Belleville  and  four  years 
at  Toronto,  where  he  was  articled  in  the  law  offices  of  Mowat,  MacLellan 
&  Downey,  and  was  also  a  student  at  Osgoode  Hall.  In  1884  he  was 
called  to  the  bar  at  Toronto,  and  in  the  following  year  came  to  Detroit 
and  entered  the  office  of  Col.  John  Atkinson  and  Judge  Isaac  Marston. 
In  1887  Judge  Brooke  became  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Atkinson, 
Carpenter  &  Brooke,  a  relationship  which  was  continued  until  Judge  W. 
L.  Carpenter  went  on  the  bench  as  judge  of  the  Circuit  court  of  Wayne 
county.  Jndge  Brooke  then  became  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Brooke 
&  Spalding,  which  was  maintained  from  1892  imtil  1896.  From  1896 
Judge  r.rooke  was  in  practice  by  himself  until  1900. 

In  1900  President  McKinley  ap])oinied  him  supervisor  of  the  census 
for  the  First  Michigan  District.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  Third  Judicial  Circuit  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  was 
reelected  on  April  3,  1905.  When  his  former  law  partner,  Judge  William 
L.  Carpenter,  resigned  from  the  Supreme  court,  Judge  Brooke  was 
appointed  in  his  stead,  and  in  November,  1908,  was  regularly  elected  to 
fill  that  ])Osition. 

.•\t  .Stratford,  Ontario,  on  November  24,  1884,  Judge  Brooke  married 
Miss  P>.  Rci(l_\'.    They  are  the  j)arents  of  four  children. 

Rt.  Rev.  Henkv  Joseph  Riciiter.  The  Catholic  diocese  of  Grand 
Rapids  was  created  in  1882.  Its  first  and  only  bishop  has  been  Rt.  Rev. 
Henry  Joseph  Richter,  whose  service  in  that  episcopal  office  has  been  con- 
tinuous for  over  thirty-one  years.  It  has  been  a  service  notable  not  only 
for  length,  but  also  for  the  growth  and  development  of  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  work  under  his  supervision.  It  was  largely  a  pioneer  territory 
into  which  Bishop  Richter  and  his  associate  priests  came  thirty-one  years 
ago,  and  it  would  be  impossil)le  to  enumerate  the  countless  administrative 
details  and  even  the  larger  individual  accomplishments  of  his  career  as 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2153 

bishop.  The  diocese  of  Grand  Rapids  is  in  many  important  ways  a 
monument  to  the  re\ered  head,  and  now,  at  the  venerable  age  of  seventy- 
six,  he  may  well  look  back  with  gratitude  upon  what  has  been  accom- 
plished. 

Henry  Joseph  Richler  was  born  at  Neuenkirchen,  Oldenburg,  Ger- 
many, April  9,  1838.  His  parents  were  John  Henry  and  Anna  Maria 
Elizabeth  (Albers)  Richter.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854.  The 
future  bishop  was  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  his  preliminary  education 
had  been  obtained  in  Germany.  In  this  country  his  studies  were  con- 
tinued at  St.  Xavier's  College,  in  Cincinnati;  at  St.  Thomas'  Seminary, 
Bardstown,  Kentucky,  and  at  Mount  St.  Mary's  Seminary,  in  Cincinnati. 
In  i860  he  went  abroad  and  entered  the  American  College  at  Rome. 
There,  in  1865,  the  degree  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him 
and  he  was  ordained  a  priest.  With  America  as  his  chosen  field  of  work, 
he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  became  vice  president  and  professor  of 
dogma,  philosophy  and  liturgy  at  Mount  St.  ]\Iary's  Seminary.  His 
service  in  that  capacity  continued  from  1865  until  1870.  From  1870  until 
1883  he  was  rector  of  St.  Lawrence  and  chaplain  of  the  Academy  of 
Mount  St.  \'incent,  being  the  founder  and  director  of  St.  Lawrence 
Parish  until  1883. 

Early  in  1883  he  was  consecrated  bishop  of  the  new  diocese  of  Grand 
Rapids.  With  Grand  Rapids  as  his  cathedral  city,  he  entered  upon  his 
work  with  a  staff  of  thirty-six  priests  and  began  a  vigorous  administra- 
tion of  the  diocese  and  the  founding  and  extending  of  the  parishes  then 
existing.  The  south  boundaries  of  the  diocese  were  Ottawa,  Kent,  Mont- 
calm, and  Saginaw  counties,  the  total  area  being  twenty-two  thousand 
square  miles.  At  that  time  the  diocese  of  Grand  Rapids  had  three 
churches,  with  resident  priests,  while  it  now  has  twelve  churches.  When 
Bishop  Richter  began  his  work  there  were  only  thirty-two  resident  priests 
in  the  entire  diocese,  while  the  number  is  now  one  hundred  and  five.  Some 
other  statistics  will  indicate  the  remarkable  changes  brought  about  in 
thirty-one  years.  The  Catholic  population  was  then  forty  thousand,  hav- 
ing increased  now  to  about  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  ;  less  than 
three  thousand  school  children  were  in  the  parochial  institutions  as  com- 
pared with  eighteen  thousand  at  the  present  time  ;  two  hospitals  have  since 
been  increased  to  eight ;  there  was  one  orphan  asylum,  while  there  are  now 
two.  At  the  present  time  the  various  religious  orders  in  the  Grand 
Rapids  diocese  are  now  represented  by  the  Franciscan  Fathers,  the 
Redemptorist  Fathers,  the  Fathers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Conventual 
Fathers,  the  Precious  Blood  Fathers,  the  Premonstratensians,  the  Do- 
minicans, Sisters  of  Mercy,  Ursuline  Sisters,  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame, 
Felician  Sisters,  Sisters  of  St.  Francis,  Sisters  of  Charity,  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  and  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor.  The 
bishop's  residence  is  at  265  Sheldon  Avenue,  S.  E.,  in  Grand  Rapids. 

Fenton  R.  McCreery.  For  twenty  years,  until  he  recently  returned 
to  his  home  in  Flint  to  look  after  his  private  afifairs,  Mr.  McCreery  was 
one  of  the  hard-working,  talented  and  forceful  men  in  the  United  States 
diplomatic  ser\'ice.  Representing  one  of  the  old  and  distinguished  families 
of  this  state,  he  has  maintained  the  best  traditions  of  his  forebears,  and 
through  his  own  career  has  become  a  figure  in  national  life. 

Fenton  Reuben  McCreery  was  born  at  Flint,  Alichigan,  April  21,  1866, 
a  son  of  the  late  Colonel  William  Barker  and  Ada  Birdsall  (Fenton) 
McCreery.  His  grandfather,  Reuben  AlcCreery,  came  to  Michigan  in 
1838,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Genesee  county,  was  owner  of 
extensive  farm  lands  in  that  locality,  subseciuently  became  a  miller,  also 
served  as  the  second  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  died  at  Flint  in  1880. 


2154  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

The  late  Colonel  Williani  1!.  McCrcery  was  one  of  Michigan's  dis- 
tinguished men.  He  held  many  important  positions  of  trust,  including 
mayor  of  Flint,  state  treasurer,  member  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture, 
United  States  collector  of  internal  revenue,  and  served  as  consul  to  Chile. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  was  colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Michigan  In- 
fantry, was  six  times  wounded,  carrying  two  bullets  in  his  body  until  his 
death,  was  captured  at  Chickaniauga  and  taken  to  Libby  prison  at  Rich- 
mond, \'irginia.  from  which  he  escaped  through  the  famous  tunnel,  reach- 
ing the  Union  lines  with  General  H.  C.  Ciobart  of  Wisconsin  as  his  com- 
panion. He  commanded  the  Engineers  Brigade,  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
at  Chattanooga  in  1864.    His  death  occurred  at  Flint  in  1896. 

Miss  Fenton,  who  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  W.  B.  McCreery,  was 
a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement,  who  died  in  1883,  and  a  daughter 
of  Colonel  William  M.  Fenton.  William  M.  Fenton  was  born  in  1808, 
came  to  Michigan  in  1S37  and  died  in  1871.  He  graduated  from  Hamilton 
College  at  the  head  of  his  class  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  eminent  attorneys  of  the  west  and' was  colonel  of  the  Eighth  Michi- 
gan Infantry  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  was  elected 
Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  state  before  the  war,  but  was  defeated  for 
the  governorship  at  the  close  of  the  war  by  a  Republican.  The  town  of 
Fenton  was  named  in  his  honor.  Colonel  Fenton's  father,  Joseph  S.  Fen- 
ton, was  a  native  of  New  York  StaW  who  caine  out  to-Michigan  in  pioneer 
times  and  became  prominent  as  a  banker,  and  for  several  terms  was  a 
member  of  the  state  senate.  Colonel  McCreery  and  wife  had  three  chil- 
dren: Mrs.  Jerome  H.  Rennick,  born  at  Flint,  now  lives  at  Detroit;  Mrs. 
Matthew  Davidson,  Jr.,  born  at  Flint,  resides  in  that  city  ;  and  Fenton  R. 

I-'enton  R.  McCreery,  who  has  never  married,  grew  up  at  Flint,  at- 
tended the  local  schools  and  also  the  Orchard  Lake  ^Iilitary  Academy  and 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1888.  His 
career  has  been  almost  entirely  in  the  service  of  the  Federal  government. 
He  prepared  himself  carefully  for  the  foreign  service.  He  speaks  I-"rench 
and  Spanish,  and  has  often  spoken  in  public  in  the  latter  tongue  in  the 
southern  republics. 

He  was  clerk  in  the  United  States  consulate  at  \"alparaiso,  Chile, 
1890-91,  and  was  secretary  of  legation  at  Santiago,  Chile,  1S91-93.  serving 
for  about  four  months  as  charge  d'affaires.  During  this  service  sailors 
from  the  U.  S.  S.  Baltimore,  Captain  Winfield  S.  Schley,  were  attacked 
in  the  streets  of  \"alparaiso,  two  being  killed  and  seventeen  wounded. 
War  threatened  between  the  two  countries,  but  the  affair  was  amicably 
adjusted  through  diplomatic  channels.  Mr.  McCreery's  service  in  Chile 
witnessetl  the  revolution  of  1891  which  overthrew  the  government  of 
President  Balmaceda. 

Mr.  McCreery  was  commissioner  from  Michigan  to  the  California 
Mid- Winter  International  Exposition  at  San  Francisco  in  1894.  In  1897 
he  was  appointed  by  T'resident  McKinley  secretary  of  embassy  to  Mexico. 
He  served  ten  years  in  Mexico,  during  nearly  three  of  which  he  acted  as 
charge  d'affaires. 

On  January  10,  1907.  Mr.  McCreery  was  appointed  by  President  Roose- 
velt minister  resident  and  consul  general  to  the  Dominican  Republic.  Dur- 
ing this  service  the  customs  treaty  was  ratified  and  went  into  effect,  the 
general  terms  of  which  gave  the  United  States  supervision  over  the 
revenues  of  the  republic.  For  his  work  in  San  Domingo  he  received  the 
personal  congratulations  of  President  Roosevelt. 

President  Taft  selected  him  as  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister 
pleni])otenliary  to  Honduras  in  January,  1910.  This  was  a  critical  time 
in  Central  .\merica  and  Mr.  McCreery  was  selected  because  of  his  experi- 
ence in  turbulent  times  in  other  countries.     He  assisted  in  negotiating  a 


THE  SI^'  ^f^^^ 


tONSl 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2155 

treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Honduras,  which,  however,  has 
never  been  ratified  by  tlie  United  States  senate. 

In  191 1  a  peace  conference  was  called  in  Honduras  to  compose  the 
civil  war  then  raging.  The  conference,  in  which  were  represented  the 
two  warring  factions,  upon  successfully  terminating  its  labors,  presented 
to  Mr.  McCreery  "a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  efficacious  and  opportune 
services  to  this  body  in  its  labors  for  peace." 

In  July,  191 1,  Mr.  McCreery  offered  his  resignation  from  the  diplo- 
matic service  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Flint  to  look  after  his  private 
affairs.  In  August,  19 12,  because  of  his  services  in  Mexico  and  his 
knowledge  of  Spanish,  he  was  invited  to  accompany  in  an  advisory 
capacity  the  United  States  senate  committee  on  foreign  relations  investi- 
gating the  Mexican  situation.  Mr.  McCreery  served  with  the  committee 
until  February,  19 13.  Sessions  were  held  in  El  Paso,  Los  Angeles,  New 
Orleans  and  \\'ashington. 

Mr.  McCreery  is  a  world  traveler  and  for  both  pleasure  and  education 
has  toured  many  foreign  lands.  bVom  June  to  October,  1913,  he  was  in 
Palestine,  Greece  and  Egypt,  returning  by  Constantinople  and  the  Balkan 
States  at  the  close  of  their  war  with  Turkey.  He  is  at  the  present  time 
an  honorary  vice-chairman-at-large  of  the  American  committee  to  cele- 
brate the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  peace  between  English  speaking 
peoples.  Mr.  McCreery  is  frequently  invited  to  address  conferences 
called  to  discuss  our  relations  with  Latin  America.  When  at  home  Mr. 
McCreery  occupies  the  old  homestead  in  Flint,  where  he  justly  enjoys  the 
associations  of  a  distinguished  citizen. 

Ch.\rles  R.  Sligh.  Prominent  among  those  whose  executive  powers 
and  progressive  policies  have  given  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids  a  foremost 
position  as  a  center  of  the  furniture  industry,  stands  the  liberal  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen,  whose  name  initiates  this  review  and  who  is  presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  the  Sligh  Furniture  Company,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  important  of  the  great  furniture  manufacturing  corpora- 
tions of  the  'A'alley  City"  of  Michigan  and  of  which  he  was  the  founder. 
Preliminary  to  more  specific  data  concerning  Mr.  Sligh  there  is  propriety 
in  reproducing  the  following;  pertinent  statements,  which  ap[ieared  in  a 
local  publication  of  recent  date:  "Of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  Mr.  Sligh 
has  all  of  the  sterling  characteristics  that  distinguish  the  Gael — energy, 
tenacity,  foresight  and  adaptability.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  started 
out  for  himself  and  selected  the  tinsmith  trade  as  the  best  proposition 
available  at  that  time.  He  worked  for  four  years  at  this  trade  with  the 
Foster  &  Stevens  Hardware  Company,  of  Grand  Rapids.  It  was  not 
long  before  its  jirincipals  recognized  his  alMlity  and  gave  him  a  position 
as  salesman  in  the  store.  Five  years  later  he  was  offered  a  position  as 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Berkey  &  Gay  Furniture  Company,  and.  see- 
ing a  great  future  for  this  line  of  business  in  Grand  Rapids,  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  accept.  After  he  had  learned  the  furniture  business  thor- 
oughly, he  organized  a  company  and  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness himself,  in  1880.  The  new  company  was  called  the  Sligh  Furniture 
Company,  and  it  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  largest  industrial  cor- 
porations in  the  city." 

Special  interest  germane  to  the  career  of  Mr.  Sligh  is  that  involved 
in  the  fact  that  he  is  a  native  of  the  city  in  which  he  has  achieved  such 
distinctive  success  and  prestige  as  a  veritable  captain  of  industry.  He 
was  born  in  Grand  Rapids  on  the  5th  of  January,  1850,  and  this  date  in- 
dicates that  he  is  a  representative  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Michigan's  sec- 
ond city.  He  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  EHza  (Wilson)  Sligh,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1821,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 


2156  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

in  Jrelaiul,  in  llie  year  1822.  their  marriage  having  been  solemnized  in  the 
city  of  Rochester,  New  York,  in  i<S43.  In  1846,  the  young  couple  came 
to  this  state  and  established  their  home  in  Grand  Rapids,  which  was 
then  a  mere  village.  Here  Mr.  Sligh  followed  the  vocation  of  merchant 
tailor  and  also  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business,  in  which  lat- 
ter he  was  a  memljer  of  the  firm  of  Porter  &  Sligh.  When  the  Civil  war 
was  preci[)itated  ^Ir.  Sligh  sacrificed  his  personal  interests  to  tender  his 
services  in  defense  of  the  L'nion  and  thus  to  show  his  loyalty  to  the  land 
of  his  ado])tion.  In  1861,  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's  first  call  for 
volunteers,  lames  W.  Sligh  organized  Company  F,  First  Regiment  Mich- 
igan Engineers,  and  became  its  captain.  He  proceeded  with  his  regiment 
to  the  front  and  proved  a  most  valiant  soldier  and  able  and  popular  officer. 
He  continued  in  active  service,  a  participant  in  several  engagements, 
until  he  finally  sacrificed  his  life.  He  was  wounded  in  an  engagement 
with  a  band  of  guerillas,  and  his  injuries  resulted  in  his  death  three  weeks 
later,  on  the  15th  of  November,  1863,  at  Tullahoma,  Tennessee.  Prior 
to  the  war  he  had  been  lieutenant  of  an  artillery  company  in  the  Michigan 
militia.  Ca])tain  James  W.  Sligh  came  to  Grand  Rapids  with  the  slightest 
of  financial  resources  and  through  his  own  eftorts  won  success  and  in- 
dependence, though  he  met  with  an  appreciable  financial  loss  through  a 
fire  that  destroyed  his  mercantile  establishment  in  18(10.  He  was  a  citi- 
zen of  progressiveness  and  broad  views,  steadfast  and  upright  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  and  he  ever  commanded  the  unqualified  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  men.  Captain  Sligh  was  a  stalwart  Republican  in 
his  political  proclivities  and  served  as  vice-president  of  the  first  Repub- 
lican meeting  ever  held  in  Grand  Rapids.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Swedenborgian  church  and  attained  to  high  position  in  the  Masonic 
fraternitv,  ni  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  men  in  Michigan  who  had 
claim  to  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Ancient  .\ccepted  Scottish  Rite. 
His  father.  Robert  Sligh,  immigrated  from  Scotland  in  1833.  and  after 
residing  for  a  period  of  years  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada  he  came  to 
Grand  Raijids,  ]\Iich!gan,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
vocation  during  the  greater  part  of  his  active  career  having  been  that 
of  farming. 

Mrs.  Eliza  (Wilson)  Sligh.  mother  of  him  to  whom  this  sketch  is 
dedicated,  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  \\'ilson,  who  came  from 
the  Emerald  Isle  to  .\merica  iii  1823,  when  she  was  one  year  of  age,  and 
who  were  residents  of  Rochester,  New  York,  at  the  time  of  their  death, 
in  the  later  '40s,  the  father  having  been  a  contractor  and  builder  by  voca- 
tion. Mrs.  Sligh  survived  the  husband  of  her  youth  by  nearly  thirt\- 
years,  and  was  a  resident  of  Grand  Rapids  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
which  occurred  lanuarv  23.  1892.  Her  life  was  an  especially  helpful  one, 
full  of  good  deeds  and  of' consideration  for  others.  Of  the  five  children 
three  are  living — Dr.  James  M.,  who  is  a  representative  physician  and 
surgeon  in  the  state  of  Montana:  Mrs.  Julia  S.  Follett,  who  is  a  widow 
and  resides  in  Grand  Rapids  :  and  Charles  R..  who  is  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review. 

Charles  R.  Sligh  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of  tlrand  Rapids 
for  his  earlv  educational  discipline.  He  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and  soon  afterward  he  began  to  depend 
upon  his  own  resources.  .\t  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  as  noted  in  the 
initial  paragraph  of  this  article,  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  with 
\\'ilder  D.  Foster,  to  the  trade  of  tinsmith,  and  he  continued  as  a  shop 
workman  four  vears,  after  which  he  held  a  clerical  position  in  the  store 
of  the  same  hardware  firm  for  a  period  of  five  years.  The  ensuing  si.K 
years  he  gave  to  efTective  service  as  traveling  salesman  for  the  I'.erkey 
'&  Gav  Fiirniture  Company,  and  in  tS8o  he  efl'ected  the  organization  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2157 

the  Sligh  Furniture  Company,  which  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $18,500  and  which  began  its  manufacturing  enterprise  on  a  scale 
that  was  most  modest  as  compared  with  the  stupendous  business  con- 
ducted by  the  corporation  at  the  present  time.  The  second  year  wit- 
nessed the  increase  of  the  capital  to  $30,000,  which  was  the  entire  amount 
ever  invested  in  the  business.  The  operations  at  the  present  day  are 
based  on  the  noteworthy  capital  of  $750,000,  thus  indicating  unequiv- 
ocally the  great  growth  of  the  business  under  Mr.  Sligh's  able  manage- 
ment. The  company  confines  attention  exclusively  to  the  manufacturing 
of  bedroom  furniture,  and  the  fine  modern  plant  is  the  largest  in  the 
state,  with  one  exception.  The  products  of  the  Sligh  Furniture  Company 
are  shipped  to  every  state  in  the  Union,  as  well  as  into  Canada  and 
Mexico,  and  the  business  shows  a  constantly  cumulative  tendency  in  the 
volume  and  importance  of  its  trade.  As  president  and  general  manager 
Mr.  Sligh  has  been  the  dominating  force  in  the  development  of  this 
great  industrial  enterprise,  and  he  has  otherwise  identified  himself  most 
fully  with  the  business  and  civic  activities  through  which  has  been  com- 
passed the  upbuilding  of  his  home  city.  In  Grand  Rapids  Mr.  Sligh  is 
found  numbered  among  the  directors  of  each,  the  Grand  Rapids  National 
City  Bank,  the  City  Trust  &  Savings  Bank,  and  the  Grand  Rapids  Trust 
Company,  besides  which  he  is  vice  president  of  the  New  Pantlind  Hotel 
Company,  and  of  the  new  Empress  Theater  Company.  The  furniture 
company  of  which  he  is  president  owns  large  tracts  of  valuable  timber 
land  in  Oregon  and  Washington.  Mr.  Sligh  is  one  of  the  principals  in 
an  extensive  irrigation  corporation  in  Arizona,  and  it  may  be  noted  that 
he  is  at  the  present  time  president  of  two  timber  companies  and  one  irriga- 
tion company  in  the  West,  also  president  of  the  Furniture  Manufacturers 
Mutual  Insurance  Company,  a  company  which  carries  the  risks  of  the 
furniture  Manufacturers  of  Grand  Rapids  under  the  Michigan  Work- 
men's Compensation  Act.  Mr.  Sligh  was  appointed  in  191 2  by  Gov. 
Osborne  a  member  of  the  Workmen's  Compensation  Commission,  which 
drafted  the  Workmen's  Compensation  Law  which  is  generally  conceded 
to  be  the  best  law  in  the  United  States  on  this  subject.  He  was  the 
vice-chairman  of  the  commission. 

He  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Clark  Iron  Company,  one 
of  the  largest  iron  producers  on  the  Messaba  Range. 

His  success  exemplifies  the  possibilities  oiTered  in  the  United  States 
for  individual  achievement,  and  while  Mr.  Sligh  is  one  of  the  substantial 
capitalists  of  Michigan,  he  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  every  dol- 
lar of  his  fortune  has  been  accumulated  through  his  own  ability  and 
efforts. 

He  has  been  not  only  manufacturer  but  has  been  prominent  in  look- 
ing after  the  organized  interests  of  tlie  furniture  industry.  He  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  organization  in  1886  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Freight 
Bureau,  which  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  securing  uniform 
freight  rates  and  assisting  in  protecting  Grand  Rapids  manufacturers 
against  unjust  discrimination.  Mr.  Sligh,  likewise  helped  to  organize  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  was  its  vice-president  and  for  many  years  a  director. 
The  improvement  of  Grand  River  as  a  navigable  stream  and  consequentlv 
a  great  commercial  asset  to  Grand  Rapids,  has  for  many  years  been  one 
of  the  cherished  projects  of  Mr.  Sligh,  and  as  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
advocates  of  this  improvement,  he  has  continued  in  season  and  out  to 
work  along  that  line  and  has  done  much  to  effect  a  wholesome  change  of 
public  opinion  on  the  question. 

Mr.  Sligh  for  many  years  was  president  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Furni- 
ture I\Ianufacturers  Association,  and  was  president  of  the  National  Furni- 
ture Manufacturers  Association  from  1888  to  1892.     Among  otiier  ways 


2158  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

in  wliicli  he  has  made  his  iiiHuence  and  enterprise  felt  in  his  home  city 
was  his  part  in  effecting  the  estaljhshnient  of  an  independent  telephone 
system  in  Grand  Rapids.  He  was  the  cliief  promoter  and  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  Citizens  Telephone  Company  and  served  as  a  director 
of  the  company  for  several  years. 

No  citizen  of  Grand  Rapids  is  more  liberal  and  public-spirited  than 
Charles  R.  Sligh  and  none  holds  more  secure  vantage-ground  in  popular 
conlidence  and  esteem.  He  is  democratic  and  unassuming,  places  true 
values  upon  lUen  and  affairs,  and  is  influential  in  the  furtherance  of 
measures  and  enterprises  tending  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  his 
native  city  and  state.  His  progressiveness  is  evidenced  bv  the  fact  that 
when  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  1882-3  he  endeav- 
ored to  increase  the  usefulness  of  the  primary  schools  of  the  city  by 
providing  them  with  periodicals  and  opening  them  evenings  for  neigh- 
borhood meetings,  thus  making  them  social  centers.  He  was  about  a 
generation  ahead  of  his  times  and  the  eff'ort  failed  then,  but  it  is  in  effect 
here  today.  He  is  president  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Council  of  Boy  Scouts 
and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  movement. 

Mr.  Sligh  was  an  active  Republican  until  i8<;5  when  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Silver  Republican  jiarty  of  Michigan,  and  was  elected 
Chairman  of  the  State  Central  Committee.  In  1896  he  was  nominated  at 
Bay  City  for  Governor  on  a  fusion  ticket  and  polled  the  largest  vote  any 
opponent  of  the  Republicail  party  had  ever  polled  in  Michigan,  but  was 
unable  to  overcome  the  enormous  nominal  Republican  majority.  He  is 
identified  with  representative  commercial  and  social  organizations  in 
(jrand  Rapids  and  lioth  he  and  his  wife  are  communicants  of  Grace 
church,  Protestant  Ei)iscopal.  in  which  he  is  a  member  of  the  vestry.  His 
first  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

The  year  1875  recorded  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sligh  to  Miss  Mary  S. 
Conger,  of  \\'isconsin.  She  passed  to  the  life  eternal  in  1903.  She  is 
survived  by  three  children, — Edith,  Adeline  and  Loraine.  In  1905  was 
solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sligh  to  Miss  Edith  E.  Clark,  and  they 
have  two  children, — Charles  R.,  Jr.,  and  Gertrude. 

James  P.  Letts.  M.  D.  The  professional  career  of  Dr.  James  P.  Letts, 
one  of  the  leading  medical  practitioners  of  Macomb  county,  has  covered  a 
period  of  thirty  years,  seventeen  of  which  have  been  passed  at  Romeo, 
his  present  liekl  of  endeavor.  His  record  is  one  of  steady  advancement 
and  high  attainment,  and  his  present  high  position  has  been  attained  by 
consecutive  and  well-applied  effort.  Doctor  Letts  is  a  native  of  Michigan, 
having  been  born  on  a  farm  in  Oakland  township,  Oakland  county,  July  9, 
1857,  a  son  of  James  Madison  and  Elizabeth  (Van  Sickle)  Letts. 

James  Madison  Letts  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  shortly  after  his 
marriage  came  to  Michigan,  where  he  located  in  1856  in  Oakland  county, 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  jnirsuits  in  Oakland  township.  Subsequently 
he  moved  to  Orion  township,  and  still  later  to  the  \illage  of  Orion,  where 
he  still  makes  his  home  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  Mrs.  Letts,  also 
a  nati\e  of  New  Jersey,  where  she  was  reared,  educated  and  married, 
died  in  1907  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Letts,  namely:  James  P.;  Erastus  S.,  who  resides  at 
Rochester,  Michigan  ;  Homer,  who  died  in  June,  1883,  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years;  and  ]Mrs.  James  Y.  Clark,  who  resides  at  Orion. 

The  early  education  of  Doctor  Letts  was  secured  in  the  graded  and 
high  schools  of  the  village  of  Orion,  following  wdiich  he  attended  the 
Michigan  Agricultural  College  for  one  year.  During  one  term  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  school,  although  at  this  time  he  was  spending  his 
leisure  in  applying  himself  to  his  medical  studies,  and  then  entered  the 


HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN  2159 

Detroit  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1884.  He  began  practice  on  March  12th  of  that 
year  at  Romeo,  and  in  the  spring  of  1887  formed  a  professional  partner- 
ship with  Doctor  Berry,  which  lasted,  however,  only  until  June,  1888.  At 
that  time  he  disposed  of  his  practice  and  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was 
in  active  practice  until  1901.  While  in  the  Illinois  metropolis  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Chicago  Health  Department  in  various  important  capa- 
cities and  with  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  In  1893  he  was 
appointed  inspector  of  contagious  diseases,  a  position  which  he  held  for  a 
long  jjeriod,  and  took  an  active  and  helpful  part  in  stamping  out  the 
dangerous  smallpox  epidemics  which  swept  the  Windy  City  at  that  time. 
From  1889  until  1893  he  acted  as  clinical  inspector  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  and  dtiring  his  entire  residence  in  Chicago  was  a 
valued  member  of  the  Cook  County  Medical  Society.  In  1901  Doctor 
Letts  returned  to  Romeo,  and  here  he  has  since  built  up  an  excellent  pro- 
fessional business.  He  carries  on  a  general  practice,  and  his  success  in  a 
number  of  complicated  cases  has  given  him  an  enviable  prestige  in  the 
ranks  of  his  calling.  He  is  a  close  student,  a  careful  practitioner  and  a 
man  of  sympathetic  nature,  and  has  won  the  confidence  of  his  fellow 
citizens  through  his  earnestness  and  sincerity,  and  the  respect  of  his 
medical  brethren  for  his  strict  adherence  to  the  ethics  of  the  calling.  He 
belongs  to  the  Macomb  County  Aledical  Society  and  the  Tri-County 
Medical  Society,  and  takes  a  keen  and  active  interest  in  the  work  of  these 
organizations.  For  some  time  he  has  served  as  United  States  marine 
medical  examiner.  His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Masons  and 
the  Knights  of  the  ^Maccabees.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  a  politician. 
All  movements  making  for  progress  have  his  hearty  approval  and  unselfish 
support,  and  he  is  classed  among  the  men  who  are  doing  things  to  advance 
the  general  welfare. 

In  January,  1892,  Doctor  Letts  was  married  in  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
to  Miss  Jennie  Mellen,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Mellen.  Mr.  Mellen, 
who  died  in  1884.  was  a  well  known  grain  buyer  and  timber  expert,  was 
employed  in  the  latter  capacity  by  the  Government,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  had  been  appointed  surveyor  general  of  the  United  States.  Mrs. 
Letts  died  in  1903,  in  this  city,  the  mother  of  one  child,  Lucy  Mellen,  born 
in  1895  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  a  graduate  of  the  Romeo  high  school,  class  of 
1913.  In  1904  Doctor  Letts  was  married  at  Romeo  to  Miss  Ethelyn  Davis. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Letts :  Dorothy,  in  1907, 
and  James,  in  1908. 

Lucius  G.  Fitzger.\ld,  M.  D.  A  graduate  of  the  old  Detroit  College 
of  Medicine  thirty-five  years  ago,  Dr.  Fitzgerald  has  had  a  long  and  useful 
career  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  and  is  now  a  practicing  member  of  the 
profession  at  Port  Huron.  Dr.  Fitzgerald's  father  went  out  to  California 
soon  after  the  birth  of  this  son,  and  died  there,  leaving  his  widow  and  a 
large  family  of  children  in  the  east.  The  mother  had  a  hard  struggle  to 
keep  her  family  together  and  provide  for  their  support,  and  Dr.  Fitzgerald 
shared  in  the  privations  and  as  soon  as  old  enough  took  his  place  in  con- 
tributing to  the  resources  of  the  household.  When  a  boy  he  worked  in 
the  lumber  woods  at  a  salary  of  six  dollars  a  month,  was  also  employed 
for  a  time  on  a  dairy  farm,  and,  until  he  was  well  established  in  his  pro- 
fession, had  many  hard  knocks  from  the  world.  He  always  had  a  great 
reverence  for  his  mother  and  endeavored  to  repay  her  for  her  afifection 
and  self-sacrificing  labors,  and  helped  support  her  until  her  death. 

Lucius  G.  Fitzgerald  was  born  at  Ingersoll.  Ontario,  January  31,  1850. 
His  father,  Patrick  Fitzgerald,  a  native  of  County  Limerick,  Ireland,  was 
a  man  of  unusual  education,  a  graduate  of  the  schools  and  universities  of 


2160  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Ireland,  and  after  coniinfj  lo  the  province  of  Quebec,  about  1830,  followed 
the  work  of  teaching.  In  1852  he  went  out  to  California  by  way  of  Xew 
York  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  spent  five  years  on  the  Pacific 
coast  until  his  death.  In  the  city  of  Quebec  he  married  Mary  Ann  Elling- 
ham,  who  was  born  in  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  and  came  to  Canada  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  about  the  same  time  as  her  husband,  but  they  did 
not  meet  until  they  located  at  Quebec,  where  they  were  married.  They 
became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Dr.  Lucius  and  Robert,  the  latter  a  railroad  man  at  Port  Perry,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Dr.  Fitzgerald,  who  was  the  twelfth  child,  grew  up  at  Ingersoll,  On- 
tario, and  in  October,  1867,  first  visited  Port  Huron,  and  went  out  over  the 
old  stage  route  to  Lexington,  returning  to  Port  Huron  the  following 
spring.  For  ten  years  he  was  in  the  service  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway, 
beginning  as  brakeman,  and  from  that  advanced  to  conductor,  and  for 
four  years  was  station  agent,  having  been  the  first  agent  at  Chesterville, 
where  he  closed  his  railroad  career  and  where  in  his  leisure  time  he  took 
up  the  study  of  metlicine.  He  then  entered  the  old  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine,  when  that  institution  was  located  on  Woodward  Avenue,  and 
finished  his  studies  there  in  1877,  having  some  experience  in  the  old 
wooden  structure  of  Harper's  Hospital.  During  the  summer  of  1879  he 
served  as  interne  in  the  same  hospital  while  it  was  located  at  Grosse 
Pointe.  As  a  physician  Dr.  Fitzgerald  has  practiced  in  many  different  lo- 
calities. Soon  after  graduating  he  located  at  Davis  in  ]\Iacomb  county,  for 
two  years,  moved  out  to  Iowa,  and  located  at  Council  Bluff's  in  1S82,  but  in 
the  following  year  returned  to  Michigan,  but  was  at  Mt.  Clemens,  later 
at  Romeo,  at  Elkton  in  Huron  county,  at  Yale,  and  at  various  other  points. 
He  began  his  jjresent  practice  at  Port  Huron  in  the  spring  of  1909. 
Besides  a  general  practice  Dr.  Fitzgerald  has  served  the  public  in  his 
professional  capacity  and  has  often  been  physician  to  large  companies. 
He  was  health  officer  at  Clifford,  at  Elkton  for  the  township  of  Greenwood 
in  St.  Clair  county,  was  examining  physician  and  surgeon  for  the  Chi- 
cago Lumber  Company,  the  ]\Ianistique  Lumber  Company,  and  the  Delta 
Lumber  Company  in  the  Upper  Peninsula,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
examining  i)hysician  for  the  New  York  Life,  the  Des  Moines  Mutual 
Life,  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Maccabees,  the  Fraternal  Union  of 
America,  and  other  orders.  He  is  aftiliated  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  having  membership  in  Elkton  Lodge  No.  452.  Politi- 
cally he  favors  the  cause  of  the  Socialists,  and  his  religious  views  are 
those  of  Theosophy. 

On  May  20,  1873,  Dr.  Fitzgerald  was  married  at  Port  Huron  to  ?iliss 
Elizabeth  Ogg,  a  native  of  .Aberdeen,  Scotland,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Ogg.  Mrs.  \\'.  L.  Rettie  is  a  sister.  To  their  union  have  been  born  four 
children:  Alice,  wife  of  D.  G.  Neuber,  a  resident  of  Detroit;  Helena, 
wife  of  Josej^h  Xeul>er;  Emma,  wife  of  Louis  Dondidna,  a  resident  of 
Flint:  and  William  O.,  who  is  a  cartoonist  for  the  Neivs-Tribune  of 
Detroit.     Dr.  Fitzgerald  resides  at  1631  Pine  Grove  .\venue. 

Cl.w  M.  Artiil'k.  One  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  business 
men  of  Wayne,  Michigan,  is  Clay  M.  Arthur,  who  for  ten  years  has 
been  engaged  in  contracting  in  this  city.  He  was  born  at  the  village  of 
New  Boston,  in  Huron  township,  Wayne  county,  Michigan,  September 
5,  1877.  and  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Ida  (Nollard)  -Arthur,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Canada  and  Michigan.  The  father  was  born  in  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  in  1833,  the  son  of  James  Arthur,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  Canada  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city 
of  Toronto  at  an  early  date.     The  mother  was  born  in  Huron  township. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2161 

Wayne  county,  Michigan,  the  daughter  of  Moses  Nollard,  a  pioneer  of 
the  county,  and  died  in  1903  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  Jeremiah 
Arthur  was  a  railroad  man  in  his  early  Hfe,  but  on  coming  to  Michigan 
in  1879  settled  on  a  farm,  to  the  operation  of  which  he  has  devoted  his 
energies  ever  since.  Through  a  life  of  industry  and  earnest  effort  he  has 
gained  a  handsome  competence  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  substan- 
tial men  of  his  community. 

Reared  on  the  homestead  farm  in  Wayne  county.  Clay  M.  Arthur 
secured  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  and  when  twenty  years  of 
age,  in  1897,  began  to  work  at  the  trade  of  carpenter  at  New  Boston. 
That  village  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  his  activities  until  1901,  when 
he  went  to  Detroit  and  engaged  in  work  as  a  journeyman  carpenter,  con- 
tinuing to  be  thus  engaged  until  the  year  1904  and  then  coming  to  Wayne. 
Here  Mr.  Arthur  has  contracted  to  the  present  time  and  has  built  up  an 
excellent  business,  his  operations  extending  all  over  the  county  of  Wayne 
and  including  the  city  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Arthur  has  erected  numerous 
buildings  of  a  private,  business  and  public  character,  and  at  this  writing 
has  the  contract  for  building  the  addition  to  the  Wayne  County  Farm 
at  Eloise.  Mr.  Arthur  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  in  both  orders  has  nu- 
merous friends. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Schautz,  who  was  born  in 
W^ayne  county,  Michigan,  daughter  of  William  Schautz,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  namely:  Milton,  who  is  eleven  years  of 
age;  Hazel,  who  has  reached  her  ninth  year,  and  Harold,  aged  eight. 

Charles  H.  O'Neil.  M.  D.  In  1910  Charles  H.  O'Neil,  M.  D.,  who 
is  numbered  among  the  skilled  practitioners  of  Michigan,  located  in  the  city 
of  Flint,  and  since  that  time  has  risen  to  an  enviable  place  among  those 
who  have  made  this  city  the  scene  of  their  labors.  A  close  student  and 
careful  practitioner,  a  steady-handed  surgeon  and  a  man  of  broad  learn- 
ing in  his  vocation,  he  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  honored  calling 
which  he  has  made  his  life  work,  and  his  public- spirited  citizenship  has 
also  made  a  plac-e  for  him  among  those  who  are  assisting  in  the  city's 
development  and  progress.  Doctor  O'Neil  was  born  April  13,  1866,  at 
Mount  Morris,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Dennis  D.  and  Delia  (Ryan) 
O'Neil.  His  father,  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  was  an  agriculturist  by 
occupation,  which  he  followed  in  the  East  until  1882,  and  in  that  year 
made  removal  with  his  family  to  Richmondville,  Michigan.  Taking  up 
land  in  Sanilac  county,  he  engaged  extensively  in  raising  grain  and 
stock,  and  became  one  'of  the  substantial  men  of  his  community.  He  and 
his  wife,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  were  the  parents  of  eight  children. 

The  third  in  order  of  birth  of  his  parents'  children,  Doctor  O'Neil 
secured  his  early  educational  training  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York. 
He  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  Richmondville, 
Michigan,  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  normal  and  the  commer- 
cial college  at  Fenton.  Following  this  he  taught  school  for  one  terrn, 
and  then  took  up  his  medical  studies  in  Northwestern  University  of  Indi- 
ana, graduating  from  that  institution  in  1890,  and  finally  entered  the 
Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  where  he  received  his  medical 
degree  in  1893.  For  three  years  he  was  actively  engaged  in  practice  at 
Deer  Park,  Michigan,  and  in  1898  went  to  Black  River,  Michigan,  sub- 
sequently removing  to  Frederick,  this  state.  During  all  this  time  his 
professional  duties  had  been  of  a  particularly  arduous  nature,  and  Doctor 
O'Neil's  constant  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  them  caused  a  general 
breakdown  in  his  health.  Accordingly,  in  1909,  he  was  forced  to  cease 
all  activities  and  go  to  California,  where  for  twelve  months  or  more  he 


2162  'HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

recuiierated  in  Ihc  restful  surroundings  of  the  old  mission  of  San  Jose. 
In  1910,  refreshed  in  body  and  spirit,  he  returned  to  the  duties  of  his 
calling,  and  since  that  time  has  had  a  representative  professional  business 
at  I'^lint.  He  maintains  well-appointed  offices  at  No.  401  Flint  P.  Smith 
building.  The  Doctor  has  never  ceased  being  a  student  of  his  profession, 
and  keeps  fully  abreast  of  its  progress  and  advancement  by  his  subscrip- 
tion to  the  leading  medical  journals,  by  his  membership  in  the  Genesee 
County  Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State  Aledical  Society  and  the 
American  Medical  Association,  and  by  his  visits  to  various  hospitals  and 
clinics.  To  the  latter  he  devotes  the  greater  part  of  his  vacation  periods. 
An  independent  thinker,  Doctor  O'Xeil  is  a  Republican  of  the  progressive 
type.  He  served  as  coroner  of  Crawford  county,  Michigan,  for  one  year, 
while  a  resident  of  Frederick,  and  also  was  chairman  for  a  time  of  the 
Republican  county  committee.  His  fraternal  connection  is  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  May  22,  1895,  Doctor  O'Xeil  was  married  at  Richmondville.  Mich- 
igan, to  Miss  Maud  C.  Murray,  daughter  of  Frank  and  FJizabeth  (.-Mien) 
Murray,  the  father  formerly  a  merchant  and  now  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Sanilac  county.  One  child  has  been  born  to  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  O'Neil,  George,  a  bright  lad  of  ten  years  who  is  now  attending 
the  graded  schools  of  FJiritj.  ^  The  family  home  is  situated  at  No.  314 
Third  Avenue,  west.         \:'Td  f^i--. 

Hon.  V.\r.n'um  J.  Bowers  has  been  a  prominent  practitioner  at  the 
Mount  Clemens  bar  for  some  nineteen  years,  and  during  a  large  portion 
of  that  period  has  been  a*  leading  figure  in  public  life.  He  has  risen  to  a 
high  jilace  in  his  profession  by  reason  of  his  superior  abilities  and  talents, 
and  personally  is  a  libera-l-minded,  whole-souled  and  popular  man,  his 
geniality  of  manner  adding  a  special  charm  to  a  clear  mind  and  a  broad 
legal  ability.  Mr.  Bowers  was  born  at  Laingsburg,  Shiawassee  county, 
Michigan,  September  18,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Fannie  E. 
(Schout)  Bowers.  His  father,  a  successful  manufacturer,  engaged  in 
the  foundry  business  at  Laingsburg,  died  at  that  place  in  1870,  and  the 
mother,  a  native  of  England,  survived  him  only  one  year. 

Left  an  or])han  when  four  years  old,  \'arnum  J.  Bowers  w-as  taken 
into  the  home  of  an  uncle.  Franklin  P.  Montfort,  who  reared  him  to  sturdy 
manhood  and  gave  him  a  good  education  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Mount  Clemens.  Mr.  IVIonfort  was  a  well  known  legist  of  his  day,  and 
under  his  ])receptorship  the  youth  rapidly  perfected  himself  in  law-,  so 
that  on  January  8,  1895,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  began 
practice  in  Mount  C'lemens,  where  he  is  known  as  an  attorney  of  broad 
legal  information  engaged  in  the  successful  handling  of  involved  and 
important  litigation.  He  maintains  offices  at  No.  6  and  7,  Barron  block, 
and  has  a  large  and  representatixe  clientele.  Mr.  Bowers  is  a  member  of 
the  county,  state  and  .American  bar  associations,  and  has  continued  to  be  a 
close  and  faithful  student  of  his  profession.  He  entered  public  life  as 
early  as  1894,  when  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  an  office  in  which 
he  served  for  seven  years  and  three  months.  Following  this,  in  1902, 
he  was  elected  alderman  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  served  as  such 
in  1902,  1904  and  1905.  In  1906  he  was  elected  mayor,  an  office  in  which 
he  served  during  four  one-year  terms,  in  1906,  1907,  1908  and  191 1,  and 
in  1912  became  chairman  of  the  County  Democratic  Committee  and  candi- 
date of  his  ])arty  for  the  office  of  judge  of  probafe,  but  owing  to  political 
conditions  at  that  time  met  with  defeat.  His  jniblic  service  was  ever 
characterized  by  a  most  commendable  devotion  to  duty,  and  his  high  ideals 
of  the  res])onsibilities  of  public  office  made  him  one  of  the  most  con- 
scientious officials  Mount  Clemens  has  known.    He  is  popular  fraternally 


^^/Mt^ui^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2163 

as  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  his  religious  connection  is  with  the  Episcopal  church. 

On  November  21,  1888,  Mr.  Bowers  was  married  at  Mount  Clemens 
to  Miss  Blanche  L.  Lufkin,  a  native  of  this  city,  and  a  daughter  of  Floyd 
and  Mary  Lufkin,  old  settlers  of  Macomb  county,  where  Mr.  Lufkin 
served  as  sheriff  for  some  years,  as  did  also  his  father  before  him, 
Barnum  Lufkin,  the  latter  being  a  pioneer  brick  manufacturer  and  farmer 
and  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Mount  Clemens  at  an  early  day.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowers:  Genevieve,  born 
August  10,  1893,  at  Mount  Clemens,  Michigan;  and  Myrta,  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  1899,  at  Eaton  Rapids,  Michigan.  The  pleasant  family  home  is 
situated  at  No.  23  Hubbard  street. 

Colonel  Lyman  M.  Ward.  The  late  Colonel  Lyman  Munson  Ward, 
a  pioneer  citizen  of  Benton  Harbor,  was  one  of  Michigan's  distinguished 
men,  and  well  deserves  prominent  mention  in  any  collected  annals  of  the 
state.  A  gallant  soldier,  an  efficient  public  official  and  an  old-school 
gentleman — this  combination  went  far  to  win  esteem  and  admiration  for 
one  who  richly  deserved  them.  Colonel  Ward  was  born  in  Cattaraugus 
county.  New  York,  October  5,  1836,  and  passed  from  the  scene  of  life 
January  19,  1909.  He  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Abel  C.  and  Esther  (  Dibble ) 
Ward,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Connecticut.  The  Rev.  Abel  C.  Ward 
was  a  Congregational  minister  and  of  English  extraction.  In  1850  he 
came  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served 
churches  there  and  at  Oshkosh,  his  wife  dying  in  the  latter  city  and  his 
death  taking  place  in  the  former. 

The  boyhood  of  Lyman  M.  Ward  was  passed  in  Genesee  county,  New 
York,  where  he  attended  both  the  common  and  high  schools,  and  after 
coming  to  Wisconsin  with  his  parents  had  academic  advantages  at  Fond 
du  Lac.  In  that  city  he  was  pursuing  the  study  of  law  when  President 
Lincoln  issued  his  first  call  for  soldiers  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war. 
With  youth's  enthusiasm  and  in  a  fervor  of  patriotism  he  threw  his  law 
books  aside  and  enlisted  as  an  early  volunteer  for  the  three-months  serv- 
ice, entering  Company  I,  First  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  term  of  enlistment  re-enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fourteenth  Wis- 
consin Infantry,  on  October  16,  1861.  His  subsequent  career  as  a  soldier 
was  filled  with  achievements  that  brought  rapid  promotion  and  reflected 
the  highest  credit  on  lymself  and  his  commands.  On  January  30,  1862, 
he  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  as  captain  of  Company  A, 
and  on  April  19th,  of  the  same  year  was  promoted  and  commissioned 
major;  on  July  i,  1862,  was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel;  on  March 
13,  1863,  became  colonel,  and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  service  was  com- 
missioned brevet  brigadier  general  and  was  in  comand  of  a  brigade  two 
years.  He  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  service  on  October  9,  1865, 
and  during  this  long  career  as  a  soldier  was  in  over  twenty  battles. 
Colonel  Ward's  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
he  served  continuously  on  duty  with  the  troops  in  the  field  for  nearly  four 
years,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1862,  he  campaigned  in  Tennessee, 
participating  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  luka  and  in  several  minor  en- 
gagements, took  part  in  the  second  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  battles  of  Jackson 
and  Champion  Hills,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  the  Red  River  expedi- 
tion, and  subsequently  fought  in  the  battle  of  Tupelo,  then  laeing  ordered 
to  Duvall's  Bluff,  Arkansas,  a  march  of  three  hundred  miles  across  the 
state  into  Missouri.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Nashville  and  the  siege 
and  battle  of  Spanish  Fort  on  Mobile  Bay.  He  commanded  a  brigade  for 
over  two  years,  and  at  all  times  was  the  hero  of  his  men. 

When  the  war  closed  Colonel  Ward  returned  to  his  home  at  Fond  du 


2164  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Lac,  Wisconsin,  but  in  1866  came  to  Benton  Harbor,  2^Iicbigan,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  horticulture,  buying  a  fruit  farm  on  the  North  Shore 
Drive,  which  property  is  still  owned  and  operated  by  his  widow,  and  at 
this  home  Colonel  Ward  died  January  19,  1909.  He  was  a  natural  leader 
of  men,  and  his  inclinations  led  him  into  public  life,  where,  being  a  fluent 
talker  and  an  orator,  he  soon  became  one  of  Benton  Harbor's  most  promi- 
nent citizens.  In  1878  he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  from  Berrien 
county  to  the  Michigan  legislature,  and  was  re-elected,  making;  two  terms 
in  that  high  office,  and  was  both  times  elected  by  a  large  majority.  On 
Marcli  13,  1889,  he  was  appointed  ])ostmaster  of  Benton  Harbor,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  with  much  ability  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
his  fellow  townsmen  for  a  full  term  of  four  yours,  going  out  of  office 
with  the  change  of  the  federal  administration  when  Grover  Cleveland 
was  elected  president  .  At  that  time  he  again  took  up  fruit  growing,  and 
continued  so  engaged  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

On  July  13,  1880,  Colonel  Ward  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie  L.  Child, 
daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Eber  and  Nancy  (Tyler)  Child,  of  old  New 
England  stock.  The  Child  and  Tyler  families  have  been  prominent  in  New 
Hampshire  and  \'ermont  for  many  generations,  and  on  both  sides  were 
represented  by  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Major  McConnell,  of 
that  conflict,  was  a  direct  ancestor  of  Mrs.  Ward.  In  1850,  Rev.  Eber 
Child  removed  with  his  family  to  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  where  he  died  in 
the  following  year.  Mrs.  Ward  was  educated  at  Milton  College,  Wis- 
consin, and  subsequently  she  and  her  mother  spent  about  three  years  in 
Mississippi,  where  a  favorite  brother  then  lived.  Coming  to  Benton 
Harbor,  she  taught  school  for  two  years,  and  then  taught  six  years  at 
Goshen.  Indiana.  It  was  in  Benton  Harbor  that  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ward 
had  their  first  meeting,  and  it  is  remarkable  how  closely  allied  their  lives 
had  been  before  that  time.  Both  were  the  children  of  Congregational 
ministers ;  both  spent  some  time  as  children  in  Genesee  county.  New  York ; 
both  were  brouglit  to  Wisconsin  early  in  life  by  their  parents;  and  both 
grew  up  in  practically  the  same  section. 

On  Tune  14,  1914.  was  dedicated  the  beautiful  drinking  fountain  which 
Mrs.  Ward  presented  to  the  city  of  Benton  Harbor  as  a  memorial  to  her 
late  husband.  The  dedicatory  exercises  were  attended  by  a  large  throng 
of  citizens  who  had  long  known  and  admired  the  Colonel.  Colonel  Ward 
was  an  enthusiastic  Grand  .\rmy  of  the  Republic  man,  and  Mrs.  Ward  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Ladies  of  the  Grand  Army. 

WiiSTo.N'  W.  W.MTE,  D.  D.  S.  The  dental  profession  of  Jackson  was 
honored  for  more  than  twenty  years  by  Dr.  Weston  W.  Waite,  who  was 
claimed  by  death  after  two  years  of  invalidism,  March  2,  1913.  Standing 
high  in  the  ranks  of  his  calling,  he  w-as  also  prominent  in  fraternal  circles, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  many  of  Jackson's  citizens  had  a  greater  number  of 
personal  friends.  Doctor  Waite  was  born  at  Springville,  New  York, 
July  21,  1853,  and  was  a  son  of  William  and  Alvira  ( Alayo)  Waite. 

The  early  education  of  Doctor  \\"aite  was  secured  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  he  early  ado])ted  the  profession  of  dentistry  as  his 
field  of  endeavor.  .After  some  preparation  he  placed  himself  under  the 
preceptorship  of  his  uncle.  Dr.  Carlos  Waite,  a  leading  dental  practitioner 
of  Springville,  and  when  he  had  secured  his  diploma  at  once  entered 
practice.  In  1891  he  left  the  Empire  state  to  seek  a  wider  field  in  the 
West,  and  finally  selected  the  town  of  Brighton,  Michigan,  as  his  residence 
and  continued  to  practice  there  successfully  for  ten  years.  Doctor  Waite 
came  to  Jackson  in  1891,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  was  one  of 
the  city's  leading  men  in  professional  and  fraternal  hues.  His  practice 
in  this  city  was  extensive,  and  he  also  had  patients  at  various  other  points, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2165 

all  over  Southern  Michigan.  In  fraternal  circles  he  was  given  many 
honors  because  of  his  ability  and  activity  in  behalf  of  the  numerous  lodges 
and  grand  lodges  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  seven  years  prior  to  his 
death  was  made  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment,  Uniform  Rank,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  a  capacity  in  which  he  acted  until  his  illness  caused  his  with- 
drawal from  active  affairs.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  the 
Masons,  and  was  prominent  in  behalf  of  the  success  of  these  fraternities. 
He  had  many  attributes  which  endeared  him  to  everyone  who  knew  him 
and  generosity  and  modesty  were  two  of  his  chief  characteristics.  On 
August  9,  1910,  he  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  practically  helpless.  He  was  a  man 
of  large  stature,  standing  six  feet,  one  inch,  in  his  stockings,  and  weighed 
296  ])ounds,  and  his  suft'erings  at  his  inactivity  must  have  been  intense. 
Moreover  he  was  unable  to  speak.  Yet,  to  quote  from  an  obituary  notice, 
■"how  submissively  he  bore  his  utter  helplessness,  with  his  bright  mind 
clear  to  the  last,  only  his  family  and  friends  know.  Our  departed  friend 
w^as  a  large  man,  "physically,  and  his  heart  was  compatible  with  his 
gigantic  form — generous  and  genial."  At  his  funeral,  March  4,  1913, 
were  seen  many  members  of  the  fraternal  organizations  to  which  he 
belonged,  prominent  Pythians  attended  from  all  over  the  state,  high 
military  rites  were  performed,  and  brigade  and  regimental  officers  acted 
as  honorary  pall-bearers.  Expressions  of  grief  were  heard  on  all  sides, 
and  it  was  very  evident  that  this  man  had  occupied  a  place  deep  in  the 
aft'ections  of  the  people. 

Doctor  Waite  was  married  November  11,  1874,  at  Mina,  New  York, 
to  Miss  Betsey  J.  Horton,  daughter  of  Hiram  K.  and  Jane  P.  (Underbill) 
Horton,  and  to  this  union  there  were  born  two  children :  Weston  Horton, 
who  holds  a  position  with  the  Consolidated  Dental  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  Detroit,  as  traveling  salesman,  was  born  July  12,  1887;  and 
Helen  A.,  born  at  Springville,"New  York,  April  11.  1878,  married  Novem- 
ber 3,  1898,  William  A.  Dewey,  who  died  two  weeks  after  his  father-in- 
law,  March  15,  1913.  ^Irs.  \\'aite,  who  survives  her  husband,  is  well 
known  in  social  circles  of  Jackson,  and  resides  in  her  pleasant  home  at 
No.  1017  First  Street. 

George  Cl.\pperton.  A  resident  of  Michigan  since  boyhood,  an 
active  lawyer  of  the  Grand  Rapids  bar  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  Mr.  Clapperton  is  head  of  the  firm  of  Clapperton,  Owen  & 
Hatten,  attorneys  in  the  ^lichigan  Trust  IJuilding.  He  is  also  United 
States  collector  of  internal  revenue  at  Grand  Rapids.  His  ability  as  a 
lawyer,  and  especially  his  studious  insight  into  economic  and  industrial 
problems,  has  enabled  him  to  perform  a  great  deal  of  valuable  service  at 
dift'erent  times  outside  of  the  regular  routine  of  the  profession. 

Mr.  Clapperton  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  July  10,  1857.  His 
parents,  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Patterson)  Clapperton,  were  of  Scotch 
birth,  settled  in  Ontario.  Canada,  and  in  1867  moved  to  Michigan,  locating 
in  Allegan  county  on  a  farm.  The  Grand  Rapids  lawyer  was  ten  years 
old  when  he  came  to  ^Michigan,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  boyhood  on  a 
farm.  His  education  was  supplied  by  the  common  schools  and  by  the 
academy  at  Otsego.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  the  farm  to  enter 
railway  service,  spending  several  years  in  different  Hues  of  that  work,  and 
at  the  same  time  carried  on  his  private  studies  and  took  up  preparation 
for  the  law. 

His  preparatory  work  was  undertaken  in  earnest  in  1884,  with  his 
entrance  into  the  law  offices  of  Taggart  &  Denison,  at  Grand  Rapids, 
where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  with  which  firm  he  remained  two 
years,  until  he  engaged  in  practice  for  himself.     His  practice  has  been 


2166  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

cominuaus  ami  with  only  brief  interruptions  or  interests  outside  of  the 
regular  lines  of  his  work.  For  a  time  Mr.  Clapperton  was  associated 
with  James  R.  Wylie  and  the  practice  established  by  him  has  been  devel- 
oped continuously  down  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Wyiie  retired,  and 
later  the  firm  was  Clapperton  &  Owen,  and  is  now  Clapperton,  Owen  & 
Hatten.  In  addition  to  active  general  practice.  Mr.  Clapperton  has  always 
taken  a  keen  interest  in  public  affairs,  particularly  along  political,  indus- 
trial and  economic  lines.  Though  frecjuently  urged  to  do  so,  he  has  never 
consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  public  office. 

In  all  the  public  libraries  of  the  country  will  be  found  half  a  dozen  or 
more  volumes  comprising  what  is  know^n  as  the  Report  of  the  United 
States  Industrial  Commission,  appointed  to  investigate  conditions  in  the 
various  states  with  respect  to  all  matters  of  industrial  nature.  The  valu- 
able report  on  taxation  contained  in  those  volumes  was  prepared  by 
Mr.  Clapperton.  He  was  engaged  in  1900  by  the  commission  to  investi- 
gate conditions  in  some  of  the  states  with  respect  to  the  taxation  of  cor- 
porations, and  his  report  covers  very  fully  that  phase  of  the  general  sub- 
ject. For  some  years  Mr.  Clapperton  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Eastern  Michigan  .Asylum  at  I'ontiac,  and  later  of  the 
State  Board  of  Corrections  and  Charities.  He  has  given  considerable 
study  and  attention  to  the  w^ork  and  problems  of  our  state  penal  and 
reformatory  institutions,  and  has  also  made  a  study  of  dependent,  delin- 
quent and  criminal  classes.  In  191 1  Mr.  Clapperton  was  appointed  by 
President  Taft  to  the  position  of  United  States  collector  of  internal 
revenue  for  the  Fourth  District  of  Michigan,  an  office  which  he  held 
until  September  i,  1914.  All  matters  of  local  citizenship  engage  his 
interests,  and  in  many  ways  he  has  heljied  to  promote  the  civic  progress 
of  his  home  city. 

-Mr.  Clapperton  married  Harriet  L.  Barker,  daughter  of  David  and 
Puella  L.  Barker,  of  New  York.  Before  her  marriage  ^Irs.  Clapperton 
was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Michigan.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  children:  Elizabeth,  now  ]\Irs.  Howard  F.  Baxter  of  Grand 
Rapids ;  and  George  Douglas  Clapperton,  a  student  in  Amherst  College, 
in  Massachusetts.  The  Clapperton  home  is  at  ^17  LaFavette  Avenue, 
N.  E. 

Rov  C.\RLTOX  Perki.vs.  M.  D.  In  practice  at  Bay  City  since  1904. 
Doctor  Perkins  is  a  physician  and  surgeon  whose  ability  quicklv  brought 
him  through  the  usually  trying  period  of  a  doctor's  novitiate,  and  he  has 
for  a  number  of  years  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  the  local  fraternity. 
Doctor  Perkins  is  recognized  as  a  very  able  surgeon,  and  was  one  of  the 
early  representatives  of  this  branch  of  the  profession  to  receive  member- 
ship and  enrollment  in  the  Congress  of  Surgeons  of  North  .\merica,  mem- 
bership in  which  is  equivalent  to  a  formal  degree,  and  indicates 
a  proficiency  in  surgery  just  as  M.  D.  indicates  qualification  for  the 
doctor  of  medicine. 

Roy  Carlton  Perkins  was  born  July  15.  1878.  at  Sand  Beach,  but  now 
known  as  Harbor  i'.cach,  Michigan.  His  parents  were  Thomas  Harvey 
and  Rachael  Ann  (  Linn)  Perkins,  natives  of  New  York  State.  His 
grandfather.  Thomas  I'erkins,  took  a  leading  part  in  the  War  of  1812  as 
a  British  soldier,  but  after  the  war  settled  in  New  York  State,  near 
Ogdensburg,  and  lived  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  there  until  his  death. 
Thomas  H.  Perkins  came  from  New  York  State  to  Michigan  during  the 
early  "fios.  .A  millwright  by  trade,  he  readily  found  employment  iii  the 
great  lumlier  industry  of  the  state,  first  settled  at  St.  Clair,  where  he 
married,  then  moved  to  Elm  Creek,  in  Huron  county,  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Pack,  Woods  &  Jenks,  as  superintendent  of  a 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2167 

branch  of  their  lumbering  business.  His  connections  with  that  firm  under 
the  ditterent  changes  continued  until  his  death.  From  Elm  Creek  he 
moved  to  Cheboygan,  where  his  son,  Charles  L.  Perkins,  was  born,  and 
a  little  later  moved  to  Sand  Beach.  The  lumber  firm  in  the  meantime  had 
changed  its  title  to  Pack  &  Jenks  Company,  and  its  operation  in  the  lum- 
ber woods  and  at  the  mills  were  continued  until  the  timber  resources  in 
that  part  of  Michigan  were  depleted,  and  finally  went  out  of  business  as 
the  result  of  the  disappearance  of  timber  resources.  At  the  dissolution 
of  the  company  the  elder  Perkins  retired  and  spent  his  last  years  at 
Sand  Beach,  where  he  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  He  was 
twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife  had  a  daughter,  Florence,  now  the 
wife  of  Daniel  House  at  Oscoda,  Michigan.  There  were  two  sons  by  the 
second  marriage,  the  elder  being  Charles  Linn  Perkins,  now  general  agent 
of  the  D.  &  C.  Steamship  Company,  with  his  residence  at  Buft'alo,  New 
York. 

Doctor  Perkins  grew  up  at  Sand  Beach,  now  Harbor  Beach,  attended 
the  grammar  and  high  schools  there,  and  several  years  elapsed  between 
the  time  he  left  high  school  and  before  he  took  up  preparation  for  his 
profession.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  postofiice  at  Sand 
Beach,  and  two  years  later  entered  the  Huron  County  Bank,  in  which, 
during  two  years,  he  filled  dift'erent  positions,  including  that  of  teller. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  entering  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  the  class 
of  1903.  Returning  to  Sand  Beach,  he  became  associated  in  practice  with 
Dr.  A.  M.  Oldfield,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  that  vicinity.  His 
practice  with  Doctor  Oldfield  continued  from  June,  1903,  until  November, 
1904,  and  having  in  the  meantime  married,  and  looking  out  for  a  larger 
field  for  his  talents,  he  moved  to  Bay  City  in  November,  1904.  His  prac- 
tice is  a  general  one.  Doctor  Perkins  is  one  of  the  lecture  staft'  of  the 
Mercy  and  Bay  City  hospitals,  and  is  surgeon  for  the  North  American 
Chemical  Company,  the  Hasson  Ward  Veneer  Company,  Bousfield  & 
Company,  the  Bay  City  Brewing  Company,  the  Standard  Hoop  Company, 
the  Columbus  Milling  Company,  all  of  which  industrial  concerns  depend 
upon  Doctor  Perkins  for  accident  cases.  Doctor  Perkins  has  built  a 
pleasant  home  and  also  a  separate  office  building  at  806  Cass  Avenue. 

Doctor  Perkins  belongs  to  the  Bay  County  and  State  Medical  societies 
and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  served  two  years  as  secretary, 
two  years  as  vice  president  and  one  year  as  president  of  the  County 
Society.  As  already  stated,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Congress  of  Surgeons 
of  North  America.  His  fraternal  affiliations  are  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  He  belongs  to  the  Bay  City 
Club,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Recreation  Club.  The 
doctor  is  an  ardent  hunter  and  fisherman,  but  the  absorbing  duties  of  his 
professional  engagements  has  been  such  that  he  seldom  has  opportunity 
for  any  extensive  excursions  to  satisfy  his  taste  in  that  line.  In  religion 
his  church  is  the  Baptist,  while  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal. She  is  also  one  of  the  active  members  of  the  Bay  City  Art  Club. 
Doctor  Perkins  was  married  in  July,  1904,  to  Miss  Alma  Caroline  Frost, 
of  Bay  City,  a  daughter  of  Herman  and  Dorothy  ( Schmaltz )  Frost. 
Doctor  Perkins  is  first  lieutenant  in  the  Michigan  National  Guards  medi- 
cal department,  and  since  October,  1910,  has  been  senior  medical  lieuten- 
ant, being  assigned  to  the  Ambulance  Company  No.  2  at  Bay  City. 

WiLLET  J.  Herrington,  M.  D.  Siuce  1898  in  active  practice  at  Bad 
Axe  and  chief  physician  and  surgeon  of  the  Hubbard  Memorial  Hospital, 
Doctor   Herrington   has   been   identified   with   his   profession   in   Huron 


2168  HISTORY  OF  AIICHIGAN 

County  for  more  than  tliirly  years,  and  has  special  prominence  as  a 
surgeon. 

Willet  Jeremiah  Ilerrington  was  born  near  Belleville.  Hastings  county, 
Ontario.  Canada.  February  22,  1856,  a  son  of  George  Henry  and  Mahala 
(Morden)  llcrrington.  Ills  father  was  a  farmer  of  Hastings  county, 
died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  and  the  mother  died  in  191 2  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five. 

Doctor  Herrington  was  educated  in  the  imblic  schools  of  Belleville, 
in  Albert  University,  and  in  the  University  of  Kingston,  Ontario.  Coming 
to  Michigan  for  his  professional  studies,  he  was  graduated  in  1882  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  at  once  began 
practice  at  Grindstone  City,  in  Huron  county,  which  was  his  home  for 
fifteen  years.  In  1898,  to  accommodate  a  growing  practice.  Doctor  Her- 
rington moved  to  Bad  Axe.  the  county  seat.  In  later  years  Doctor 
Herrington  has  done  much  consultation  work,  and  as  a  surgeon  his 
practice  calls  him  to  many  localities  of  the  state.  Under  his  administra- 
tion as  chief  physician  and  surgeon  to  the  Hubbard  Memorial  Hospital 
of  Bad  Axe  this' institution  has  been  enlarged  and  brought  up  to  the  best 
modern  standards.  The  hospital  has  an  equipment  of  twenty-six  rooms, 
with  attractive  buildings  and  grounds.  Doctor  Herrington  is  surgeon  to 
all  the  railway  lines  entering  Bad:  Axe.  and  is  a  member  of  the  Huron 
County  and  the  MichigaiiStat^- 'Medical  societies  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.^  He^s  the  owner  of  several  business  blocks  and  other 
real  estate  in  Bad  Axe.  Doctor  Herrington  is  a  member  of  the  Alasonic 
order  and  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

l'\-bruary  4,  1890.  at  Alpena,  Michigan,  Doctor  Herrington  married 
Miss  luiphemia  Cooj>er.-  -a  native  of  Huron  county,  and  daughter  of 
William  H.  and  Charlotte  E.  (Peer)  Cooper.  Her  father,  who  died  in 
1913,  was  active  as  a  merchant  and  citizen  at  Port  Austin  and  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  development  of  the  grindstone  quarries  in 
Huron  county.  The  five  children  of  Doctor  Herrington  and  wife  are: 
Qiarlotte,  who  was  born  at  Grindstone  City  and  is  a  graduate  of  Vassar 
College  and  living  at  home ;  Charles,  who  was  born  at  Grindstone  City 
and  is  a  student  of  the  Detroit  Medical  College;  \\'illet.  who  was  born  at 
Grindstone  City  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  I'.ad  Axe  High  School,  and  is 
now  studying  in  Hillsdale  College ;  Dorothy,  who  was  born  at  Bad  Axe 
and  is  a  student  of  Kemper  Hall.  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  and  Euphemia 
Cooper,  who  was  born  at  liad  Axe. 

Albert  Candy  Snydkr.  In  the  Highland  Park  district  of  Detroit 
the  most  successful  general  building  contractor  is  Albert  C.  Snyder,  whose 
work  in  that  locality  covers  a  period  of  about  ten  years.  Air.  Snyder 
has  had  an  unusual  variety  of  Inisiness  experience,  and  spent  many  years 
as  a  car[)enler  and  builder  in  the  western  states  and  territories,  chiefly  in 
Colorado. 

I'.orn  on  a  farm  se\en  miles  east  of  Taylor\ille.  in  C'hristian  county, 
Illinois.  Ai)ril  24.  i860.  Albert  C.  Snyder  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Frances 
(Malone)  Snyder.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  a  son  of  Michael 
Snyder,  Sr.,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  to  Pennsylvania  and  later 
moved  to  Ohio,  and  from  there  to  Illinois,  becoming  an  early  settler  in 
Christian  county,  where  his  industry  and  thrift  as  a  farmer  accumulated 
a  large  amount  of  land.  Michael  Snyder.  Jr..  was  a  farmer  until  about 
thirty  years  ago.  and  has  since  lived  in  Mowcaqua.  Shelby  county,  Illinois, 
being  now  in  his  eightieth  year.     His  wife  died  about  forty-five  years  ago. 

.Albert  C.  Snvder  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  was  educated  in  country 
schools,  and  in  Alarch.  187Q,  started  for  the  west,  spending  several  months 
in  work  as  a  carpenter  in  I.awrence,  Kansas.    The  following  winter  was 


-♦i,f.» 


f"^*'^'^^'^^'.^*,. 


^ 


i 


ERNEST  A.  STOWE 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  '  2169 

spent  in  Leadville,  Colorado,  then  the  center  of  mining  excitement  in 
the  west,  and  he  was  at  work  in  the  mines  for  eighteen  months.  Alto- 
gether Mr.  Snyder  spent  about  twelve  years  in  Colorado,  and  for  four 
years  was  a  railroad  carpenter  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad.  For  two  years  he  was  in  contracting  and  building  business  on 
speculation  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  he  then  returned  to  Illinois,  lived  in 
that  state  about  two  years,  and  again  went  west  to  Colorado,  spending 
one  year  in  that  state  and  two  years  as  a  building  contractor  at  Las  Vegas, 
New  ^Mexico.  In  iqoo  Mr.  Snyder  became  identified  with  the  State  of 
Michigan,  first  locating  at  Croswell,  in  Sanilac  county.  After  two  years 
in  the  country  he  moved  to  the  village  of  Croswell,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1904  came  to  Detroit,  and  in  the  following  year  located  in  Highland  Park. 
His  later  activity  in  and  about  Detroit  has  been  entirely  in  the  contracting 
and  building  industry,  and  he  has  chiefly  employed  his  capital  in  buying 
up  unimproved  land  and  constructing  homes  for  rent  and  sale.  In  this 
way  he  has  done  a  great  deal  to  develop  the  beautiful  suburban  district  of 
Highland  Park. 

Mr,  Snyder  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Alodern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  is  a  Methodist  and  in  politics 
a  Republican.  In  1892,  at  Aloweaqua,  Illinois,  he  married  Agnes  Miller, 
who  was  born  in  Portland,  C)regon,  and  who  died  in  July,  1894,  leaving 
a  daughter,  Freda  May.  On  March  15,  1900,  Mr.  Snyder  married  Mar- 
garet ( Thompson )  Stewart,  who  was  born  in  Oakland  county,  Michigan, 
daughter  of  James  B.  and  Margaret  Ann  (Parks)  Thompson.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  England,  an  early  settler  of  Oakland  county,  Michigan, 
while  her  mother  was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  belonged  to  a  family  of 
pioneers  in  Oakland  county.  Mr.  Snyder's  Detroit, address  is  186  Tyler 
avenue. 

Ernest  A.  .Stowe.  For  thirty-two  years  Ernest  A.  Stowe,  as  editor 
and  publisher,  has  directed  the  policies  and  purposes  of  the  Michigan 
Tradesman  with  most  excellent  results  to  the  mercantile  interests  of  the 
state.  He  is  a  man  who  has  lived  every  moment  of  his  life  thus  far  and 
his  activities  have  been  of  the  telling  order  that  long  since  brought  him 
into  prominence  throughout  the  state  and  in  Grand  Rapids  won  him  a 
name  and  position  that  will  not  quickly  be  erased.  The  Grand  Rapids 
Evening  Press  recently  brought  out  a  brief  and  concise  biography  of  the 
man,  which  because  of  its  accuracy  and  sustained  brevity  is  worthy  of 
perpetuation  in  this  historical  and  biographical  work,  which  must,  of 
necessity,  adhere  to  the  briefest  possible  policy  in  writing  of  the  men  who 
have  left  their  impress  upon  the  life  of  the  district  wherein  they  have  lived 
and  are  yet  active. 

"Ernest  A.  Stowe  was  born  at  Hudson,  Michigan,  on  March  16,  1859, 
his  antecedents  being  English  and  French  on  his  father's  side,  and  German 
and  Holland  on  his  mother's  side.  His  father  was  the  pioneer  bookseller 
of  Hudson  and  the  store  was  the  rendezvous  of  Will  M.  Carlcton,  the  poet, 
who  made  himself  famous  by  writing  'Over  the  Hills  to  the  Poorhouse.' 
At  the  age  of  eleven  Mr.  Stowe  removed  to  Lamont  with  his  parents, 
where  he  attended  school,  peddling  popcorn  and  apples  on  the  Grand 
River  steamboats  during  the  summer  season.  Two  years  later,  in  1872, 
the  family  removed  to  Reed  City,  where  the  youth  sought  and  obtained 
employment  in  the  general  store  of  D.  M.  McClellan,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  1874,  when  he  apprenticed  himself  to  learn  the  printing 
business  in  the  office  of  the  Big  Rapids  Magnet.  On  the  completion  of 
his  apprenticeship  in  1877  he  came  to  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  obtained 
employment  as  a  newspaper  reporter.  His  first  work  was  on  the  Grand 
Rapids  Daily  Times,  where  he  received  $6  per  week,  although  he  could 


2170  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

have  eariK-d  ."^It  \v(irkin<,f  at  his  trade,  whicli  he  acquired  solely  as  a  step- 
ping stone  to  something  higher. 

"In  fact,  he  had  in  mind  at  tlie  lime — although  he  was  only  eigliteen 
years  of  age — the  estahlishment  of  a  business  of  his  own  which  would 
require  an  accurate  and  intimate  knowledge  of  the  various  branches  of 
the  ])ublishing  business.  His  experience  for  the  next  six  years  w^as  there- 
fore of  a  prejiaratory  character  for  what  was  to  come.  He  became  city 
editor  for  the  Daily  Democrat,  advertising  manager  of  the  Daily  Leader, 
and  news  editor  of  the  Daily  Eagle.  In  addition  to  supporting  his  mother 
and  younger  brother,  he  succeeded  in  saving  in  these  six  years  the  sum  of 
$1,700.  with  which  he  launched  the  Michigan  Tradesman  in  the  fall  of 
1883.  It  would  hardly  be  within  the  realm  of  truth  to  say  that  this  publi- 
cation was  a  success  from  the  start,  because  many  dark  days  and  many 
trying  times  were  exi)erienced  before  the  journal  was  firmly  established 
on  a  substantial  basis.  It  was  not  unusual  in  the  early  history  of  the 
venture  for  Mr.  Stowe  to  work  eighteen  hours  a  day  and  there  is  a  tradi- 
tion in  Grand  Rapids  that  in  those  trying  times  his  light  was  never  extin- 
guished and  that  he  could  be  found  at  his  desk  any  hour  of  the  day  or 
night.  Such  application,  accompanied  by  rare  tact  and  foresight,  could 
result  but  one  way,  and  the  Michigan  Tradesman  has  long  been  regarded 
as  the  largest,  strongest  and  most  ably  edited  and  influential  journal  of 
its  class  in  the  United  States. 

"In  the  early  days  of  the  Tradesman,  Mr.  Stowe  conceived  the  idea  of 
unifying  the  retail  trade  of  the  state  by  means  of  local  associations  and  a 
state  organization.  At  his  own  expense  and  at  the  sacrifice  of  much  valu- 
able time  he  organized  one  hundred  local  associations  of  merchants  and 
business  men,  and  subsequently  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Michi- 
gan Business  Men's  Association,  which  enjoyed  a  successful  career  for 
several  years  and  left  an  indelible  im])ress  upon  the  mercantile  and  mate- 
rial interests  of  the  state.  It  curtailed  credits,  secured  the  enactment  of 
the  uniform  fire  insurance  policy — the  standard  form  which  has  never 
been  changed — brought  about  a  degree  of  harmony  and  good  will,  w-hich 
has  increased  with  the  years  and  paved  the  way  for  the  boards  of  trade 
and  associations  of  commerce  which  are  now  in  evidence  in  nearly  every 
growing  town  and  progressive  city  in  the  country. 

"Mr.  Stowe  is  financially  interested  in  many  different  corporations, 
mostly  of  a  mercantile,  industrial  and  public  utility  character.  He  has 
assisted  in  the  financing  of  many  enterjirises  and  enjoys  getting  behind 
a  weak  institution  and  staying  by  it  until  it  reaches  a  paying  basis.  Be- 
lieving that  retail  stores  can  be  made  to  serve  the  public  even  more  accept- 
ably than  they  have  in  the  past  and  that  they  afford  ample  opportunity 
for  the  elevating  of  the  trade,  while  yielding  reasonable  jjrofits  to  those 
who  are  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  improvement,  Mr.  Stowe 
began  some  years  ago  to  make  substantial  investments  in  retail  stores 
located  in  growing  towns.  He  has  now-  a  dominant  interest  in  a  large 
number  of  establishments  of  this  character  and  it  is  his  expectation  to 
ultimately  increa.se  the  number  to  fifty.  This  will  enable  him  to  keep  in 
even  closer  touch  with  the  retail  trade  than  he  has  in  the  jiast. 

"Mr.  Stowe  stands  well  in  his  home  town.  He  is  first  and  foremost 
in  every  movement  for  the  public  good  and  gives  liberally  of  his  time 
and  money  to  assist  such  charitable  and  philanthrojiic  projects  as  meet 
his  approval.  As  chairman  of  the  industrial  committee  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  for  two  years  he  assisted  in  securing  six  new  manufacturing  indus- 
tries, all  but  one  of  which  were  successful.  As  president  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  for  two  years  he  carried  into  the  work  all  the  earnestness  at  his 
command  and  made  his  administration  notable  for  the  results  accom- 
plished. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2171 

"The  career  of  j\Ir.  Stowe  demonstrates  conclusively  what  any  man 
can  accomplish  in  this  world,  no  matter  how  humble  may  be  his  origin  or 
how  he  may  be  hampered  by  environment,  where  he  is  actuated  by  high 
motives,  possesses  the  necessary  ambition  and  is  willing  to  pay  the  price 
of  success — hard  work." 

The  above  has  been  spoken  of  as  a  perfectly  accurate  record  of  his 
achievements  in  brief,  and  as  a  very  conservative  expression  of  his  stand- 
ing in  Grand  Rapids,  his  home  city.  Another  article,  appearing  in  a 
Kalamazoo  publication,  discloses  his  standing  away  from  home : 

"We  may  be  wrong,  but  our  own  idea  is  that  the  man  who  is  continu- 
ally bewailing  what  he  claims  to  be  a  fact — that  there  is  only  one  honest 
man  in  the  world  and  that  when  the  people  attend  his  funeral  the  race  will 
be  extinct — is  a  mighty  good  man  to  let  the  other  fellow  trade  horses  with. 
We  know  many  men  of  the  kind,  but  right  now  we  have  in  mind  one  who 
in  character  is  as  clean  as  a  hound's  tooth  and  who  in  his  business  dealings 
is  absolutely  straight.  Straight,  not  because  he  is  afraid  to  take  the  chance 
of  being  otherwise ;  not  because  he  wishes  the  praise  of  men ;  but  simply 
because  he  learned  in  his  yotUh  to  think  right  until  it  became  a  confirmed 
habit  with  him.  Then,  of  course,  his  actions  kept  pace  with  his  thinking. 
This  man  is  not  only  honest  in  business  transactions,  but  he  has  a  heart 
inside  of  him  which  is  as  big,  red  and  meaty  as  a  Georgian  watermelon. 
There  are  hundreds  of  unfortunates  who  will  sit  in  the  shadows  lament- 
ing when  E.  A.  Stowe,  of  Grand  Rapids,  steps  up  to  the  bar  of  eternal 
justice  to  have  his  final  account  edited.  Stowe,  like  all  big  men — and  he 
is  a  big  man — has  his  peculiarities.  If  you  owe  him  forty-five  cents  and 
you  refuse  to  pay  when  he  feels  assured  you  are  abundantly  able  to  do  so, 
he  will  spend  ten  thousand  dollars,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  compel  you 
to  do  the  right  thing;  but  if  you  owe  him  a  thousand  dollars  and  he  is 
convinced  that,  though  honest,  you  are  playing  in  hard  kick,  he  will  stand 
by  you  until  the  cows  come  home,  the  milking  done,  the  milk  strained  and 
the  butter  made  and  marketed." 

.-^^ain  we  quote,  and  this  time  from  a  business  sermon  by  David 
Gilson.  who  makes  Mr.  Stowe  the  text,  as  one  might  say,  of  his  sermon- 
ette: 

"His  friends  call  him  (^olden  Rule  Stowe,  just  as  they  used  to  call  a 
man  who  lived  and  loved  in  Toledo  by  the  endearing  name  of  Golden  Rule 
Jones.  Ernest  A.  Stowe  is  a  man  who  is  doing  things.  He  has  but  one 
text,  from  which  he  preaches,  with  variations,  some  of  the  most  powerful 
business  sermons  now  being  preached.  He  has  chosen  as  his  platform 
the  Golden  Rule.  He  asks  that  men  give  themselves  a  square  deal  and 
he  shows  them  that  it  is  by  giving  others  the  square  deal  that  they  can 
secure  it  for  themselves.  Stowe  is  not  posing  as  a  preacher.  He  is  just 
a  self-confident,  hard-working,  far-seeing  newspaper  man.  He  has  seen 
much  of  the  dark  side  of  life,  as  a  man  cloes  who  starts  with  nothing  and 
works  himself  up  to  a  commanding  position  in  a  community  under  handi- 
caps and  environments  which  would  discourage  a  less  resolute  soul.  He 
has  written  of  men  who  have  succeeded  and  often  it  has  been  his  duty  to 
write  of  men  who  have  failed.  With  his  reporter's  eye  he  has  seen  much 
of  life — perhaps  as  much  as  a  man  of  fifty-five  can  see  and  preserve  his 
ideals.  For  Stowe  has  ideals.  He  is  an  optimist  of  the  optimists.  He 
sees  ahead  a  vision  of  pure  democracy.  He  sees  a  time  when  men  will 
recognize  the  brotherhood  of  man.  In  this  he  shares  the  vision  with 
many  others.  Stowe  does  not  claim  to  have  discovered  anything  new  in 
his  ideals,  but  he  certainly  has  discovered  an  effective  way  of  telling 
thousands  of  those  ideals.  Although  he  has  been  pounding  away  long 
hours  and  longer  days  for  over  forty  years,  he  is  just  coming  into  his  own. 
He  has  long  been  on  Easy  street,  financially  speaking,  but  that  did  not 


2\--2  HISIORV   OK  MICHIGAN 

satisfy  him.  He  wanted  an  organization  and  a  following.  He  has  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  hoth.  His  organization  is  just  gathering  momentum 
and  it  is  hound  to  grow  greater  with  the  years,  for  Stowe  in\ariably  prac- 
tices what  he  preaches.  He  asks  no  special  favors.  He  pays  his  own  way. 
He  believes  in  himself.  He  has  faith  in  his  proposition.  He  knows  that 
it  is  truly  worth  while.  He  never  doubts  for  an  instant  that  his  fifty 
thousand'  readers  will  stand  by  him  through  thick  and  thin  and  increase 
and  multiply,  because  they  believe  in  him.  They  may  not  always  agree 
with  him,  but  they  belie\e  in  his  honesty  and  sincerity  and  are  willing  to 
overlook  many  minor  differences  for  the  sake  of  keeping  his  mind  clear 
and  his  sheath  bright.  Hubbard  says:  'Blessed  is  he  who  has  found  his 
work.'    There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  Stowe  is  blessed." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  anything  to  these  terse  and  sincere  sentences, 
which  express  the  spirit  and  purpose  which  have  actuated  the  man  better 
than  could  any  words  of  one  personally  unacquainted  with  him.  The 
foregoing  extracts  from  publications  that  have  appeared  from  time  to 
time  concerning  ]\Ir.  Stowe  are  ofifered  as  substitutes  for  a  more  formal 
biography. 

Alfred  D.  Billixgs.  A  real  estate  man  whose  successful  career  has 
been  worked  out  in  a  progressive  manner,  chiefly  in  Lenawee  county  and 
at  Adrian,  Mr.  Billings  is  now  substantially  established  both  as  a  business 
man  and  citizen  at  the  county  seat,  and  represents  one  of  the  older  families 
in  this  section  of  Michigan. 

He  was  born  in  Rome  tow-nship  of  Lenawee  county,  January  27,  1875, 
the  first  of  five  children  born  to  Marion  E.  and  Matilda  A.  (Bostwick) 
Billings.  His  father  was  born  in  New  York  State  in  1847,  came  to  Michi- 
gan when  a  voung  man,  engaged  in  farming,  by  which  vocation  he  pro- 
vided for  his  family  and  for  himself,  and  now  lives  in  Adrian,  having 
retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life  in  1911.  The  mother,  who  was  born 
in  New  York  State  in  1848,  died  in  191 1.  Their  children  were:  Alfred 
D. ;  Pearl  L. ;  Claude  E. ;  Marion  L. ;  and  Glenn. 

Alfred  D.  Billings  had  a  district  school  education  and  lived  on  the 
farm  during  his  early  years.  In  1892  he  went  to  Adrian  and  attended 
business  college  for  two  winters.  After  that,  until  1899,  he  continued  as 
a  farmer,  and  has  a  practical  knowledge  of  that  basic  industry.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  Jasper,  ^Michigan,  was  employed  ten  months  in  a  meat 
market,  then  opened  a  general  store  and  sold  goods  to  an  increasing  patron- 
age for  four  years.  Selling  out  his  interests  there,  he  moved  to  Adrian, 
and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Adrian  Produce  Company  six  months.  He 
then  went  back  to  Jasper,  and  for  nine  months  was  in  a  general  store 
there,  and  then  spent  three  months  on  the  road,  traveling  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Page  Wire  Pence  Company.  With  this  varied  experi- 
ence behind  him  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  1907  with  Mr.  A. 
A.  Goodsell,  and  their  partnership  relation  was  continued  for  three  years. 
Mr.  Billings  once  more  engaged  in  farming,  but  after  a  year  returned 
to  Adrian  and  became  associated  w^ith  Mr.  Elmer  Thompson  in  their 
present  firm  as  real  estate  men.  They  handle  all  kinds  of  country  and 
city  ])ro])erty  and  have  made  a  rejjutation  for  fair  dealing,  so  that  both 
oki  and  new  customers  have  complete  confidence  in  their  judgment  and 
promises. 

Mr.  Billings  was  married  at  Rome  Center,  in  Lenawee  county,  Xovem- 
ber  12,  1899,  to  Miss  Florence  M.  Bates,  whose  father,  Phillip  M.  Bates, 
is  a  retired  merchant  at  Adrian.  They  have  no  children.  ^Ir.  Billings 
has  fraternal  affiliations  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  and 
his  wife  attend  the  Baptist  church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2173 

While  a  strict  business  man,  he  is  also  a  lover  of  the  out  of  doors,  and 
when  opportunity  presents  enjoys  a  fishing  and  hunting  excursion.  He 
lives  in  his  own  home  at  .-Vdrian. 

AIiciiAEL  Wiley.  When  Michael  Wiley,  long  a  resident  of  Jackson, 
Michigan,  passed  away  on  February  6,  191 1,  the  city  of  Jackson  lost  one 
of  her  finest  citizens  and  a  man  who  was  not  easily  spared  from  the 
activities  to  which  he  had  lent  his  energies  and  powers  through  all  the 
years  of  his  identification  with  the  progress  of  the  community.  It  is 
appropriate  and  fitting  that  some  mention  be  made  of  him  in  a  work  of 
the  nature  and  purpose  of  this  publication,  and  in  presenting  a  few  brief 
facts  relating  to  him  and  his  career,  it  is  considered  consistent  and  proper 
to  cjuote  verbatim  an  article  that  appeared  in  the  Michigan  Catholic  of 
Detroit,  under  date  of  March  2,  191 1,  following  the  passing  of  Mr.  Wiley. 
Though  brief,  the  article  is  yet  concise  and  comprehensive,  and  it  presents 
the  man  in  a  sense  in  which  he  was  widely  known,  so  that  one  not  wholly 
familiar  with  his  life  and  activities  might  not  hope  to  prepare  a  more 
appropriate  sketch  of  his  life  than  this.    The  article  follows : 

"Michael  Wiley  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  the  county  of  West  Meath, 
coming  to  America  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  came  directly  to  Jackson, 
where  he  located  and  where  he  resided  continuously  until  his  death. 

"On  June  14,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Helen  Slattery, 
who  survives  him  and  who  is  now  residing  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Frank 
P.  McQuillan,  of  Jackson.  Besides  his  widow  there  survive  him  one  son, 
John  M.  Wiley,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  and  three  daughters,  as  follows : 
Mary  Wiley,  now  Mrs.  Frank  P.  McQuillan  ;  Catherine,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
Harrison,  and  Anna  Louise,  wife  of  Thomas  McCann,  of  Tecumseh, 
Michigan.  Both  Mrs.  McQuillan  and  Mrs.  Harrison  live  in  Jackson, 
their  homes  being  side  by  side  on  East  Ganson  street.  Their  husbands, 
Frank  P.  McQuillan  and  Charles  Harrison,  form  the  firm  of  McQuillan 
&  Harrison,  which  is  one  of  the  leading  clothing  firms  of  Jackson. 

"Throughout  the  greater  portion  of  his  life  in  Jackson  Air.  Wiley  was 
closely  identified  with  the  material  growth  and  development  of  that  city. 
For  many  years  he  was  associated  with  the  city  government  in  various 
capacities,  and  was  long  a  leader  in  municipal  improvements.  He  acquired 
extensive  realty  holdings,  embracing  twenty  acres  lying  just  northeast 
of  the  old  city  of  Jackson,  and  the  city  has  since  spread  entirely  over 
this  tract  and  run  far  beyond  it,  this  particular  part  of  the  city  becoming 
known  as  Wiley's  Addition  to  Jackson. 

"The  kindness  of  his  nature  and  the  geniality  of  his  disposition  won 
for  him  a  large  circle  of  friends,  by  all  of  whom  his  death  was  keenly 
regretted.  His  generous  impulses,  together  with  his  wealth,  prompted 
him  to  make  many  liberal  gifts  on  his  part  for  the  promotion  of  the 
work  of  his  parish  church,  which  was  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
on  North  Cooper  street.  From  the  earliest  history  of  St.  John's  parish 
Michael  Wiley  was  one  of  its  principal  supporters,  helping  in  a  financial 
way  with  large  and  liberal  contributions  and  donations  to  erect  the  present 
large  and  substantial  buildings  which  St.  John's  Parish  now  enjoys." 

Orson  Mill.\rd,  M.  D.  The  medical  profession  has  been  very  promi- 
nent in  the  wonderful  scientific  achievements  of  the  past  and  present 
century.  Through  the  bequests  of  great  wealth,  trained  medical  men  are 
devoting  their  time,  in  laboratories  fitted  with  every  possible  adjunct  for 
study,  to  the  solving  of  the  problems  which  so  closely  totich  humanity — 
its  beginning,  existence  and  end.  Not  every  medical  man  is  permitted 
these  advantages,  however,  no  matter  how  enthused  he  may  be  with  pro- 
fessional interest,  and  the  discoveries  which  come  to  him  in  his  consid-' 

Vol.  IV— 27 


2174  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

eration  of  daily  practice  are,  perhaps,  just  as  creditable,  and  certainly 
they  are  frequent  enough  to  demonstrate  great  ability.  For  forty-four 
years  devoted  to  the  best  ethics  of  his  honored  calling,  Orson  Millard, 
M.  D.,  of  Flint,  Michigan,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
and  surgeons  of  Michigan,  both  by  reason  of  his  great  natural  ability  and 
because  of  the  contributions  he  has  made  to  the  discoveries  of  medical 
science.  He  was  born  October  27,  i<^45.  at  Utica,  Michigan,  a  son  of 
James  Madison  and  Sally  Halsey  (Brown)  Millard,  and  is  a  member  of 
one  of  America's  oldest  families,  as  is  shown  by  the  genealogical  record 
following. 

Thomas,  John  and  Xehemiah  Millard,  brothers,  resided  in  France  at 
the  time  of  the  Huguenot  war  with  the  Catholics,  and  fled  to  England  to 
escape  the  Huguenot  massacre.  Later  they  emigrated  to  America,  land- 
ing at  Boston,  ^'tlassachusetts,  in  1650.  Of  these  brothers,  Thomas  iMillard 
settled  at  what  is  now  Ouincy,  Massachusetts.  Xehemiah  settled  at  what 
is  now  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  John  settled  at  what  is  now  Reho- 
both,  Massachusetts,  in  Bristol  county.  Robert  Millard,  the  son  of  one 
of  these  brothers,  probably  John,  was  born  at  Rehoboth,  Massachusetts, 
about  the  year  1686,  and  was  married  to  Hannah  Edy,  April  i,  1700.  He 
died  at  his  residence  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  about  the  year  1782, 
at  ninety-six  years  of  age.  Hannah  Edy,  his  wife,  died  before  her  hus- 
band at  nearly  eighty  years  of  age.  They  had  a  family  of  twelve  sons  and 
two  daughters. 

Abiathar  Alillard,  the  son  of  Robert  and  Hannah  (Edy)  Millard,  was 
born  at  Rehoboth,  Alassachusetts,  June  2,  1744.  He  was  married  to 
Tabitha  Hopkins,  who  was  born  October  16,  1745,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
Hopkins,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  from  Scotland,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  Abiathar,  Jr.,  born  in  1763;  Tabitha,  born  in  1765,  married 
a  Royce;  Lydia,  born  in  1768,  married  a  Strickland;  Huldah,  bom  in 
1773,  married  a  Kinsley;  Sarah,  born  in  1775,  married  an  Eaton;  Olive, 
born  in  1778,  married  an  Armstrong;  Phebe,  born  in  1781,  married  a 
Fillmore;  Jesse,  born  in  1784;  Almon  H.,  born  in  1788;  and  Solomon, 
born  in  I78<),  and  five  children  who  died  in  infancy. 

Jesse  Millard,  son  of  Abiathar,  Jr.,  and  Tabitha  (Hopkins)  Millard, 
was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  October  6,  1784,  and  died  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  F"ebruary  8,  1881.  He  was  married  in  Xovembcr, 
1803.  at  Bennington,  X'ermont,  to  Lucinda  Loomis.  The  original  name  in 
French  was  spelled  Millerd  and  for  a  long  time  this  style  was  used  by 
the  family  in  the  United  States,  but  for  some  reason  was  changed  to 
Millard.  Continuing  the  record,  the  following  is  taken  from  the  old 
family  Bible  of  Jedediah  Millard: 

Jedediah  Millard  was  born  Decemlier  25,  1752,  and  was  married  August 
16,  1771,  to  Ann  Taylor,  born  Jime  14,  1752.  He  was  buried  in  the  town 
of  Malta,  Saratoga  county.  Xew  ^'ork.  He  and  his  wife  had  the  follow- 
ing children :  Josiah  Millard,  born  April  18,  1773;  Abiathar,  born  March 
23,  1775;  Eleazer,  born  January  9,  1777;  Stephen,  X'ovember  28,  1778; 
Nathaniel,  born  February  11,  1780;  the  twins,  born  March  11,  1783; 
Lemuel,  born  May  24,  1785;  Ede,  born  October  12,  1787;  Polly,  born 
September  14,  1789;  and  Esther,  born  January  11,  1792. 

Eleazer  Millard,  son  of  Jedediah  and  .\nn  (Taylor)  Millard,  was  born 
January  9,  1777,  and  married  May  6,  1809,  Sally  Strong,  who  was  born 
March  9,  1791.  The  children  born  to  this  union  were  as  follows:  James 
Madison,  born  March  10,  1810,  the  father  of  Dr.  Orson  Millard;  Chauncy 
Strong,  born  March  27,  1812;  Anne  Maria,  born  July  17,  1814;  William 
Lemuel,  born  September  23,  1816;  Roswell  Caleb,  born  March  12,  1819; 
Enicline  Millard  (Resley)  ;  Olive  Dunning,  born  June  17,  1823;  .Alfred 
and  Henry. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2175 

James  Madison  Millard,  son  of  Eleazer  and  Sally  (Strong)  Millard, 
was  born  March  lo,  1810,  in  New  York,  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Michigan,  locating  at  Rochester.  In  youth  he  learned 
the  trade  of  millwright,  at  which  he  worked  in  connection  with  general 
contracting,  and  later  moved  to  Oxford,  where  for  some  years  he  made 
his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hiram  B.  Travis,  the  wife  of  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  that  vicinity.  Later  he  came  to  Flint  to  live  with  his 
son,  Doctor  Millard,  and  here  his  death  occurred  about  the  year  1890. 
He  was  married  to  Sally  Halsey  Brown,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the 
Empire  State,  born  February  9,  1817,  and  she  died  about  1855,  having  been 
the  mother  of  six  children,  as  follows :  Lucy  Elizabeth,  born  March  28, 
1838:  James  Mark,  born  October  10,  1839;  Sarah  Ann  Estella,  born 
September  20,  1841  ;  Orson;  Clarissa  Didema,  born  October  8,  1850;  and 
Paulina,  born  December  31,  1852. 

Orson  Millard  received  his  early  education  in  Rochester  Academy,  and 
after  his  graduation  therefrom  became  a  student  in  the  University  of 
Michigan,  where  he  received  his  medical  degree  in  1870.  In  1871  he  took 
a  post-graduate  course  from  the  same  university,  although  prior  to  this 
he  had  embarked  in  practice  in  Flint,  April  i,  1870.  This  city  has  since 
continued  to  be  his  field  of  labor  and  the  scene  of  his  great  success.  It 
was  Doctor  Alillard's  achievement  to  attain  prominence  during  the  very 
first  year  of  his  practice,  when  he  tested  the  action  of  carbolic  acid  for 
diabetes,  the  account  of  his  experiment  appearing  in  the  Michigan  Uni- 
versity Medical  Journal  in  1871  and  being  republished  in  foreign  medi- 
cal journals,  and  finally  finding  mention  in  a  paragraph  of  the  Encyclo- 
pedia of  the  Practice  of  Medicine,  published  in  Munich,  Bavaria,  Vol.  16, 
p.  1006.  Being  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  Doctor  Millard  has  given 
much  attention  to  the  perfection  of  various  apparatus,  and  took  out  a 
United  States  patent  on  a  depolosizer  for  an  electric  battery,  which  is  in 
general  use  all  o\'er  the  country.  Lie  has  ever  taken  a  keen  interest  in 
public  aft'airs,  and  has  filled  various  high  positions  of  responsibility  and 
trust.  He  has  served  for  some  years  as  health  officer  of  Flint,  was  phy- 
sician to  the  deaf  at  State  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Flint  for 
several  years,  served  during  the  Cle\-eland  administration  as  claim  exam- 
iner for  the  Peninsular  Board,  and  in  1905  was  candidate  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  for  the  office  of  regent  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  For 
several  years  he  was  surgeon  for  the  Port  Huron  &  Lake  Michigan  Rail- 
road running  from  Port  Huron  to  Flint,  which  road  was  merged  into  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway,  of  which  Doctor  Millard  was  also  local  surgeon 
for  a  period. 

In  1895,  with  E.  O.  Wood,  Doctor  Millard  incorporated  the  Loyal 
Guard,  a  fraternal  benefit  society,  which  since  paid  out  about  $1,000,000 
in  death  benefits,  and  during  this  period  has  been  chief  medical  examiner 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  and  of  the  executive  committee. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  of  the  Consistory  at  Detroit, 
and  in  the  line  of  his  profession  holds  membership  in  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  the  Genesee 
County  Medical  Society.  In  political  matters  a  Democrat,  he  has  worked 
faithfully  in  the  ranks  of  his  party,  and  his  religious  affiliation  is  with 
the  Episcopal  church.  He  maintains  offices  in  his  residence,  located  at 
No.  525  Harrison  street,  Flint. 

On  May  i,  1872,  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  Doctor  Millard  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Gardner,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  T.  C. 
Gardner,  D.  D.,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  for  a  number  of 
years  agent  for  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  prominent  as  a  writer 
on  religious  subjects  for  church  and  other  periodicals.  He  died  in  i8go. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Millard :    Kate  Eliza- 


2176  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

belli,  burn  July  7,  1874,  daugbler  of  Andrew  J.  Buckham,  son  of  Thomas 
R.  liuckham  of  Detroit,  and  secretary  of  the  Elks,  assistant  secretary  of 
the  Country  Club  and  agent  of  the  Canadian  Life  Insurance  Company; 
and  Thomas  Carl,  born  September  22,  1877,  general  business  man  of  Flint 
and  a  ])rominent  Mason  (master  of  his  lodge),  who  married  ^liss  Ruth 
Fdwards,  of  Flint.  Mrs.  Millard,  the  mother  of  these  children,  was  born 
June  4.  1845. 

De  H.  AIills.  .\niong  the  prominent  men  of  Michigan  who  have  won 
success  and  honor  both  in  business  and  official  life  is  De  H.  Mills,  first 
deputy  secretary  of  state  of  Michigan.  Mr.  Mills  was  born  at  Litchfield, 
Michigan,  April  19,  1875,  and  is,  therefore,  at  the  time  of  this  writing, 
thirty-nine  years  of  age.  It  is  about  this  time  in  a  man's  life  that  in  most 
biogra])hies  he  begins  to  show  promise  that  in  later  life  ripens  into 
fruition.  But  in  Mr.  Mills'  case,  although  his  battles  are  yet  before  him, 
there  is  an  honorable  list  of  accomplishments  to  be  recorded,  a  number  of 
victories  to  be  marked  and  a  linal  achievement  to  be  shown  such  as  would 
creditably  mark  the  career  of  an  individual  many  years  his  senior. 

-Mr.  Mills  is  descended  from  one  of  the  state's  pioneers,  being  in  the 
third  generation  of  the  Mills  famflj  which  settled  in  Hillsdale  county  in 
1839.  Four  years  folloWiiig  the  admi^ion  of  Michigan  as  a  state  to  the 
Union,  John  Mills,  the  grandt'ather  'df  De  H.  Mills,  left  his  home  in 
New  York,  bringing  his  family  with  him  and  settling  in  Hillsdale  county, 
near  the  Indiana  line,  where  he  followed  farming  for  many  years  and 
there  passed  away.  Mr.  Mijls  was  a  sturdy  pioneer  and  did  his  full  share 
in  the  development  of  that  part  of  the  Wolverine  state.  His  son,  De  H. 
Mills,  Sr.,  was  but  a  boy  of  two  years  when  he  came  with  the  family  to 
Michigan.  Reared  in  Hillsdale  county,  he  became  a  successful  and  hon- 
ored citizen  and  his  career  was  characterized  by  achievements  in  various 
fields  of  endeavor.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  Bat- 
tery A  (known  as  Lumis'  Battery),  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Michigan 
Light  Artillery,  with  which  he  fought  valiantly  until  the  close  of  the 
struggle,  then  returning  to  Hillsdale  county  and  establishing  himself  in  a 
mercantile  business  at  Litchfield,  which  he  continued  to  conduct  success- 
fully during  the  balance  of  his  life.  Mr.  Alills  was  appointed  postmaster 
at  Litchfield  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  served  in  that  capacity  continu- 
ously until  President  Cleveland's  first  administration,  also  serving  for 
twenty  consecutive  years  in  the  office  of  township  clerk.  His  death 
occurred  in  1892,  at  Litchfield.  Mr.  Mills  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  Masonic 
order.  Just  prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Mason,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  of  pioneer  par- 
ents, who  came  from  Xew  York  state  and  only  a  short  time  after  their 
marriage  he  went  to  the  front.  Mrs.  'SUWs  died  in  1885  at  the  age  of  forty- 
two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  children:  De  H.,  Jr.,  and 
Bessie  M.,  who  married  T.  H.  Warwick,  a  native  of  England,  and  they 
reside  at  Litchfield,  where  Mr.  Warwick  is  a  prosperous  business  man  and 
ex-postmaster. 

I)e  H.  Mills  was  reared  at  Litchfield  and  received  his  education  there, 
graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1892.  He  was  deputy  postmaster  for 
a  time,  then  engaged  in"  the  hardware  and  undertaking  business  at  Litch- 
field, continuing  to  be  thus  occupied  until  1902,  in  which  year  he  received 
the  a])pointment  to  the  office  of  dc]3Uty  county  clerk  of  Hillsdale  county. 
In  u)04  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  state  and  a 
year  later  his  abilities  were  recognized  by  his  promotion  to  the  position  of 
chief  compiler  of  the  office,  a  position  which  he  held  until  1910.  Mr. 
Mills  was  then  promoted  deputy  secretary  of  state,  a  position  in  which 


THI  Wf^  If^^^- 
PUBLIC  I UtUM 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2177 

he  has  displayed  great  official  and  executive  ability,  has  won  friends  in 
every  part  of  the  state  and  has  become  so  popular  with  the  people  at 
large  that  he  is  regarded  as  the  logical  successor  to  his  chief,  indications 
being  that  he  will  receive  the  nomination  of  the  Republican  party  for  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state  and  eventually  will  win  the  election.  Sir.  Mills 
has  been  active  in  the  ranks  of  the  Rejniblican  party  for  some  years  and 
wields  a  wide  influence  in  state  and  county  matters.  His  fraternal  con- 
nections are  with  I-'ranklin  Lodge  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Lansing  Lodge 
No.  196,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  B.  Shattuck,  daughter  of  Edgar 
A.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Tripp)  Shattuck,  of  Litchfield,  Michigan. 

George  A.  Browx.  One  of  the  men  who  is  prominent  in  public  affairs 
in  Oakland  county,  and  who  has  given  his  influence  and  practical  work 
for  the  upbuilding  of  his  home  city  of  Pontiac,  is  George  A.  Brown,  pres- 
ent postmaster  of  the  city,  and  former  county  clerk  of  Oakland  county. 

George  A.  Brown  was  born  at  Clarkston,  Oakland  county,  Michigan, 
December  22,  1872,  one  of  the  four  sons  of  Henry  and  Harriet  E.  ( Hick- 
mott)  Brown.  His  father  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  the  mother 
in  Sheffield,  England.  When  a  young  man  Henry  Brown  emigrated  to 
Canada,  lived  there  five  years,  then  came  to  Clarkston  where  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  soon  afterwards  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-second  Michigan  In- 
fantry for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  It  was  about  six  months  before  the 
end  of  hostilities  that  he  went  to  the  front  and  continued  until  getting  his 
honorable  discharge  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Returning  home  to  Clark- 
ston, he  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  merchandising.  Since  retiring 
from  business  in  1902,  he  has  lived  at  the  old  home  in  Clarkston,  and 
vicinity,  and  is  a  man  held  in  the  highest  esteem  in  his  community.  He 
is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife  died  at 
Clarkson  in  1898,  and  is  buried  in  Lake  View  Cemetery.  Their  four 
sons  were:  William  H.  Brown,  who  lives  in  Bentley,  in  Bay  county, 
Michigan ;  Ralph  E.  Brown,  a  resident  of  Paw  Paw,  Michigan ;  George 
A. ;  and  Charles  A.  Brown,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama. 

George  A.  Brown  acquired  a  fairly  liberal  education,  and  has  al- 
ways been  a  useful  member  of  the  community.  He  attended  the  grade 
and  high  schools  of  Clarkston,  took  a  commercial  course  in  Detroit,  and 
after  leaving  business  college  continued  his  education  by  private  instruc- 
tion. His  first  official  position  was  as  town  clerk  in  Independence  town- 
ship in  Oakland  county.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  was  elected  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  to  the  office  of  county  clerk,  and  was  reelected  again  and 
again,  so  that  he  was  in  his  sixth  consecutive  term  when  he  left  the 
office.  The  records  of  Oakland  county  do  not  show  any  one  incumbent 
of  the  office  of  county  clerk  who  served  longer  consecutive  periods  than 
Mr.  Brown.  That  is  the  best  proof  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  throughout  the  county.  j\Ir.  Brown  resigned  his  office  in  January, 
191 1,  and  on  the  first  of  February  following  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
postmaster  at  Pontiac.  In  April,  1914,  was  elected  City  Commissioner 
for  three-year  term.  He  has  always  been  an  active  Republican,  one  of  the 
leaders  in  his  county,  and  fraternally  is  an  Elk  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
He  has  membership  in  the  Pontiac  Club  and  the  Pontiac  Board  of  Trade. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  has  never  hesitated  to  give  his  influence  and 
practical  assistance,  and  also  to  contribute  his  personal  means  for  the 
advancement  and  upbuilding  of  his  home  city. 

Jefferson  Butler.  While  the  late  Jefi^erson  Butler  was  one  of  the 
well  known  and  successful  members  of  the  Detroit  bar,  his  greatest  dis- 
tinction, both  in  this  state  and  abroad,  is  as  a  naturalist.  His  work  in 
that  field  made  him  known  among  the  world's  scientists. 


2178  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

A  native  of  Covington,  Kentucky.  Mr.  Ikulcr  was  born  May  i,  1868, 
and  was  a  son  of  Edward  and  Abigail  (Rcilly)  Butler,  natives  of  the 
South.  His  father  was  a  colonel  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  some  years 
after  the  war.  an  effort  to  quell  a  negro  riot  was  misunderstood  by  the 
United  States  soldiers,  who  burned  his  home  and  seized  his  property.  He 
wandered  through  the  South  accompanied  by  his  small  son,  and  Mr. 
Butler's  first  literary  work  was  a  description  of  scenes  in  these  early 
travels  with  his, father.  In  1875  Colonel  Butler  went  to  Soiith  America, 
leaving  his  son  in  the  care  of  Mrs.  Finley,  then  living  in  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. Mr.  Butler's  interest  in  animals  dated  from  his  many  visits  to  the 
race  track  at  this  time.  His  father  enlisted  in  the  army  of  one  of  the 
republics  and  it  is  presumed  that  he  lost  his  life  in  battle,  as  he  never 
returned  to  the  Morth,  nor  was  any  message  received  from  him.  _  At  the 
time  of  the  war  the  mother  went  to  Canada,  where  she  has  continued  to 
make  her  home,  her  residence  now  being  in  the  city  of  Toronto. 

lefferson  r)Utler  was  later  taken  to  Canada  by  his  uncle,  and  it  was 
in  the  public  schools  of  Toronto  that  he  secured  the  greater  part  of  his 
early  education.  He  also  attended  the  Uni\ersity  of  Toronto,  and  from 
that  city  went  to  St.  Thomas,  Ontario,  spending  about  a  year,  and  applied 
himself  assiduously  to  the  study  of  law.  In  1888  he  came  to  Detroit  to 
continue  his  legal  studies,  engaging  also  in  newspaper  and  literary  work. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892  and  became  literary  editor  of  the 
"Critical  Review"  the  following  year.  During  all  this  time,  through  the 
Chautauqua,  the  German-American  Seminary  and  the  School  of  Lan- 
guages he  continued  his  preparation  for  college,  entering  the  sophomore 
year  at  Harxard  University  by  examination  in  1894.  At  the  end  of  his 
junior  year  he  received  an  invitation  from  the  late  Professor  Walter  Den- 
ton Smith,  of  the  faculty  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  to  come  to  Ann 
Arbor  and  assist  in  ]ircparing  a  legal  text  book.  While  thus  engaged 
Mr.  Butler  attended  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
and  in  1896  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He 
then  accompanied  Professor  Smith  to  Denver,  Colorado,  where  he  began 
the  practice  of  law.  A  serious  illness  interrupted  his  career  as  a.  lawyer, 
and  during  his  convalescence  he  traveled  through  Colorado,  .-Xrizona  and 
Xew  3>Iexico,  writing  descriptive  articles  for  newspapers  and  periodicals, 
at  the  same  time  paying  his  expenses,  broadening  his  experience  and  in- 
creasing his  reputation  "as  a  journalist.  Returning  to  Denver,  Mr.  Butler 
resumed  his  practice  and  remained  there  until  January,  1898.  At  that 
date  he  came  to  Detroit,  and  for  the  first  two  years  was  a  patent  lawyer, 
but  afterwards  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  law  until  his  death, 
October  23,  1913. 

Mr.  Butler  for  fifteen  years  was  one  of  Detroit's  successful  lawyers. 
He  used  his  profession  to  no  small  degree  in  behalf  of  numerous  educa- 
tional and  scientific  organizations.  In  1904  he  organized  the  Michigan 
Audubon  Societv,  becoming  its  secretary,  and  in  191 1  its  president,  which 
office  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  delivered  more  than  200 
lectures  on  the  work  of  the  humane  and  Audubon  movements,  with  occa- 
sional addresses  on  nature  study,  and  wrote  extensively  on  these  subjects 
for  magazines  and  newspapers.  Mr.  Butler  was  Michigan  attorney  for 
the  American  Humane  Educational  Association,  Michigan  attorney  for 
the  National  Association  of  Audubon  Societies,  president  of  the  Detroit 
Institute  of  Science ;  a  director  and  chairman  of  the  legislative  committee 
of  the  Michigan  State  Humane  Association,  a  member  of  and  contributor 
to  the  Michigan  Academv  of  Science,  and  a  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  the  National  Economic  League.  Mr.  Butler  contributed  many 
valuable  papers  and  articles  to  magazines  and  newspapers  on  ornithology, 
animal  life  and  wild  life  generally,  being  particularly  interested  in  humane 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2179 

measures  for  the  treatment  and  care  of  domestic  animals.  He  supplied 
bird  mig-ration  records  for  Southern  Michigan  to  the  United  States  Bio- 
logical Survey.  During  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  in  1913  he  was 
instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of  four  laws :  For  humane  educa- 
tion in  the  schools,  the  "old  horse  bill,"  forbidding  the  sale  of  old  and 
worn  out  horses :  the  aigrette  bill,  prohibiting  in  the  state  of  Michigan  the 
importation  or  sale  of  aigrettes ;  and  a  bill  providing  for  the  use  of  parks 
as  bird  sanctuaries.  In  recognition  of  Mr.  Butler's  services  in  the  catise 
of  bird  protection,  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Control  has  ofifered  to 
convey  to  the  Audubon  Society  an  island  built  up  by  the  excavation  of  the 
new  St.  Clair  channel  to  be  used  as  a  refuge  for  wild  birds,  and  to  be 
known  as  Jefferson  Butler  Island.  Butler  was  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Bar  Association,  the  Michigan  State  Bar  Association,  and  the  American 
Bar  Association ;  also  of  the  Southern  Society,  the  Lawyers'  Club  and 
the  Harvard  and  University  of  Michigan  Clubs  at  Detroit. 

On  December  2,  1902,  Mr.  Butler  was  married  to  Louisa  Conover, 
and  to  this  union  a  son  and  daughter  were  born,  namely :  Evans  Conover, 
born  Decemlier  12,  1903,  and  died  January  24,  1907;  and  Louisa,  born 
August  21,  1906.  Mrs.  Butler  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  August  24, 
1868,  the  daughter  of  James  F.  and  Hannah  (Evans)  Conover.  Her 
father  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  James 
Francis  Conover,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Ohio  bar,  who  was  the 
author  of  Conover's  Law  Digest.  He  was  a  Southerner  by  birth  and  of 
the  old  Kentucky  Conover  family.  James  Conover,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Butler,  was  for  seventeen  years  editorial  writer  with  the  Detroit  Tribune, 
at  a  time  when  he  practically  dictated  the  paper's  policy.  He  was  always 
deeply  interested  in  church  and  Sunday  school  work  and  eventually  studied 
for  and  entered  the  Episcojial  ministry.  He  was  for  eleven  years  in  charge 
of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  going  next  to 
Racine,  Wisconsin,  thence  to  Owosso,  Michigan,  and  then  to  the  charge 
of  all  the  city  mission  work  in  Detroit.  He  died  April  3,  1902.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Butler  was  born  at  Waynesville,  Ohio,  daughter  of  David  and 
Rachel  Evans,  Quakers.  The  Evans  family  traces  its  descent  in  America 
directly  to  Owen  Evans,  who  came  to  America  with  William  Penn. 

HiR.VM  Riio.\DES  Howell.  The  high  rewards  attainable  by  a  life  of 
industry,  integrity  and  persistent  effort,  wisely  and  judiciously  directed, 
are  excellently  illustrated  in  the  career  of  Hiram  Rhoades  Howell,  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  Caro.  Starting  into  business  life  at  the 
time  he  attained  his  majority,  without  capital  save  that  of  ambition  and 
determination,  he  has  achieved  an  enviable  measure  of  success  through 
persevering  labor  and  well-directed  operations,  and  today  stands  as  the 
leading  hardware  dealer  and  undertaker  of  his  city.  Mr.  Howell  is  a 
native  son  of  Caro.  where  he  was  born  December  20,  1877,  a  son  of 
James  H.  and  Alice  (Tanner)  Howell. 

James  H.  Howell  was  born  near  \\'illiams]iort, '  Pennsylvania,  in 
1852,  and  there  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  was 
a  youth  of  seventeen  years  when  he  came  to  Caro,  Michigan,  and  here 
embarked  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued to  be  engaged  during  the  balance  of  his  life.  He  was  widely  known 
as  a  citizen  of  integrity,  honorable  dealing  and  public  spirit,  and  his 
death,  which  occurred  January  16,  1914,  was  mourned  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  He  was  in  early  life  a  Democrat,  but  in  later  years  was  con- 
verted to  Republicanism  by  his  son,  although  he  took  no  active  part  in 
public  life.  However,  he  was  prominent  and  active  in  the  Masonic 
order,  being  high  priest  of  the  Caro  Chapter  and  master  of  Caro  Lodge 
for  many  years.    \lr.  Howell  was  married  at  Caro  to  Miss  Alice  Tanner, 


2180  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

who  was  born  in  Xcw  'S'ork,  and  she  still  survives  and  resides  at  the  old 
homestead  which  was  founded  by  Mr.  Howell.  Two  children  were  born 
to  them :  Una,  who  became  the  wife  of  Frederick  Holmes,  of  Marine 
City,  Michigan,  died  there  in  1907,  was  buried  in  Caro  Cemetery  and  the 
two  children,  Frederick  and  Alice,  reside  with  their  father  at  Marine 
City;  and  Hiram  Rhoades. 

Hiram  Rhoades  Howell  received  his  early  education  in  the  graded 
schools,  following  which  he  became  a  student  in  the  Caro  High  School, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  re- 
ceived his  introduction  to  business  life  in  a  hardware  establishment  at 
Saginaw,  where  he  was  employed  by  Morley  Brothers,  one  of  the  largest 
hardware  concerns  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  After  six  months  he  re- 
signed his  position  and  returned  to  Caro.  where  he  became  storekeeper 
for  the  Michigan  Sugar  Company,  a  capacity  in  which  he  acted  for  seven 
years.  He  had  always  taken  an  active-interest  in  Republican  politics,  and 
at  this  time  became  his  party's  candidate  for  register  of  deeds  of  Tus- 
cola county,  to  which  office  he  was  subsequently  elected.  He  then  re- 
signed his  position  with  the  sugar  company  in  order  to  give  his  entire 
attention  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  his  efficient  service  in  which  won  him 
the  re-election.  When  his  second  term  expired.  Mr.  HoWell  invested  his 
savings  in  a  hardware  stock  at  Millington,  :Michigan,  and  there  placed 
the  foundation  upon  which  has  been  built  his  present  business  success. 
He  continued  at  Alillington  until  July,  1Q13,  when  an  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself  to  acquire  by  purchase  the  large  hardware  stock  of  Harry 
T.  Phelps,  of  Caro.  and  Mr.  Howell  instantly  availed  himself  of  the 
chance  to  enroll  his  name  among  the  merchants  of  his  native  place.  As 
proprietor  of  this  well-established  hardware  and  implement  business.  Mr. 
Howell  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Caro.  having  a  three-story 
building,  fioxioo  feet,  and  occupying  a  floor  space  of  some  19,000  square 
feet.  He  carries  the  most  complete  line  of  light  and  heavy  hardware, 
stoves,  implements,  etc.,  in  Caro,  and  in  addition  to  this  carries  on  the 
undertaking  business,  having  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  that  voca- 
tion under  the  preceptorshij)  of  his  father.  Mr.  Howell  is  a  business  man 
of  the  energetic,  progressive  and  untiring  kind,  a  man  of  quick  decisions 
and  excellent  judgment,  and  during  his  entire  business  career  has  never 
taken  a  vacation.  However,  he  is  easily  approached,  and  his  genial, 
courteous  manner  has  gained  him  many  friends.  Since  taking  over  the 
management  of  his  present  business  he  has  steadily  increased  its  growth 
and  profits.  He  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Masons,  and  his  religious  connection  is  with  the  Methodist  church. 
Mr.  Flowell  is  unmarried. 

M.\RTiN  MiLEZEWsKi.  The  Saginaw  Sash  &  Door  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  which  Martin  Milezewski  is  vice  president,  is  an  industry 
which  was  established  some  years  ago,  and  except  among  its  customers 
was  practically  unknown  for  a  number  of  months.  It  has  now  developed 
to  a  point  where  it  commands  a  position  among  the  .group  of  Saginaw 
leading  manufacturing  plants,  and  the  business  is  in  an  important  degree 
a  moinmient  to  the  industry  and  enterprise  of  Martin  Milezewski. 

Martin  Milezewski  was  born  in  Poland,  Russia,  November  11,  1S80. 
His  parents  were  Anton  and  Mary  (Drefki)  Milezewski,  both  natives 
of  Poland.  The  family  came  to  America  in  1888,  settling  in  Bay  City, 
Michigan,  and  later  moving  to  Saginaw.  The  father  still  lives  in  Sag- 
inaw, has  attained  the  venerable  age  of  eighty  years  and  during  his  active 
life  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter.  The  mother  jiassed  away  in  1912 
at  the  age  of  seventv-six.     There  was  a  large   familv  of  children,  and 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2181 

only  three  are  now  living,  the  others  being:  Michael  and  Mrs.  May 
Lichon. 

Martin  Milezewski  was  eight  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to 
America,  and  practically  all  his  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  of  Michigan,  and  after  he  got  to  a  point  where  he  could  realize 
the  necessities  and  ad\  antages  of  a  thorough  training  for  business  career, 
he  attended  night  school  for  several  terms.  Later  he  studied  architecture 
in  Philadelphia,  and  on  leaving  school  began  working  in  a  planing  mill, 
continuing  that  employment  until  1909.  In  that  year  was  established  the 
Saginaw  Sash  and  Door  Company,  with  which  his  enterprise  and  name 
has  been  since  associated.  The  business  was  incorporated  in  1912,  and 
the  officers  are :  S.  R.  Ostler,  president ;  Martin  Milezewski,  vice  presi- 
dent ;  and  T-  E.  Ostler,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  capital  stock  is 
twenty-fivethousand  dollars,  and  the  large  plant  is  now  equipped  with 
the  most  modern  machinery,  and  its  output  supplies  a  trade  throughout 
this  section  of  Michigan  and  many  jobbers  in  other  states. 

Mr.  Milezewski  is  treasurer  and  secretar)-  of  the  Polish  Insurance 
Order  at  Saginaw,  in  politics  is  independent,  and  his  church  is  the 
Catholic.  At  Saginaw,  in  January,  1905,  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Kathryne  Brzeczkiewicz,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Henrietta  Brzeczkie- 
wicz.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  named  as  follows :  Amelia, 
born  at  Saginaw  in  1906;  Gertrude,  born  in  1908;  Chester,  born  in  1910; 
and  Irene,  born  in  1913.  Saginaw  is  the  birthplace  of  all  the  children, 
and  the  first  named  is  now  attending  school. 

George  J.  Evans.  Among  the  citizens  of  Flint  who  deserve  long 
memory  for  their  activities  as  leaders,  one  of  the  most  prominent  was 
the  late  George  J.  Evans,  the  value  of  whose  work  and  services  was 
just  coming  into"  the  full  tide  of  recognition  and  appreciation  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  Xo  one  performed  a  more  important  service  for 
beautifying  his  home  city,  and  in  designing  the  splendid  landscape  effect 
to  be  found  about  some  of  the  large  industrial  plants,  and  in  the  parks 
and  private  estates,  than  Mr.  Evans.  He  was  an  authority  on  land- 
scape gardening,  and  every  visitor  at  Flint  is  able  to  appreciate  some  of 
the  things  which  he  did  for  that  city.  Credit  should  be  given  to  him 
for  having  raised  the  standard  of  taste  in  matters  of  clean  and  beautiful 
streets,  parks  and  private  grounds,  and  his  name  should  be  given  a  place 
as  a  pioneer  in  that  important  work,  the  value  of  which  only  in  recent 
years  has  come  to  be  recognized  in  American  ideals. 

George  I.  Evans  was  born  in  England,  June  27,  1857,  a  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  Evans.  His  father  was  an  expert  florist  and  designer  of 
park  and  general  landscape  ornamentation.  In  England  he  held  the 
position  of  an  expert  and  his  advice  was  sought  by  many  titled  families 
of  England  in  laying  out  parkways  and  gardens.  Both  parents  lived  and 
died  in  England,  and  are  laid  to  rest  in  one  of  the  quiet  churchyards  of 
that  country. 

In  his  young  years,  Mr.  Evans  attended  public  schools,  and  from 
childhood  received  more  or  less  training  in  the  profession  followed  by 
his  father.  After  leaving  school  he  took  up  actively  the  same  line  of  work, 
and  continued  an  associate  and  assistant  to  the  elder  Evans  until  his 
marriage.  In  1891  Air.  Evans  brought  his  family  to  America,  and  was 
attracted  to  Flint  as  a  place  of  residence.  At  that  time  there  was  very 
little  to  be  done  in  landscape  gardening,  since  the  people  of  Flint  had 
had  not  as  yet  awakened  to  the  needs  for  such  service.  Flint  was  at 
that  time  just  on  the  borderland  between  the  primitive  lumber  days  and 
the  modern  industrial  conditions.  There  were  no  parks  and  few  citizens 
made  any  attempt  to  beautify  or  adorn  the  grounds  about  their  homes 


2182  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

except  so  far  as  native  trees  and  grass  and  a  few  flower  beds  could  do  so. 
Scientific  and  systematic  landscape  gardening  had  no  place  in  Flint 
twenty-five  years  ago.  There  was  some  demand  for  flowers,  but  cut 
and  potted,  and  ^Ir.  Evans  was  employed  for  several  years  with  the  only 
florist,  Walker  Brothers,  but  as  soon  as  he  had  accumulated  enough  to 
start  for  himself  he  made  an  independent  beginning.  He  was  still  with 
Walker  lirothers  when  the  great  industrial  movement  which  transformed 
the  suburb  of  Oak  I'ark  into  a  great  manufacturing  center  saw  its  begin- 
ning. When  the  Ruick,  the  Weston-Mott,  the  Flint  Varnish  Works  and 
other  similar  concerns  had  built  their  plants  in  the  suburbs,  and  the  in- 
dustrial community  had  been  fairly  organized,  the  owners  of  the  factories 
sought  out  an  experienced  man  to  undertake  the  landscape  work  wdiich 
should  make  attractive  the  grounds  about  the  plants.  George  J.  Evans 
was  the  man  selected  for  the  work.  How  well  he  performed  it  needs  no 
explanation,  since  every  visitor  at  the  plant  in  the  Oak  Park  district  can 
testify  to  the  unusually  charming  effect  given  by  the  parking  and  other 
landscape  adornments  aliout  the  factory.  The  services  of  Mr.  Evans 
have  also  been  called  into  requisition  in  laying  out  some  of  the  parks  of 
Flint.  In  1897  he  bought  the  property  at  417  East  Fifth  Street,  and 
established  there  a  residence  and  a  green  house  for  the  cultivation  of 
flowers.  That  business  and  the  general  work  as  a  landscape  gardener 
occupied  him  until  his  death  on  September  14,  1908.  Mr.  Evans  was 
fifty-one  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  his  demonstrated 
ability  as  a  landscape  gardener  indicated  a  splendid  future  of  achieve- 
ments had  his  career  been  continued  a  few  years  longer.  Politically  he 
was  indejiendent  and  ne\er  held  nor  sought  any  office. 

Mr.  Evans  was  married  at  Portsmouth,  England,  in  July,  1874,  to 
Miss  Lavinia  Dalley.  Her  parents  were  Captain  William  and  Sophia 
Dalley,  both  natives  of  England.  Her  father  was  captain  of  a  sailing 
vessel,  and  for  many  years  w-ent  back  and  forth  to  foreign  ports  in 
several  oceans.  Mrs.  Evans  was  the  fourth  of  seven  children,  was 
educated  in  English  schools  and  was  married  at  Portsmouth.  The  four 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  were  all  born  in  England,  and  are  briefly 
mentioned  as  follows:  ^Mrs.  Ada  Smith,  a  resident  of  Lansing,  Alichigan; 
Mrs.  Mabel  Rose  Leonard,  of  Lansing;  Mrs.  Lillian  Sophia  Cromwell,  a 
resident  of  Flint:  and  Herbert  Henry  Evans.  The  son  now  represents 
the  third  successive  generation  of  the  family  engaged  in  the  same  profes- 
sion and  business.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Michigan,  and 
in  early  life  undertook  the  trade  of  printer,  serving  four  years  appren- 
ticeship and  two  years  as  journeyman  workman.  After  his  father's  death, 
however,  he  resigned  his  work  to  take  charge  of  the  rapidly  growing 
business,  and  has  since  identified  himself  closely  with  the  green  house 
and  the  establishment  conducted  under  the  Evans  name  at  417  East  Eighth 
Street.  He  has  shown  progressive  tendencies  in  every  direction,  and 
since  his  father's  death  has  erected  a  more  modern  structure  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  flowers,  his  hot-house  being  heated  with  a  modern  steam 
plant,  and  various  new  improvements  and  extensions  are  contemplated 
in  the  near  future. 

Christopher  Ernicst  Pudrith.  The  name  of  Christopher  Ernest 
Pudrith  has  figured  prominently  in  the  building  history  of  Detroit  dur- 
ing the  ])ast  eighteen  years  and  the  s]iirit  of  enterprise  which  has  actu- 
ated him  in  all  that  he  has  undertaken  has  gained  him  a  gratifying 
measure  of  prosperity.  A  practical  and  well-trained  mechanic,  he  has 
also  shown  himself  an  excellent  executive,  and  his  excellent  workman- 
ship and  fidelity  to  engagements  have  combined  to  attract  to  him  a 
large  share  of  city  business.     ^Ir.  Pudrith  has  been  a  lifelong  resident 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2183 

of  Detroit,  having  been  born  in  this  city  April  I,  1S70,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Charles  Pudrith,  who  for  years  was  one  of  the  best-known 
liverymen  in  the  city. 

Charles  Pudrith  was  born  in  Germany,  in  the  city  of  Berlin,  in  1834. 
In  his  native  vicinity  he  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  which  he  fol- 
lowed successfully  in  the  old  country  for  several  years,  but  after  his 
marriage  to  Dorothy  Burmeister,  a  native  of  Hamburg,  Germany,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1867.  During  the  first  two  years  of  his  residence 
in  America,  Mr.  Pudrith  worked  at  his  trade  in  New  York  City,  but  in 
1869  came  to  Detroit,  where  he  continued  to  be  employed  at  blacksmith- 
ing  for  several  years.  Following  this  he  established  himself  in  the  black- 
smith and  livery  business  on  W'ilkins  street,  and  finally  turned  his  whole 
attention  to  the  latter  business,  in  which  he  became  quite  successful, 
conducting  a  popular  and  well-patronized  establishment  until  his  death 
in  1881.  Mrs.  P^udrith  passed  away  two  years  later,  in  the  faith  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church,  of  which  Air.  Pudrith  was  also  a  member. 

Christopher  Ernest  Pudrith  received  his  early  education  in  the  De- 
troit public  and  high  schools,  and  in  1884,  when  a  lad  of  fourteen  years, 
displayed  his  energy  and  ambition  by  becoming  apprenticed  to  the  trade 
of  trunk-making,  an  occupation  which  he  followed  for  three  years.  In 
1887  he  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  wood-working  machine  trade,  at 
which  he  continued  until  1891,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  carpen- 
tering, at  which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1896.  In  that  year 
he  began  contracting  under  his  own  name,  a  line  in  which  he  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Pudrith  carries  on  general  contracting 
and  carpentering  work,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  remodeling  store  fronts, 
in  which  line  he  has  done  a  great  deal  in  recent  years.  He  also  builds 
residences,  churches,  stores,  theatres  and  factories,  and  among  many 
others  has  put  up  three  churches,  three  theatres,  numerous  factories 
and  many  residences.  Familiar  with  every  detail  of  his  business,  his 
work  has  been  of  a  nature  to  win  general  approbation,  and  he  is  gener- 
ally conceded  to  be  one  of  his  city's  leading  contractors  in  his  line.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Builders'  and  Traders'  Exchange  and  of  the  Master 
Carpenters'  Association.  His  religious  connection  is  with  the  First 
Lutheran  church,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters.  He  has  not  cared  for  public  life,  and  takes  only  a  good 
citizen's  interest  in  affairs  of  a  political  nature. 

Mr.  Pudrith  married  first  j\liss  Minnie  Lichtenburg,  who  was  born 
in  Detroit,  and  she  died  in  1910,  having  been  the  mother  of  five  children: 
Frederick  L..  Ernest  E.,  Mabel.  Edna  and  Alvina.  Mr.  Pudrith's  second 
marriage  was  to  ]Miss  Minnie  Trost,  who  was  born  in  St.  Clair  county, 
Michigan.  Since  establishing  himself  in  business  Mr.  Pudrith  has  been 
an  active  factor  in  commercial  life  and  his  enterprise  and  activity  have 
been  of  utilitarian  value  in  promoting  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  the 
city,  while  at  the  same  time  they  have  proven  a  source  of  individual 
prosperity. 

MiCH.vEL  L.  GiLLEN.  His  appointment  as  postmaster  at  Adrian  comes 
to  ]\Ir.  Gillen  after  a  long  and  successful  business  career,  and  has  been 
approved  by  the  general  commendation  of  the  citizens  of  that  community. 
Mr.  Gillen  has  spent  practically  all  his  life  in  Lenawee  county,  and  is  suc- 
cessful, not  only  in  the  prosecution  of  his  private  affairs,  but  has  made  an 
honorable  record  whenever  called  upon  for  public  duties. 

Michael  L.  Gillen  was  born  in  Clinton,  Lenawee  county.  April  16, 
1859.  His  parents  were  Edward  B.  and  Alargaret  (Kelly)  Gillen,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland.  The  father,  who  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade,  came  to  Michigan  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  died  in  1888. 


2184  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

The  mother  was  born  in  the  same  year  as  her  husband,  and  now  Hves  at 
a  venerable  age  with  her  son  Michael  at  Adrian.  They  had  nine  children 
as  follows:  Anna  L.,  John,  James,  Bridget.  William  E.,  Michael  L.,  Mary, 
Maggie,  and  Agnes. 

Michael  L.  Gillen  was  educated  at  Clinton,  and  his  school  days  came 
to  an  end  when  he  was  aijout  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  practical  work 
of  life  then  confronted  him  and  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  painter, 
an  occupation  by  which  he  provided  for  his  family,  and  established  the 
nucleus  of  his  substantial  prosperity.  He  was  employed  at  carriage 
painting  altogether  for  about  thirty  years,  since  which  time  he  has  lived 
in  Adrian.  For  two  years  he  was  under  sheriff  of  the  county,  was  on 
the  road  two  years  as  traveling  salesman,  for  the  Peerless  Fence  Com- 
pany, and  in  1913  received  his  appointment  as  postmaster  of  Adrian. 

.\t  Clinton  on  October  8,  1S83.  Mr.  Gillen  married  Xina  J.  Glassford, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Oliver)  Glassford.  Her 
father  was  a  car])enter  aad  builder  and  came  from  Canada.  The 
four  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillen  are:  Bertrand ;  Agnes,  who  died 
when  three  years  old ;  Agnes  B. ;  and  Margaret.  The  son  Bertrand 
married  Clara  Tompkins,  and  is  now  the  active  manager  of  his  father's 
farm  in  Adrian  township.  Mr.  Gillen  affiliates  with  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat. 
At  his  fine  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Adrian  township  he  has  gained  a  con- 
siderable rei)utation  in  Lenawee  county  as  a  breeder  and  raiser  of 
thoroughbred  Molstein  cattle,  and  also  sends  out  to  market  each  year  about 
fifty  hogs.  He  owns  his  own  home  in  Adrian,  and  it  is  in  the  bosom  of 
his  family  that  he  finds  his  chief  pleasure.  Occasionally  a  part  of  his 
summer  vacation  is  siient  in  a  fishing  trip. 

Ch.\rles  O.  Smedley.  Success  that  is  worthy  of  the  name  has  at- 
tended the  professional  efforts  of  Charles  O.  Smedley,  who  has  a  prom- 
inent place  at  the  bar  of  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
practice  since  1884.  He  has  in  the  years  that  have  passed  come  to  occupy 
a  leading  place  in  this  city,  and  his  accomplishments  in  the  line  of  his 
profession  have  given  him  a  prestige  with  the  legal  fraternity  that  he 
has  amply  earned. 

Mr.  Smedley  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Massillon,  that  state  on 
December  27,  1856.  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Lowe)  Smed- 
ley, natives  of  Rusholm,  near  Manchester,  England.  Air.  Smedley,  ac- 
companied by  his  family,  came  to  American  shores  in  the  year  1852,  and 
located  in  Massillon,  Ohio,  where  he  secured  employment  as  a  stationary 
engineer.  In  1857  the  family  moved  to  Wooster,  Wayne  county.  Ohio, 
and  there  they  maintained  their  home  until  1875,  when  Mr.  Smedley 
brought  them  to  Michigan.  They  lived  for  a  year  thereafter  in  Grand 
Rapids,  and  then  moved  to  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Blendin.  Ottawa 
county,  and  in  that  ])lace  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
The  wife  and  mother  died  in  1888,  Air.  Smedley  following  her  in  i8()3. 
Mr.  Smedley  was  a  hard  working  and  honest  man,  and  was  one  who 
always  had  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  in  the  United  States  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  The  mother  was  a  true  woman  and  ever  a  kindly  soul, 
much  esteemed  of  all  who  knew  her,  and  deeply  revered  by  her  children, 
in  whom  she  instilled  from  earliest  childhood  principles  of  honor  and 
industry. 

Charles  O.  Smedley  had  his  early  education  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  a  city 
noted  even  then  for  the  excellency  of  its  educational  system  and  for  its 
universities.  Here  he  attended  the  public  schools  until  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, when  he  came  to  Ottawa  county,  Alichigan,  and  there  engaged  in 


THI  KIW  WU 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2185 

teaching.  He  taught  school  in  District  No.  i  of  Blendin  township  in  the 
winter  of  1874-5,  his  first  winter  in  Michigan.  At  this  time  he  boarded 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  school  and  oft  times  he  found  it  necessary 
to  break  his  way  through  a  road  piled  high  with  snow,  many  times  as 
high  as  four  feet,  with  the  thermometer  at  thirty-five  degrees  below  zero. 
That  was  a  winter  long  remembered  for  its  severity  in  southern  Michigan, 
the  peach  trees  suflrering  greatly  and  many  entire  orchards  winterkilling 
because  of  the  continued  and  unusual  cold. 

In  1875-6  Mr,  Smedley  taught  in  the  graded  schools  in  Ferrysburg, 
Ottawa  county,  Michigan,  as  principal,  and  he  also  taught  for  a  time  at 
Allendale,  Blendin,  Eastmanville,  and  Georgetown,  all  in  Ottawa  county, 
and  giving  in  all  eight  years  to  his  teaching  experiences.  In  1878  he  was 
elected  township  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  township  of  Blendin, 
and  he  did  much,  it  will  not  be  gainsaid,  to  improve  the  school  system 
of  the  town. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Smedley  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Bauer, 
Ottawa  county  in  association  with  his  brother,  Thomas,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Smedley  Brothers,  and  they  together  conducted  a  general  mer- 
chandise establishment.  Here  he  caused  to  be  established  the  Bauer 
post  office  and  was  its  first  postmaster.  In  the  same  year,  1881,  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  township  of  Georgetown,  and  the 
experience  gave  him  his  first  interest  and  enthusiasm  for  the  study  of 
law.  It  was  not  long  until  he  was  the  possessor  of  a  Blackstone,  and 
he  spent  his  evenings  and  all  his  odd  moments  in  the  perusal  of  the  work. 
In  the  spring  of  1882  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Turner  &  Carroll,  in 
the  city  of  Grand  Rapids,  with  the  express,  purpose  of  studying  law. 
Mr.  Turner  was  elected  to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  in  the  fall 
of  1882  and  Mr.  Smedley  became  his  deputy  very  soon  thereafter.  He 
continued  the  study  of  law  with  Turner  &  Carroll  and  on  July  7,  1884, 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme;  court  of  the  state,  and  on  the 
3rd  day  of  June,  1890,  he  gained  his  admission  to  the  United  States  Cir- 
cuit court  and  in  June,  1914,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States.  He  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan  in  1885.  Thereafter  he  applied  himself  as- 
siduously to  the  practice  of  law.  Soon  after  his  graduation  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  William  W.  Irwin,  a  graduate  of  the  same  class  with 
himself,  and  they  opened  an  office  at  14  Canal  street  (now  Monroe  Ave.), 
doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Smedley  &  Irwin.  This  partnership 
continued  until  July,  1S89,  when  he  severed  his  connection  with  Mr.  Ir- 
win and  began  practice  alone.  He  continued  at  No.  12  Canal  street,  until 
1893,  when  he  removed  to  the  Flouseman  building.  Owing  to  his  steadily 
increasing  business  he  took  on  Ben  M.  Corwin  as  a  partner,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Smedley  &  Corwin.  This  association  continued  until  1908, 
and  the  next  men  to  be  identified  with  Mr.  Smedley  as  his  partner  were 
Clair  J.  Hall  and  Homer  H.  Freeland,  under  the  firm  name  of  Smedley, 
Hall  &  Freeland.  In  1909  the  firm  was  changed  to  Smedley,  Hall  and 
Gillard,  Joseph  R.  Gillard  coming  into  the  firm.  In  191 1  the  firm  became 
Smedley,  Linsey  &  Lillie.  Jay  W.  Linsey  and  Charles  H.  Lillie,  coming 
into  the  firm.  In  191 3  the  firm  became  Smedley  &  Linsey.  The  firm  is 
widely  known  as  a  corporation  law  firm,  and  they  have  one  of  the  largest 
practices  in  the  city.  IVIr.  Smedley  has  been  successful  in  all  that  he 
has  undertaken,  and  is  today  regarded  rightfully  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  of  the  city.  He  has  reached  his  present  place  as  a  result  of  his 
own  unaided  efforts,  hard  work,  doggedly  persisted  in,  having  brought  him 
his  greatest  success.  Mr.  Smedley,  it  is  said,  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
finest  private  libraries  in  the  city,  its  value  being  estimated  at  $13,000. 

For  some  years  Mr.  Smedley,  in  addition  to  his  law  practice  carried 


2186  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

on  activities  in  real  estate,  and  his  success  in  that  field  of  enterprise  was 
on  a  par  with  his  professional  work. 

Mr.  Smedley  is  a  prominent  Mason,  with  affiliations  in  the  Con- 
sistory and  the  Shrine,  and  he  has  numerous  other  social  and  fraternal 
connections  in  the  city. 

On  September  3,  1890.  Mr.  Smedley  was  married  to  Lillian  M.  Hins- 
dill,  of  Grand  Rapids,  who  was  born  in  North  Bennington,  Vermont,  on 
June  30,  1868,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Nancy  M.  (Towns- 
ley  j  Hinsdill.  They  have  two  children;  a  son  and  daughter.  Harold 
Hinsdill  Smedley  was  born  September  29,  1893,  and  Myla  Rosamond 
was  born  on  September  6,  1897. 

Hugh  W.  P.vrker.  As  jiostmaster  of  Bancroft  since  the  ^IcKinley 
administration.  Hugh  W.  I^arker  has  performed  a  large  amount  of  public 
service  for  his  home  city,  and  has  managed  the  atfairs  of  the  office  to  the 
best  advantage  and  convenience  of  the  city.  It  has  been  his  distinction 
to  have  been  in  the  Bancroft  postoffice  during  the  most  notable  changes 
in  the  postal  service  and  regulations  of  the  last  two  decades.  Mr.  Parker 
has  been  a  resident  of  Shiawassee  county  all  his  life,  and  no  family 
name  has  more  prominent  connections  and  associations  with  worthy 
citizenship  and  business  ability  in  this  section  of  Michigan  than  the 
Parker.  In  the  following  paragraphs  are  given  in  brief  form  the  principal 
facts  concerning  this  family  during  its  residence  in  Michigan. 

Hugh  W.  Parker  was  born  in  Burns  township  of  -Shiawassee  county, 
June  30,  1870.  His  parents  were  George  A.  and  Florence  (Gaylord) 
Parker.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  David  and  Sarah  (Rust) 
Parker,  both  natives  of  New  York  State,  whose  arrival  in  the  territory 
of  ^lichigan  occurred  in  the  year  1829.  In  1859  they  moved  to  Shiawas- 
see county.  David  Parker  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and  sound 
convictions  as  to  duty  and  citizenship.  ^lany  honors  of  a  local  nature 
were  conferred  upon  him  and  he  was  township  clerk,  supervisor,  and  in 
1868  was  elected  sheriff  of  Shiawassee  county  and  held  that  position  eight 
years.  His  home  was  in  Owosso,  where  for  a  number  of  years  his  busi- 
ness activities  were  directed  to  the  manufacture  of  brick.  His  death 
occurred  January  6,  1888,  when  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 

Both  George  A.  and  Florence  L.  (Gaylord)  Parker  were  born  in 
Livingston  county,  Michigan,  in  Marion  township.  George  Parker  was 
born  August  24,  1843,  received  his  education  in  his  native  county,  and  in 
early  manhood  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  at  Flint,  in  Company  .A.  of  the 
Tenth  Michigan  Infantry.  His  captain  was  H.  S.  Burnett.  Joining  the 
army  under  Grant  at  Lansing,  Tennessee,  his  military  career  included 
participation  in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Shiloh,  Booneville,  luka,  Hunts- 
ville,  Nashville,  Stone  River,  Chattanooga,  in  the  Sherman  campaign  about 
.Atlanta,  and  at  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  a  ball  pierced  his  elbow. 
After  that  wound  his  service  was  in  detached  duty  for  one  year  in  the 
quartermaster's  office  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  It  was  not  until  after  the 
surrender  of  Lee  that  he  received  his  honorable  discharge.  In  the  battle 
of  Farmington  a  bursting  shell  injured  his  eyesight,  and  he  never  after- 
wards enjoyed  the  full  use  of  his  eyes.  On  his  return  to  Michigan,  in 
addition  to  an  active  business  career,  he  had  a  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs.  Governor  Rich  appointed  him  assistant  jiaymaster  of  the  Michi- 
gan National  Guards,  in  which  position  his  service  continued  for  four 
years.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that  a  bill  was  passed  securing  memorial 
rooms  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  new  court  house  at  Corunna,  and 
also  as  a  result  of  his  efforts  paintings  of  the  corps  badges  and  other 
historic  views  adorned  the  walls  of  those  rooms,  these  being  relics  which 
are  greatly  appreciated  by  all  the  old  soldiers.     Col.  Parker  was  very 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2187 

prominently  identified  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  other 
soldier  organizations  in  Shiawassee  county,  as  well  as  in  the  state  militia. 
His  was  a  public  spirited  character  and  reflected  credit  upon  his  com- 
munity. His  death  occurred  January  8,  1912,  when  he  was  sixty-ntne 
years  of  age.  His  widow  now  is  spending  the  remaining  years  of  her 
life  at  Bancroft.  Their  two  children  were  Hugh  \V.  and  Ethel,  the  latter 
being  the  wife  of  Floyd  iJruno,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Shiawassee 
county.  The  late  Col.  Parker  among  other  services  and  activities  was 
under-sheriff  four  years.  Subsequently  he  established  his  home  at  Ban- 
croft, where  he  was  in  the  produce  business  and  became  the  largest 
operator  in  that  line  in  the  county.  His  business  interests  extended  to 
large  holdings  of  real  estate,  and  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  largest 
land  owners  in  Shiawassee  county.  At  Bancroft  an  addition  of  sixteen 
acres  was  platted  and  sold  under  his  name.  During  the  Harrison  presi- 
dential administration,  Col.  Parker  was  for  four  years  postmaster  at 
Bancroft,  and  his  public  service  also  included  sixteen  years  as  justice  of 
the  peace. 

On  October  10,  1868,  George  A.  Parker  married  Florence  L.  Gaylord, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (West)  Gaylord.  The  Gaylord 
family  were  among  the  pioneers  of  northern  ^Michigan.  In  1852 
they  located  the  first  white  settlement  on  the  Indian  Reserve  at  Xaggs 
Bridge.  John  Gaylord,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  held  the  office  of  post- 
master twenty-hve  years  at  Burns,  and  was  a  man  of  varied  activity  and 
influence.  Much  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  his  church,  the  Congrega- 
tional, in  whose  affairs  he  always  took  an  active  interest.  The  Gaylord 
family  came  to  Michigan  by  wagon  during  the  early  days,  making  the 
journey  through  the  Black  Swamps  of  Ohio,  and  their  settlement  in  the 
west  was  sufficiently  early  so  that  they  experienced  not  a  few  of  the  Indian 
troubles  of  those  days.    John  Gaylord  died  in  1886. 

Mr.  Hugh  W.  Parker,  who  is  thus  the  representative  of  the  third 
generation  in  Shiawassee  county,  grew  up  at  Bancroft  and  had  a  public 
school  education.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  his  father  took  him  in 
as  an  assistant  in  the  produce  business  and  also  in  the  postoflice,  so  that 
for  many  years  he  has  had  a  practical  and  working  knowledge  of  the  local 
postoflice.  Four  years  later  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  President 
McKinley,  and  his  service  has  since  been  continuous.  Mr.  Parker  is  a 
director  in  the  State  Exchange  Bank  of  Bancroft  and  one  of  the  largest 
taxpayers  in  the  district.  Fraternally  his  affiliations  are  with  the  Masonic 
Order  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  i8g8  Mr.  Parker  married  Miss  Helen  Goodrich,  who  was  born  in 
Shiawassee  county,  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Good- 
rich, both  natives'  of  Pennsylvania.  Her  father  was  a  contractor  and 
builder.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  enjoy  the  highest  social  standing  in  Shia- 
wassee county  and  are  leaders  in  many  of  the  social  activities.  Mr.  Parker 
enjoys  an  occasional  fishing  and  outing  trip  with  his  wife,  and  they  take 
many  brief  vacations,  employing  the  automobile  to  get  them  to  varied 
parts  of  the  state. 

John  C.  \'i.\ll.  A  resident  of  Michigan  for  more  than  sixty  years, 
Joliii  C.  \'iall  was  the  founder  and  for  many  years  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Alpena  Argus,  and  was  a  printer  and  newspaper  worker  from 
early  boyhood  until  he  finally  resigned  active  management  of  the  Argus 
about  ten  years  ago. 

John  C.  Viall  was  born  at  Pittsfield,  Otsego  county,  Xew  York, 
March  9,  1842,  a  son  of  John  C.  and  Sarah  A.  (Ballou)  Viall.  Both 
parents  were  also  natives  of  New  York,  the  father  born  January  2,  181 5, 
and  the  mother  December  20,  1822.     In  1850  the  family  came  to  Michi- 


2188  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

gan,  locating  in  the  village  of  rontiac.  The  father  died  in  this  state  in 
1883  and  the  mother  on  March  8,  1897.  John  Viall,  Sr.,  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Union  and  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Tennessee  Volunteer  Infantry. 
The  mother,  who  spent  her  last  days  at  Alpena,  was  noted  for  her  literary 
talent,  and  it  was  from  her  that  the  editor  of  the  Argus  got  much  of  his 
ability  as  a  forceful  editorial  writer.  She  was  the  author  of  a  number 
of  poems  of  more  than  ordinary  merit,  and  some  of  the  titles  remembered 
by  her  friends  are:  "Let  Ale  Sleep,"  "My  Brother,"  "The  Other  Shore," 
"Line  to  Aladge  Moore,"  "Aly  Childhood,"  "Carriers  Address,"  "The 
American  Soldier,"  and  others. 

John  C.  Viall  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  reached 
years  of  maturity.  He  had  his  early  education  in  New  York  State,  and 
after  settling  in  Alichigan  attended  schools  at  Pontiac.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  Mr.  Viall  began  learning  his  trade  as  a  printer  in  the  office  of 
the  Pontiac  Jacksonian,  and  in  a  few  years  had  mastered  all  the  details 
of  the  art  of  printing  as  then  practiced,  before  the  days  of  the  modern 
linotype  and  other  machinery  which  have  revolutionized  printing.  He 
was  still  under  age  when  the  war  broke  out,  but  in  1S61  endeavored  to 
enlist  in  the  Eighth  Michigan  Infantry.  Unable  to  pass  the  examination, 
he  was  rejected,  and  subsecjuently  tried  in  succession  to  gain  admission  to 
the  Second  Michigan  Cavalry,  the  Third  Michigan  Cavalry  and  the 
Seventeenth  United  States  Infantry,  but  each  time  was  rejected.  In 
February,  1865,  he  realized  his  ambition  to  become  a  soldier,  and  with  his 
brother  Frank  M.  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  D  of  the  Twenty- 
second  Michigan  Infantry,  joining  the  regiment  at  Chattanooga,  Ten- 
nessee. Both  the  boys  were  later  transferred  to  Company  U  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  Alichigan  Infantry.  With  that  command  they  continued 
in  service  until  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  were  mustered  out  at 
Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  September  6,  1865.  Mr.  Viall  has  since  served 
as  commander  and  taken  an  active  interest  in  Horace  S.  Roberts  Post, 
No.  139,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Alpena. 

With  his  return  to  Pontiac,  Mr.  Viall  worked  as  a  journeyman  printer 
until  1869,  and  then  with  William  P.  Nisbett  became  one  of  the  editors 
and  publishers  of  the  Pontiac  Bill  Poster,  with  a  weekly  issue.  In  1871 
Mr.  Viall  removed  to  Alpena,  which  was  then  a  small  city  center  in  the 
lumber  district  of  Northern  Michigan.  He  founded  the  Alpena  Argus, 
which  was  first  issued  June  29,  1871.  A  disastrous  fire  swept  over  the 
city  on  July  12,  1872,  and  destroyed  his  office,  entailing  a  total  loss. 
Within  six  weeks  he  had  an  entirely  new  equipment  in  place,  and  the 
Argus  began  a  regular  issue  which  has  continued  with  no  important 
interruptions  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Mall  was  a  master  of  both  the 
business  and  the  editorial  side  of  journalism,  and  for  nearly  thirty-five 
years  kept  the  Argus  up  to  a  high  standard  and  made  of  it  a  successful 
l3usiness.  He  used  the  columns  of  the  Argus  to  advocate  the  cause 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  his  pithy  editorials  were  read  and  quoted, 
not  only  on  political  subjects,  but  on  all  matters  of  general  concern.  In 
1905  Mr.  Viall  sold  the  Argus  to  James  Collins. 

Mr.  \'iall  has  been  content  to  exercise  an  important  influence  in  public 
affairs  through  his  newspaper  career,  and  was  never  ambitious  for 
public  office.  He  served  one  year  as  a  representative  of  the  old  Second 
Ward  in  the  city  council  of  Alpena,  and  for  eleven  years  was  a  member 
of  the  city  board  of  education.  A  special  distinction  in  the  city  of  Alpena 
that  attaches  to  his  name  is  as  "father  of  Odd  Fellowship  in  Alpena." 
He  eft'ected  the  organization  of  Alpena  Lodge  No.  170,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  on 
October  3,  1871,  and  was  its  first  noble  grand.  Since  then  two  lodges 
have  been  established,  also  two  lodges  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  an 
encamjiment   and   organization   of   the    Patriarchs    Alilitant.      Mr.    Mall 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2189 

took  the  lead  in  securing  a  fine  three-story  building  at  Alpena  as  the 
home  and  headquarters  of  these  lodges.  Other  fraternal  affiliations  con- 
nect him  with  Alpena  Lodge  Xo.  199,  A.  F.  &  A.  AI. ;  with  Thunder  Bay 
Cha]>ter  No.  74,  R.  A.  AI.  He  and  his  wife  are  of  the  Episcopalian 
faith. 

Mr.  \'iall  married  April  7,  1864,  at  Pontiac,  Miss  Martha  AI.  Brown. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio,  which  state  was  also  the  birthplace  of  her  parents, 
Sandford  L.  and  Amelia  C.  ( Moulton )  P.rown.  Her  father  was  a 
musician  in  the  Twenty-second  Michigan  Infantry,  and  went  through  the 
war  with  his  command.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mall  were  the  parents  of  three 
children :  George  W.,  who  died  at  Alpena  February  9,  1876,  at  the  age 
of  eleven;  Florence  AI.,  who  died  in  1894  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  being 
the  wife  of  George  M.  Hanna ;  and  Carrie  M.,  born  March  2.  1876,  and 
now  the  widow  of  Charles  C.  Cushnian. 

Feed  L.'^France.  Among  the  families  which  became  identified  with 
Bay  City  when  it  was  nothing  more  than  a  milling  and  living  center  for 
the  lumber  business,  and  by  their  subsecjuent  enterprise  and  industry  have 
contributed  much  to  the  substantial  resources  and  the  good  citizenship  of 
the  community,  those  of  the  LaFrance  name  are  of  particular  prominence. 
Francis  LaFrance  is  a  venerable  man  of  eighty-seven  years,  esteemed  as 
one  of  the  old  settlers  in  this  part  of  Michigan.  Fred  LaFrance,  his  son, 
was  for  more  than  thirty-five  years  actively  identified  with  the  under- 
taking business,  and  his  recent  death  in  an  automobile  accident  was 
regarded  a  severe  loss  to  the  community. 

Fred  LaFrance  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  November  5,  1857, 
a  son  of  Francis  and  Philomena  (Beaudoin)  LaFrance,  both  natives  of 
Canada,  of  French  ancestry.  Francis  LaFrance  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith,  a  rugged  occupation  which  he  followed  in  Canada, 
until  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Michigan  in  1869.  On  his  arrival 
in  this  state  he  had  only  one  hundred  dollars  left  out  of  his  small  hoard 
of  savings,  and  had  a  large  family  on  his  hands  for  whom  he  was  respon- 
sible. Locating  at  Banks,  he  soon  found  work  in  one  of  the  numerous 
lumber  camps.  Several  months  later  he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  at 
Banks,  and  with  considerable  success  there  he  later  removed  to  West  Bay 
City.  That  town  was  then  only  a  lumber  camp  with  a  few  scattered 
houses  and  stores.  He  continued  successfully  in  his  business,  but  finally 
gave  up  blacksmithing  and  became  associated  with  several  of  his  sons 
in  a  livery  establishment.  That,  under  the  united  efforts  of  father  and 
sons,  expanded  to  large  proportions  and  at  the  time  of  his  retirement 
from  active  affairs  was  said  to  be  the  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in  Bay 
City  or  vicinity.  During  his  young  manhood  in  Canada,  Francis  LaFrance 
married  Miss  Philomena  Beaudoin,  who  was  born  in  Montreal.  The 
fruit  of  their  union  were  sixteen  children.  Both  Francis  and  wife  are 
at  this  writing  a  venerable  old  couple  still  living  in  West  Bay  City,  the 
former  eighty-seven  years  of  age,  and  the  latter  aged  eighty,  and  they 
are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  long  and  well  spent  life,  surrounded  by  their 
eight  living  children. 

Fred  LaFrance,  who  was  the  second  of  the  large  number  of  children, 
attended  school  for  a  while  in  Canada,  and  later  at  Bay  City  was  a  student 
in  the  little  schoolhouse  which  only  the  old  settlers  can  now  remember. 
He  remained  at  home  and  was  more  or  less  associated  with  his  father 
in  business  until  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  but  his  record  as  an  undertaker 
goes  back  for  thirty-six  years.  He  and  his  father  first  became  identified 
with  the  livery  business  in  1879.  Mr.  LaFrance  carried  on  both  under- 
taking and  livery  for  a  number  of  years,  but  for  the  last  ten  years  of  his 
life  all  his  time  was  devoted  to  the  former  branch  of  his  business.     A 

Vol.  IV— 2 s 


2190  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

capable  business  man  and  popular  citizen,  Mr.  LaFrance  was  elected  in 
1898  as  coroner  of  Bay  county,  and  served  four  terms  in  that  office.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Bay  City  Club,  the  Bay 
City  Boat  Club,  and  the  Bay  City  Country  Club.  With  his  family  he 
belonged  to  St.  Joseph's  church.  On  November  17.  1887,  he  married  Miss 
Jennie  Francis,  a  daughter  of  Francis  Francis  of  Canada. 

Thoji.xs  Smurthwaite.  Admitted  to"  the  Michigan  bar  in  1876, 
Thomas  Smurthwaite  has  had  a  career  as  a  lawyer  covering  nearly  forty 
years,  and  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  practiced  largely  at 
Manistee,  where  he  has  served  as  mayor  and  as  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Manistee  county.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  lawyers  of  Northern  Michi- 
gan and  has  had  an  interesting  life  of  progress  and  usefulness.   " 

Thomas  Smurthwaite  was  born  at  Toronto,  Canada,  January  18,  1850, 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Lavinia  ( McLellan )  Smurthwaite,  his  mother 
having  been  born  near  the  city  of  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia.  His  father  was 
born  near  Richmond,  Yorkshire,  England,  and  his  lineage  goes  back  to 
the  time  of  the  Norman  Conquest,  and  many  generations  were  identified 
with  Yorkshire.  Eight  years  after  his  birth  the  father  was  brought  to 
Ontario,  Canada,  was  reared  and  educated  there,  and  in  1865  brought 
his  family  to  Michigan.  His  wife  died  February  10,  1895,  and  he  passed 
away  October  6,  1914.  Thomas  Smurthwaite,  Sr.,  passed  most  of  his 
active  career  as  a  brick  manufacturer. 

The  Manistee  lawyer  lived  in  Ontario  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
all  his  education  was  acquired  in  that  province.  He  attended  common 
schools  and  had  a  thorough  apprenticeship  in  his  father's  brick  yard. 
His  ambition  was  to  become  a  lawyer,  but  he  had  to  overcome  a  number 
of  obstacles  before  attaining  that  end.  After  his  father  located  in 
Sanilac  county  he  worked  in  the  brick  yard  during  the  summer  season 
and  taught  country  school  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  Later  he  was  a 
foreman  in  brick  yards  at  St.  Clair  and  Dearborn,  and  about  that  time 
began  the  private  study  of  law.  During  1875-76  he  was  teacher  in  the 
village  schools  at  Baldwin,  Lake  county,  and  while  there  vigorously  prose- 
cuted his  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Baldwin  July  14,  1876. 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge 
Edward  E.  Edwards  at  Fremont,  and  was  associated  with  him  one  year. 
Returning  to  Baldwin  in  the  spring  of  1878,  he  practiced  alone  and  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Lake  county, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1880.  That  was  one  of  the  valuable  experiences 
that  developed  his  powers  as  a  trial  lawyer  and  prepared  him  for  the, 
growing  responsibilities  of  his  professional  career.  In  1884  Mr.  Smur- 
thwaite went  west,  spent  a  year  at  Tacoma,  Washington,  and  on  return- 
ing to  Michigan  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Detroit  until  impaired  health 
compelled  him  to  seek  a  better  climate.  In  the  fall  of  1886  Mr.  Smur- 
thwaite located  at  Manistee  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  years  from 
1901  to  iqio.  when  he  had  his  home  and  offices  in  Traverse  City,  has  been 
identified  with  the  IManistee  bar  ever  since.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney  of  Manistee  county,  and  was  re-elected  in  1892,  and 
during  that  four  years  made  an  admirable  record  as  public  prosecutor. 

In  his  home  city  he  has  long  had  an  influential  part  in  public  afifairs, 
and  has  been  one  of  the  progressive  leaders  for  improvement.  In  1897 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  Manistee,  the  principal  plank  in  his  platform  being 
a  plan  to  secure  municipal  ownership  of  the  water  works  in  the  city,  then 
owned  and  operated  by  a  private  corporation.  He  was  re-elected  for  the 
following  year,  and  his  administration  marked  the  beginning  of  a  number 
of  excellent  public  imijrovements,  including  the  purchase  by  the  city  of  the 
water  works  system,  which  was  finally  completed  while  Dr.  King  was 
mayor,  with  Mr.  Smurthwaite  as  city  attorney.    He  had  previously  served 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2191 

as  city  attorney  in  i8go.  As  a  lawyer  ]\Ir.  Smurthwaite  has  had  a  large 
and  varied  practice,  has  been  identified  with  many  important  cases  tried 
in  Northern  Michigan  during  the  last  thirty  years,  and  has  used  his  pro- 
fession in  many  ways  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  home  community. 
Mr.  Smurthwaite  was  a  Republican  until  1896,  in  which  year  he  supported 
William  J.  Bryan  for  president,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party.  Fraternally  he  has  been  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  since  1873,  his  membership  being  in  Manistee  Lodge  No.  228, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  been  one  of  the  strongest  supporters  at  Manistee 
of  Holy  Trinity  Episcopal  church.  He  has  been  a  student  of  church 
history,  especially  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  favors  the  high  church 
ritual.  As  this  brief  outline  of  his  career  indicates,  Mr.  Smurthwaite  had 
to  rely  on  his  own  efforts  and  energy  to  accomplish  what  he  has  desired 
to  achieve  in  life.  Some  of  his  more  intimate  characteristics  are  illustrated 
in  the  following,  which  was  written  by  one  who  could  appreciate  the  finer 
attributes  of  character  and  influence  apart  from  material  success :  "Mr. 
Smurthwaite  is  a  little  too  sympathetic,  or,  as  some  would  say,  too  radical, 
for  eminent  financial  success.  He  is  not  a  worshiper  of  Mammon  or 
of  its  representatives,  and  he  is  opposed  to  all  matters  political  or  social 
that  tend  to  enrich  the  few  at  the  expense  of  the  many.  He  has  found 
plenty  of  hard  work  to  do,  and  the  will  and  ability  to  do  it." 

Mr.  Smurthwaite  was  married  at  Port  Huron,  Michigan,  October  20, 
1874,  to  Miss  Matilda  Lucinda  Indermille.  She  was  born  at  Detroit,  the 
fifth  among  ten  children  of  Frederick  and  Hannah  E.  Indermille,  both 
of  whom  spent  their  latter  years  in  Detroit,  where  her  father  was  in 
business.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smurthwaite  were  as  follows : 
Milton  Gray,  born  July  2"/,  1875;  William  Thomas,  born  February  5, 
1877,  died  at  Baldwin,  Michigan,  August  16,  1886;  one  that  died  at  birth 
in  June,  1878  ;  Gillespie  Pritchard,  born  January  23,  1880,  died  at  Traverse 
City  March  25,  1902;  Charles  Frederick,  born  November  28,  1881  ;  Julian 
Hawthorne,  born  December  27,  1883,  died  at  Baldwin  August  16,  1886; 
Paul,  born  February  5,  1885,  died  at  Baldwin  May  5,  1886;  Ethel,  born 
May  I,  1888;  Bessie  Lucile,  born  August  8,  1891 ;  and  Mary  Louise,  born 
April  18,  1893. 

Alvah  L.  Sawyer.  His  long  continued  relationship  with  the  bar  at 
Menominee,  his  public  services  in  that  city,  and  his  varied  interests  in  the 
history  and  development  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  make  the  name  of  Alvah 
L.  Sawyer  one  of  the  best  known  in  that  section  of  the  state. 

Alvah  Littlefield  Sawyer  was  born  at  Burnett,  Dodge  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, September  16,  1854,  of  a  pioneer  family.  His  English  ancestors  came 
from  Birmingham  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  in  1648,  and  a  branch 
of  the  family  founded  Orford,  New  Hampshire,  from  which  branch  the 
Menominee  lawyer  is  a  descendant.  His  father,  Hiram  Sawyer,  was 
born  in  1814  and  in  1836  married  Barbara  A.  Wilson  of  Haverhill,  New 
Flampshire.  In  1845  Hiram  Sawyer  came  out  to  Wisconsin  and  located 
a  homestead  at  Burnett  in  Dodge  county.  After  building  a  log  house  he 
returned  to  New  Hampshire  for  his  family  in  1846,  and  brought  his 
wife  and  four  children  to  the  new  home.  He  was  unusually  interested 
in  educational  matters  and  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Burnett 
for  many  years,  while  in  1866  he  represented  his  district  in  the  Wiscon- 
sin legislature.  There  were  twelve  children  in  the  pioneer  family,  and 
eleven  of  them  reached  mature  years.  The  father  died  in  1888  and  the 
mother  in  1905. 

Alvah  L.  Sawyer  grew  up  on  a  farm,  worked  during  the  open  seasons 
of  the  year,  attended  school  only  in  the  winter  and  when  his  services 
could  be  spared  from  home.     He  afterwards  attended  Wayland  Institute 


2192  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

at  Beaver  Dam,  \\isconsin,  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  taught  school 
during  the  following  year,  and  in  1876  began  a  regular  course  of  reading 
in  the  office  of  his  brother,  Hiram  W.  Sawyer,  at  Hartford,  Wisconsin. 
Admitted  to  the  Wisconsin  bar  in  November,  1877,  '"  June,  1878,  ^Ir. 
Sawyer  located  at  Alenominee,  Alichigan,  and  that  city  has  been  his  home 
and  the  scene  of  his  professional  activities  for  more  than  thirty-five  years. 
He  was  fortunate  at  the  beginning  in  succeeding  to  the  practice  of  Judge 
Eleazer  S.  Ingalls,  who  at  that  time  was  largely  engaged  in  mining  opera- 
tions. The  firm  of  Sawyer  &  Waite  was  established  in  1882,  Byron  S. 
Waite  being  the  junior  member,  and  in  1893  William  F.  Waite  became 
the  third  member  of  Sawyer,  Waite  &  W'aite.  Byron  S.  Waite  removed 
to  Detroit  in  1895,  and  the  firm  of  Sawyer  &  Waite  continued  until  1904. 
Since  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  when  Fred  H.  Haggerson 
was  his  partner,  Air.  Sawyec  has  practiced  alone,  until  about  two  years 
ago,  when  his  youngest  son,  Meredith  P.  Sawyer,  became  interested  in 
the  business  and  the  firm  name  became,  and  now  is.  Sawyer  &  Sawyer. 

He  was  the  first  city  attorney  of  Menominee  after  the  incorporation 
of  the  city,  and  during  the  five  years  of  his  incumbency  many  of  the  public 
improvements  found  their  beginning.  His  principal  service  has  been  in 
connection  with  the  educational  institutions  of  the  city;  he  served  sev- 
eral years  as  school  trustee,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  and 
still  is  a  member  of  the  library  board  and  its  president.  Politically  Mr. 
Sawyer  is  a  Democrat. 

In  1S80  Mr.  Sawyer  married  Josephine  S.  Ingalls,  daughter  of  the 
late  Judge  Eleazer  Ingalls.  To  their  marriage  were  born  six  children, 
namely:  Kenneth  I.,  a  former  county  engineer  of  Menominee  county, 
and  now  in  the  State  Highway  department ;  Irma,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Meredith  P.,  a  young  lawyer,  as  mentioned  above;  Gladys  B.,  who  died 
in  1907;  \\"ilda  A.  and  Margery  I. 

Hon.  Cii.\rles  Wall.\ce  Smith.  "For  downright  coolness,  coupled 
with  marked  celerity  and  alertness  of  mind,  we  will  stack  Charles  W. 
Smith  of  the  Lapeer  Gas-Electric  Company  to  take  the  prize  against  all 
comers.  He  is  a  pure  Lapeer  County  product  and  has  put  himself  where 
he  is  by  hard  work,  patience,  courage  and  a  keen  miiid.  It  is  for  these 
recognized  virtues  that  he  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  legisla- 
tion at  Lansing  and  which  have  placed  him  in  charge  of  the  Gas-Electric 
plant.  He  commenced  his  life  work  in  this  city  as  a  carpenter,  later  went 
into  contracting,  and  finally,  by  square  dealing,  good  workmanship  and 
steady  persistence,  became  the  leading  contractor  in  the  city,  which  busi- 
ness he  forsook  for  the  Gas-Electric  plant.  America  has  always  been  blest 
with  a  good  sprinkling  of  this  kind  of  men  and  it  is  such  hustlers  as  this 
that  have  placed  this  country  in  the  forefront  in  the  fields  of  invention, 
manufacture,  agriculture,  science  and  commerce.  A  man  of  this  type  is 
bound  to  succeed  in  spite  of  all  adversity,  and  we  predict  that  success  will 
crown  the  eft'orts  of  C.  W.  Smith." 

The  foregoing  editorial  is  quoted  from  one  of  the  leading  newspapers 
of  Lapeer  county.  ^Michigan,  published  as  an  appreciation  of  one  of  the 
leading  and  most  potent  figures  in  the  business  and  public  life  of  the  coun- 
try, and  more  especially  of  the  city  of  Lapeer,  whose  progress  he  has 
helped  materially  to  advance  and  with  whose  prosperity  he  has  himself 
prospered.  His  career  from  his  youth  has  been  one  of  steadfast  fidelity 
to  every  duty  devolving  upon  him,  of  earnest  determination  to  make  the 
most  of  whatever  opportunities  have  presented  themselves,  and  of  high 
ideals  of  citizenship  and  loyalty  to  friendships.  Few  men  have  done  more 
to  aid  their  community  and  none  have  gained  and  retained  in  greater  de- 
gree general  public  confidence  and  esteem. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2193 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Lapeer  county,  Michigan, 
April  22,  1864,  a  son  of  Hiram  M.  and  Anna  B.  (Rook)  Smith,  natives 
respectively  of  New  York  and  England,  and  a  member  of  a  family  which 
has  always  been  numbered  among  the  leading  ones  of  Lapeer  county.  The 
family  was  founded  in  Michigan  during  the  early  sixties  by  the' grand- 
father of  Mr.  Smith,  who  was  successful  as  a  lumberman  and  also  engaged 
to  some  extent  in  farming.  Hiram  M.  Smith  was  educated  in  New  York 
and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Michigan,  where  he  was  also  interested 
in  the  lumber  business  and  in  farming,  although  he  gave  the  greater  part 
of  his  attention  to  carpentering  and  contracting,  and  in  the  latter  line 
became  one  of  the  successful  business  men  of  Lapeer.  He  died  in  this 
city  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years,  respected  as  a  business  man  and 
esteemed  as  a  good  and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  was  a  Republican,  but 
never  interested  himself  actively  in  political  matters.  The  mother  passed 
away  in  1906,  when  sixty-six  years  old,  having  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  Charles  Wallace  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Charles  W.  Smith  secured  his  education  in  the  graded  and  high  schools 
of  Lapeer,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when  his  father  died,  faced 
the  world  on  his  own  account,  resolved  to  be  self-supporting.  He  had 
gained  a  good  knowledge  of  the  carpenter's  trade  and  of  contracting,  with 
his  father,  and,  following  in  his  father's  footsteps,  soon  took  iiis  place 
among  the  progressive  men  of  the  city.  Enterprising  in  all  things,  he  was 
the  first  man  in  the  city  to  do  a  general  contracting  and  building  business 
in  which  the  contractor  furnished  gll  tlie  materials  and  did  all  the  work, 
and  he  rapidly  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  contractors  of 
Lapeer,  many  of  the  leading  business  houses  of  the  city  being  monuments 
to  his  skill  and  honest  workmanship.  Among  his  many  contracts  was  the 
building  of  the  Home  for  the  Feeble  l^jindeti,  a  state  institution.  In  1906 
Mr.  Smith  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  th6'"Lafpeer  Gas-Electric  Com- 
pany, and  gave  up  his  large  contractiiTg  business  to  concentrate  his  entire 
energies  upon  the  new  enterprise,  of  which  he  was  made  general  manager 
and  secretary  and  treasurer,  positions  which  he  has  held  to  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Smith's  courage  and  fertility  of  resource  were  admirably  dis- 
played in  1913,  when  a  terrific  explosion,  followed  by  a  disastrous  fire, 
almost  completely  destroyed  the  entire  plant  of  the  Lapeer  Gas-Electric 
Company.  A  comprehensive  account  of  the  work  which  followed  the 
explosion  and  conflagration  was  given  in  the  newspaper  already  quoted, 
which  said,  in  part,  as  follows :  "Within  seventy-two  hours  after  the  first 
explosion  which  culminated  in  the  entire  destruction  of  the  Lapeer  Gas- 
Electric  Company  plant,  the  company's  plant  was  again  established  and 
in  running  order  upon  the  site  of  the  destroyed  plant.  As  may  be  supposed, 
this  was  not  done  without  prompt  and  efficient  planning  and  hustling  upon 
the  part  of  the  management  of  the  enterprise.  Hardly  had  the  echo  of 
the  explosion  died  away  in  the  ruined  plant  when  plans  for  the  immediate 
rebuilding  of  the  structure  were  under  way  in  the  cool  mind  of  C.  W. 
Smith.  The  explosion  and  fire  did  not  seem  to  jar  him  in  the  slightest. 
The  fire  started  at  8 130  a.  m.  and  before  noon  a  gang  of  men  were  in  the 
ruins  getting  things  in  shape  for  the  immediate  resumption  of  business." 

Mr.  Smith  has  held  for  several  years  the  office  of  superintendent  of 
construction  of  the  Michigan  Home  and  Training  .School,  located  at 
Lapeer.  From  1906  until  191 1  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors of  the  city  of  Lapeer,  but  resigned  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  on  the  Repuljlican  ticket  in  1910.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1912,  and  during  his  terms  has  fathered  and  passed  many  worthy  laws, 
but  has  found  no  time  to  waste  with  fad  bills.  He  was  re-elected  in  1914 
bv  a  greater  majority  than  ever  before,  and  was  elected  Speaker  of  the 
Michigan  House  of  Representatives  in  January,  1915,  having  been  chosen 
without  a  contest.     A  stanch  Republican,  he  has  always  taken  an  active 


2194  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

interest  in  city,  county,  state  and  national  affairs,  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  his  party's  most  influential  leaders  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  has 
implicit  confidence  in  the  future  of  Lapeer  and  has  demonstrated  his 
faith  by  investing  heavily  in  realty.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to 
Lapeer  Lodge  No.  54,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  passed  through  all 
the  degrees  of  Masonry  up  to  the  thirty-second  degree;  has  been  trustee 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  for  the  past  six  years;  has 
been  a  membeF  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  ten  years, 
and  also  holds  membership  in  the  Royal  Arcanum.  A  virile,  progressive, 
energetic  man,  capable  of  planning  large  movements  and  possessed  of  the 
ability  to  carry  out  his  plans,  he  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  Lapeer's  most 
helpful  citizens,  and  as  such  well  merits  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  uni- 
versally held. 

On  December  3,  1890.  ;\Ir.  Smith  was  married  at  Lapeer  to  Miss  Nettie 
M.  Snyder,  a  native  of  Lapeer  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Adolph  Snyder, 
who  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  cigar 
manufacturing  business  at  Lapeer.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  no  children. 

Lawsox  C.  Holdex.  The  first  half  of  his  long  career  of  forty  years 
as  an  active  member  of  the  Michigan  bar  Judge  Holden  spent  in  the 
city  of  Saginaw,  and  the  latter  half  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  Few  men  have 
done  more  to  deser\e  the  honors  of  unselfish  and  intelligent  public  lead- 
ership than  Mr.  Holden.  The  following  sketch  of  his  career,  compiled 
from  existing  publications,  has  an  appropriate  place  in  the  history  of 
Michigan : 

Lawson  C.  Holden  was  born  in  New  Hudson  township,  Allegany 
county,  New  York,  October  11,  1849,  a  son  of  Thomas  C.  and  Randa  D. 
(Damon)  Holden,  the  former  of  Irish  and  English  and  the  latter  of 
Scotch  and  \\'elsh  stock.  The  Holden  family  was  founded  in  Massa- 
chtisetts  in  1627,  and  tradition  says  that  seventeen  brothers  emigrated  to 
the  New  World  on  one  vessel.  The  city  of  Holden,  Massachusetts,  was 
founded  by  their  descendants.  Among  the  ancestors  of  Judge  Holden 
was  Captain  Aaron  Holden,  who  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Flill,  where 
the  scabbard  and  hilt  of  his  sword  was  damaged  by  a  British  bullet.  In 
the  Revolutionary  records  kept  in  the  state  house  at  Boston  is  an  auto- 
graph order  signed  by  Aaron  Holden  for  the  payment  of  the  sum  allowed 
him  for  his  loss  on  Bunker  Hill.  Later  Captain  Holden  was  one  of  the 
few  prisoners  taken  alive  at  the  massacre  of  Cherry  \'allcy,  where  prac- 
tically all  the  inhabitants  and  garrison  were  killed  and  scalped  by  the 
Indians.  A  granite  monument  at  Barre,  Massachusetts,  marks  the  last 
resting  place  of  Captain  Holden  and  records  his  soldier  service  and  the 
fact  that  he  was  born  January  26,  1731,  and  died  September  30,  1802. 
Among  the  other  ancestors  of  Judge  Holden,  his  paternal  grandmother, 
Irene  (Caryl)  Holden,  lived  to  the  wonderful  age  of  one  hundred  and 
three  years.  His  mother.  Randa  Damon,  was  a  second  cousin  of  Esther 
A.  Damon,  who  died  in  \'ermont  November  11,  1906.  and  was  the  last 
surviving  widow  of  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  the  Revokition — Noah  Damon, 
whom  she  married  September  6,  1835. 

Judge  Holden's  parents  were  pioneer  settlers  in  Allegany  county,  New 
York,  where  his  father  spent  a  long  and  active  career  as  a  farmer  in  New- 
Hudson  township.  Judge  Holden  w^as  reared  in  the  country,  attended 
district  schools,  and  afterwards  was  a  student  in  the  Genesee  \'alley 
Seminary  at  Belfast.  New  York,  where  he  subsequently  had  charge  of 
the  department  of  bookkeeping  and  penmanshij)  and  was  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics. 

In  1871  ^Ir.  Holden  eiUered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in  1873,  having  studied  law  for  one  year 
under  MarshaU  B.  Champlain,  at  that  time  Attorney  General  of  New 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2195 

York  State.  Judge  Holdeii,  following  his  graduation,  located  in  the  city 
of  East  Saginaw,  where  soon  afterwards  he  was  the  first  person  to  hold 
a  position  as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney,  his  chief  in  the  office  being 
William  Gillett.  He  was  assistant  attorney  until  January,  1877.  Of  his 
activities  during  his  residence  in  Saginaw  the  following  quotations  give 
partial  account :  "As  assistant  prosecutor  of  Saginaw  county  he  acted 
for  the  people  in  many  important  criminal  cases,  one  of  the  most  notable 
of  which  was  the  Cargin-Smith  murder  trial.  In  1879  he  was  elected 
city  attorney,  and  in  that  position  added  to  his  reputation  by  successfully 
conducting  the  extensive  and  important  tax  litigations  then  pressing  for 
attention.  He  also  secured  a  fair  share  of  general  practice  in  both  the 
civil  and  criminal  calendar,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  during  the  first 
quarter  of  a  century  of  his  practice  not  one  of  his  clients  was  sentenced 
to  the  state  prison.  He  has  facetiously  reverted  to  this  record  by  saying 
that  his  success  during  the  period  noted  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he 
defended  only  innocent  men  wrongfully  accused  of  crime.  He  was  also 
identified  with  a  number  of  important  chancery  suits.  In  1884  he  was 
chosen  judge  of  probate  for  Saginaw  county,  an  office  he  held  for  several 
years.  At  that  time  he  was  also  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres,  located  near  his  home  city,  and  there  indulged  his  taste, 
acquired  in  childhood,  for  the  breeding  of  fine  standard  and  carriage 
horses.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Unitarian  church  at  East 
Saginaw,  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Peoples'  Building  &  Loan 
Association  of  Saginaw  County,  for  which  he  was  attorney,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Saginaw  County  Farmers'  Club.  A  dominating  characteristic 
of  Judge  Holden  is  his  sympathy  for  and  his  belief  in  the  aspirations  of 
the  working  class,  and  he  has  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  interests 
and  rights  of  the  wage  earners.  When  Thomas  B.  Barry  was  arrested 
under  the  so-called  Baker  Conspiracy  Act,  for  inaugurating  the  strike 
among  the  sawmill  operators  in  the  Saginaw  Valley,  tlaiming  ten  hours 
as  a  full  day's  labor.  Judge  Holden  became  his  leading  defender,  with 
several  prominent  associate  attorneys.  Their  efforts  were  successful  and 
the  case  attracted  wide  attention  on  account  of  the  prominence  of  Mr. 
Barry  in  the  councils  of  the  Knights  of  Labor.  Prior  to  this  trial  Mr. 
Barry  had  been  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  and  Judge  Holden  had 
given  him  earnest  support  in  his  campaign." 

Among  members  of  his  profession  who  have  not  served  terms  in  the 
legislature,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  lawyer  in  ]\Iichigan  has  originated  and 
drawn  up  more  laws  of  general  importance.  He  drafted  the  famous  Barry 
law,  providing  a  ten-hour  day  as  the  legal  limit  in  Michigan,  and  that 
was  the  first  regulation  of  the  kind,  and  is  still  on  the  Michigan  statutes. 
He  drafted  the  first  free  text  book  law  for  public  schools  in  the  state, 
securing  the  charter  under  which  Saginaw  and  East  Saginaw  consolidated, 
and  as  attorney  for  the  consolidated  city  successfully  defended  the  charter 
in  the  courts.  Some  of  Michigan's  best  lawyers  were  retained  to  fight 
the  charter,  but  it  withstood  six  separate  attacks  on  its  constitutional 
validity.  The  new  city  was  without  ordinances,  and  Judge  Holden  not 
only  annotated  the  new  charter,  but  also  prepared,  annotated  and  indexed 
a  code  of  new  ordinances  for  the  city,  published  in  a  volume  of  four 
hundred  and  sixty-six  pages.  He  also  conducted  the  proceedings  that 
expelled  from  office,  on  a  charge  of  malfeasance,  the  city  clerk,  police 
judge  and  clerk  of  municipal  court.  Judge  Holden  drafted  the  law 
providing  that  Labor  Day  should  be  a  legal  holiday  in  Michigan.  The 
•  existing  state  law  of  limitations  on  execution  levies  on  real  estate  was 
drawn  up  by  him.  After  becoming  a  resident  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Judge 
Holden  supervised,  for  constitutional  purposes,  ^lichigan's  first  and  exist- 
ing law  regulating  the  practice  of  medicine,  a  measure  that  has  been  sus- 
tained by  the  Supreme  court.     He  appeared  in  another  attitude  when  he 


2196  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

attacked  and  defeated  on  constitutional  grounds  three  separate  legislative 
acts  for  good  roads  in  Saginaw  county,  and  that  litigation  led  to  the 
adoption  of  a  constitutional  amendment  enabling  the  passage  of  Michi- 
gan's state-wide  referendum  "good  roads  law,"  of  which  he  was  an 
earnest  advocate.  He  also,  at  the  time  of  the  Saginaw  consolidation,  sug- 
gested the  names  for  more  than  fifty  of  the  streets,  changes  in  street 
names  being  made  necessary  to  avoid  duplication. 

Following,  the  disastrous  Saginaw  fire  of  May  20,  1893,  when  the 
beautiful  home  of  Judge  Holden  was  in  the  burned  district,  he  removed 
in  1894  to  Sault  Ste.  Alarie.  In  this  city  likewise  he  took  a  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  advocated  four  important  changes  in  the  city 
charter,  two  of  which,  one  for  the  establishment  of  a  police  board  and 
the  other  for  furnishing  free  text  books  to  the  public  schools,  having 
since  been  adopted.  He  also  served  as  special  city  attorney  on  two  occa- 
sions when  important  interests  in  the  city  were  at  stake. 

Judge  Holden  was  a  Democrat  until  the  organization  of  the  Greenback 
party,  and  after  that  disappeared  from  politics  he  returned  to  his  original 
political  faith.  He  was  a  delegate  at  large  from  Michigan  to  the  conven- 
tion at  St.  Louis  which  renominated  President  Cleveland.  He  never 
sought  public  office  and  has  only  accepted  official  responsibilities  in  direct 
line  with  his  profession.  His  determination  to  keep  free  from  the 
entanglements  of  politics  has  undoubtedly  been  an  important  factor  in 
giving  him  the  powerful  influence  which  he  has  at  various  times  exerted 
in  public  affairs. 

Outside  of  his  profession  Judge  Holden  acknowledges  one  strong 
influence,  his  interest  in  farming  and  stock  raising  and  his  desire  to  pro- 
mote agriculture  in  his  section  of  the  state.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
has  advocated  "better  live  stock  and  more  of  it,"  and  has  served  as 
president  of  the  Chippewa  County  Agricultural  Society,  the  Twin  Soos 
Poultry  and  Pet  Stock  Association,  the  Upper  Peninsula  Agricultural 
Association  ;  vice  president  of  the  National  Poultry  Breeders'  Association ; 
as  director  of  the  Michigan  State  Fair  Association,  where  he  was  super- 
intendent of  the  horse  department,  poultry  department  and  educational 
department  at  different  times.  He  has  been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Grange.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  "Brimley  cheese,"  manu- 
factured at  Brimley,  in  Chippewa  county,  was  exhibited  at  the  State  Fair, 
winning  a  score  of  ninety-eight  and  one-fourth  perfect  points,  which  set 
a  record  in  the  state.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  to  stimulate  interest  in 
and  improve  general  agricultural  conditions  and  to  bring  about  the  intro- 
duction of  better  grades  of  live  stock  in  Chippewa  county.  He  himself 
owns  a  farm  in  that  county  and  takes  great  pleasure  in  supervising  its 
management  and  in  the  breeding  of  all  kinds  of  stock. 

Fraternally  Judge  Holden  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  and  his  church  is  the  Unitarian.  September  3,  1877,  he 
married  Miss  Anna  I.  Stage  of  East  Saginaw.  She  was  born  in  Geauga 
county,  Ohio,  and  among  her  other  interests  at  home  and  in  society  has 
shown  considerable  talent  in  the  art  of  painting.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  Of  their  four  children,  three  died  in  infancy  at 
Saginaw,  and  the  daughter,  Elsie,  died  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  October  f>. 
1896,  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Otto  C.  Davidson.    As  a  banker  and  mining  operator  Otto  C.  David- 
son has  been  prominent  in  the  Northern  Peninsula  of  Michigan  for  the. 
past  thirty  years.     The  two  successive  positions  that  marked  his  early 
business  experiences  were  as  clerk  in  a  bank  and  bookkeeper  at  a  mine, 
antl  at  the  present  time  Mr.  Davidson  is  president  of  a  bank  at  Iron  ^loun- 


HISTORY  OF  MICPIIGAN  2197 

tain  and  general  superintendent  of  the  Oliver  ^ilining  Companies'  prop- 
erties in  the  Menominee  and  Gogebic  ranges. 

Otto  C.  Davidson  was  born  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  June  22,  1857, 
a  son  of  Thomas  Davidson.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Norway,  was 
reared  and  educated  and  learned  the  trade  of  ship  carpenter.  After 
coming  to  America  he  was  employed  for  many  years  at  his  trade,  first  in 
Milwaukee  and  later  in  Green  Bay,  where  he  died  at  the  venerable  age 
of  ninety  years.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Norway,  and  likewise  attained 
venerable  years.  Of  their  six  children  the  three  still  living  are  David  J., 
Mary  and  Otto  C. 

Otto  C.  Davidson  had  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Green 
Bay,  and  at  sixteen  began  clerking  in  a  bank.  In  1882  he  was  given  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  at  Briar  Hill  mine,  in  Norway,  Michigan,  and 
at  the  end  of  one  year  was  made  superintendent  of  the  mine.  Since  then 
his  time  and  interests  have  been  alternated  between  mining  and  banking. 
After  a  year  as  mine  superintendent  he  became  teller  in  a  bank  at  Green 
Bay,  but  in  1886  returned  to  mining,  and  for  two  years  had  charge  of  the 
Florence  Mining  Company's  properties  as  superintendent.  From  Janu- 
ary, 18S9,  to  1901  Mr.  Davidson  was  superintendent  of  the  Common- 
wealth mine.  His  home  has  been  in  Iron  Mountain  since  1901,  in  which 
year  he  became  superintendent  of  the  Oliver  Mining  Company's  prop- 
erties on  the  Menominee  range,  and  subsequently  was  promoted  to  general 
superintendent  of  the  properties  on  the  Menominee  and  Gogebic  ranges, 
with  headquarters  at  Iron  Mountain.  Since  1902  Mr.  Davidson  has  been 
president  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Iron  jNIountain.  Mr.  Davidson  is 
well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  having  affiliations  with  Washington  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Green  Bay;  with  Marinette  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  with 
Marinette  Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  with  the  Milwaukee  Consistory  of 
Scottish  Rite. 

In  April,  1889,  Mr.  Davidson  married  Charlotte  S.  Dickinson,  a 
native  of  Stamford,  Connecticut.  Her  father,  William  Edmund  Dickin- 
son, was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1824,  in  1844  graduated  from  the  Law 
School  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  thereafter  had  a  varied  career  in 
his  profession  and  in  practical  affairs.  After  practicing  law  two  years, 
he  spent  three  years  on  a  whaling  voyage,  and  then  became  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  mining  development  on  the  Upper  Peninsula.  He  had  charge 
of  the  Bohemian  mine  and  later  of  mines  at  Houghton,  Houghton  county 
having  been  his  home  until  1865.  The  following  two  years  were  spent 
in  developing  silver  and  gold  mines  near  Boise  City,  Idaho.  After  three 
years  in  New  York  City,  he  returned  to  the  Upper  Peninsula  in  1870,  and 
was  superintendent  of  the  work  at  the  New  York  mine  for  Samuel  J. 
Tilden.  In  1881  he  entered  the  employ  of  Tuttle  Brothers,  and  for  eight 
years  had  charge  of  the  Commonwealth  mine.  In  1889  Mr.  Dickinson 
took  charge  of  the  Colby  mine  at  Bessemer,  and  four  years  later,  in  1893, 
went  to  Daiquiri,  Cuba,  to  develop  the  Spanish-American  mine  at  Santi- 
ago. Owing  to  the  turbulent  ])olitical  and  economic  conditions  on  the 
island  preceding  the  independence  of  that  island  from  Spanish  control,  he 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  1896,  and  was  agent  for  the  Aetna 
Powder  Company  at  Florence,  Wisconsin,  until  his  death  on  June  15, 
1899.  Mr.  Dickinson  married  for  his  second  wife  Elizabeth  Sargent,  a 
native  of  Boston  and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Sargent,  a  LInitarian  min- 
ister of  Boston.  Rev.  John  Sargent  married  Charlotte  White,  who  was 
descended  from  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Salem,  Massachusetts.  Mrs. 
Davidson  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson 
have  four  sons  :  Ward  F.,  Harold  O.,  Norman  H.  and  Otto  C,  Jr. 

Ellsworth  Edgar  Wilkinson.  In  the  large  and  important  field  of 
insurance  one  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  State  of  Michigan  is  Ellsworth  E. 


2198  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Wilkinson,  who  for  more  than  twelve  years  has  been  manager  of  the 
Northeastern  Michigan  Agency  of  the  Sun  Life  Assurance  Company  of 
Canada.  ]\Ir.  Wilkinson  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  a  force  of  men  who  are 
recognized  as  among  the  most  aggressive  in  any  line  of  business,  and 
whose  work  in  the  aggregate  has  been  the  principal  factor  in  making  the 
Sun  company  one  of  the  chief  operating  in  the  State  of  Alichigan.  Air. 
\Mlkinson  is  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  Port  Huron,  and  as  a 
result  of  hard  and  intelligent  work  and  a  strict  integrity  in  his  methods 
of  doing  business  has  a  position  second  to  none  among  ^lichigan's  insur- 
ance men. 

Ellsworth  E.  Wilkinson  was  born  at  Rockford,  ^Michigan,  December  8. 
18C5.     His  paternal  ancestors  were  early  New  York  settlers  of  English 
stock,   while   his   paternal  grandmother   was   of   a    Pennsylvania    Dutch 
family.    John  Wilkinson,  his  grandfather,  came  from  England  and  estab- 
lished the  family  in  this  country.     One  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
western  Michigan  in  early  days  was  Mr.  Wilkinson's  father,  Gary  Wilkin- 
son, who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in   1821.     After  coming  to  age 
in  his  native  state,  he  sought  a  forttme  in  the  west  and  located  in  what 
is  now  Kent  county,  Alichigan,  in  1842.     His  settlement  was  at  Lapin- 
ville.  now  known  as  Rockford.    He  had  been  well  educated  in  the  schools 
of   Boston,  and  was  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
church.     Through   his  unusual  qualifications   in   education  and  general 
ability,  he  filled  many  positions  of  important  service  during  his  residence 
in  Michigan.     He  held  all  the  county  offices,  as  clerk,  treasurer,  sheritt, 
tax  collector,  justice  of  the  peace  and  prosecuting  attorney.    At  one  time 
he  was  a  reporter  on  Grand  Rapids  newspapers,  and  was  also  identified 
with  the  pioneer  lumber  industry  centering  along  the  Grand  River  \'alley. 
It  was  his  distinction  to  have  rafted  the  first  logs  down  Grove  Creek 
into  the  Grand  river,  and  these  logs  were  taken  to  mill  at  Grand  Haven. 
He  also  established  the  first  general  store  in  the  Grand  River  \'alley, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Wilkinson  &  Pike,  and  his  partner  in  that  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Pike,  died  about  1906  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.    Gary  Wilkin- 
son after  coming  to  Michigan  learned  the  tongue  of  the  Chippewa  Indians 
and   had   a   trading  post   for   business   relations   with   the    Indians.     As 
preacher,  lawyer,  merchant,  trader,  public  official,  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
of  his  contemporaries  filled  a  larger  and  more  useful  position  in  the  com- 
munity than  he.     His  death  occurred  in   1875  at  the  age  of  fifty-four 
years.     In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  in  the  main,  but  also  for  a  time 
affiliated  with  the  Greenback  party.     He  left  a  large  estate  at  the  time 
of  his  death  and  a  name  that  deserves  long  remembrance  among  the 
west    Michigan    pioneers.      Gary    Wilkinson    married    Sarah    Samantha 
\\'ilkinson,  who  was  born  in  Monroe  county.  New  York,  May  18,  1824, 
was  of  Puritan  ancestry,  and  came  to  Michigan  with  her  parents  in  1842. 
They  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  brietly  mentioned  as  follows :    Orange, 
deceased:  Jane,  deceased;  Louis  H..  a  resident  of  Rockford;  Rose,  wife 
of  John  Brackett,  a  resident  of  Big  Rapids,  Michigan;  Flora,  wife  of 
Charles  Jacqua  of  Rockford ;  Eben,  of  Rockford ;  Ellsworth  E. ;  Winnie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  five ;  Rachel,  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  early  education  of  Ellsworth  E.  Wilkinson  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  birthplace,  supplemented  by  two  years  in  the  Grand 
Rapids  College  in  commercial  and  law  courses.  His  first  independent 
venture  was  in  merchandising  and  in  hotel  business,  and  he  followed 
those  lines  until  1884.  In  1895  Air.  Wilkinson  took  up  the  insurance 
business,  and  for  two  years  wrote  accident  insurance  policies.  In  1897 
he  represented  the  Prudential  Insurance  Company,  and  in  1899  became 
connected  with  the  Sun  Life  Assurance  Company  of  Canada,  under  John 
A.  Torv,  then  state  manager  at  Detroit.     In  Januar\-,  1902,  Mr.  Wilkin- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2199 

son  established  his  headquarters  at  Port  Huron  as  manager  of  the  Xorth- 
eastern  Alichigan  Agency.  Beginning  with  a  field  comprising  only  two 
counties,  Air.  Wilkinson  today  controls  thirty  counties,  employs  fifty 
representatives,  and  has  built  up  a  large  ofifice  organization  in  Port  Huron, 
where  he  has  one  of  the  finest  insurance  offices  in  the  state,  located  in 
the  White  Block.  He  also  maintains  separate  offices  at  Saginaw,  Bay  City, 
Flint,  Alount  Clemens,  Bad  Axe,  Caro  and  Cheboygan.  For  eight  con- 
secutive years  Mr.  Wilkinson  held  the  honor  of  writing  the  largest 
volume  of  paid  insurance,  and  at  the  ])resent  time  the  annual  average  of 
business  done  through  his  office  amounts  to  a  hundred  thousand  dollars 
a  month.    Many  of  the  largest  policies  have  been  secured  by  himself. 

While  business  afifairs  have  occupied  him  almost  unremittingly  for 
many  years,  Air.  Wilkinson  is  a  citizen  of  broad  interests  and  in  various 
ways  has  performed  valuable  service  outside  of  his  principal  business 
relations.  He  is  a  Republican,  though  not  in  any  sense  a  politician.  He 
served  as  commissary  sergeant  of  Companies  H  and  K  in  the  Second 
Regiment  of  the  Alichigan  National  Guards,  and  possesses  medals  won 
by  him  for  his  proficiency  in  target  practice  and  in  drill  work.  Air. 
Wilkinson  is  one  of  the  very  active  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church 
of  Port  Huron,  has  served  as  president  of  the  Wright  Bible  Class  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Foreign  and  Home  Alissionary  Society.  He  has  done 
much  to  support  and  encourage  the  Young  Alen's  Christian  Association  of 
Port  Huron. 

Recently  Air.  \\'ilkinson  bought  one  of  the  finest  residence  sites  in 
Port  Huron,  with  a  frontage  of  102  feet  on  the  St.  Clair  river.  He  was 
married  February  27,  1903,  to  Emeline  Elizabeth  King,  who  was  born 
in  Port  Huron.  Her  parents  were  Charles  and  Elizabeth  King.  The 
former  was  born  December  g,  1834,  and  died  at  Port  Huron  October  30, 
1913,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  He  was  successful  as  a  farmer  and  a 
man  of  prominence  in  St.  Clair  county,  having  been  a  director  of  the 
State  Fair  Association  and  with  interests  in  a  number  of  local  enterprises. 
Mrs.  Wilkinson  was  reared  in  Port  Huron,  educated  in  the  local  schools 
and  graduating  from  the  high  school.  Air.  and  Airs.  Wilkinson  have  one 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Hindman  Wilkinson,  born  Alarch  21,  1908. 

John  Power.    For  more  than  forty  years  a  member  of  the  Alichigan 
bar,  and  since  1881  prominent  as  a  lawyer  and  citizen  of  Escanaba,  Johri 
Power  has  had  a  career  of  services  and  of  many  varieties  of  circuni 
stance,  and,  though  he  came  to  America  a  poor  boy,  he  has  long  beei' 
one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  Northern  Alichigan. 

John  Power  was  bom  in  the  city  of  Waterford,  Ireland,  July  13,  1846. 
His  father,  Alatthevv-  Power,  was  a  son  of  John  Power  of  Portlaw,  Water- 
ford ;  was  born  at  Waterford  in  1802;  was  well  educated;  a  grain  broker 
and  commission  merchant,  in  business,  and  lived  until  1874.  Alatthew 
Power  married  Bridget  \'eale,  who  was  born  in  Waterford  in  1810,  a 
daughter  of  Patrick  \'eale  of  Waterford.  She  died  in  1S84  and  both 
her  parents  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church  and  brought 
their  children  up  in  the  same  way. 

John  Power,  who  was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  was  the 
first  to  come  to  the  United  States.  He  emigrated  in  1863,  and  soon  after 
his  arrival,  in  Alay,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  Hiram  Wilde's  Com- 
pany A  of  the  Seventeenth  New  York  \'eteran  \'olunteer  Infantry,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Grower.  There  was  no  .American  born  and  bred 
soldier  who  showed  more  faithfulness  and  loyalty  in  the  ranks  than  this 
young  Irishman.  He  was  with  his  regiment  in  all  its  different  movements, 
including  the  famous  march  to  the  sea,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out 
of  service  June  19,  1865. 


2200  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

After  the  close  of  tlie  war  Mr.  Power  spent  four  years  as  a  teacher, 
and  then  took  up  the  study  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  2klichi- 
gan  in  1S72,  and  twenty  years  later  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  at  \\'ashington.  Beginning  practice 
in  1872,  he  located  at  Escanaba  in  1881.  and  for  many  years  has  been 
recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  Northern  ^Michigan,  especially 
as  a  trial  lawyer.  He  has  been  engaged  in  much  important  litigation  in 
both  state  and  federal  courts.  ;\Ir.  Power  served  as  village  and  city 
attorney  of  Caltimet  and  Escanaba  for  about  fifteen  years;  was  prosecut- 
ing attorney  of  Keweenaw  and  Manitou  counties,  and  in  1894  was  ap- 
pointed Cnited  States  Attorney  for  the  Western  district  of  Michigan,  an 
office  he  held  over  four  years.  Politically  his  associations  have  always 
been  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has  been  a  leader  in  "its  ranks  in 
Michigan  for  a  number  of  years.  On  six  different  occasions  he  was  the 
nominee  for  Congress  in  the  ninth,  eleventh  and  twelfth  Michigan  dis- 
tricts, and  was  always  ahead  of  his  ticket,  though  unable  to  overcome  the 
strong  Republican  majority.  In  1880,  1884  'i''"^!  1^92  Mr.  Power  was  a 
district  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conventions,  and  was  dele- 
gate at  large  to  the  National  Convention  of  1904.  while  his  name  appeared 
on  the  ticket  in  18S8  as  elector  at  large  of  President  and  \'ice  President. 

In  his  home  city  Mr.  Power's  services  have  likewise  been  in  the  highest 
degree  useful.  For  ten  years  he  was  a  member  and  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Escanaba  and  he  also  served  as  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  Keweenaw  County,  and  as  secretary  of  the  board 
of  school  examiners  in  Delta  County.  Mr.  Power  is  a  man  of  high  ideals 
and  generous  impulses,  and  one  of  his  marked  characteristics  is  his 
faculty  for  making  and  maintaining  strong  friendships.  He  keeps  up 
associations  with  old  comrades  by  membership  in  the  C.  F.  Smith  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  which  he  has  served  as  commander,  and  is  its  senior  past  com- 
mander. He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  for  nine  years 
was  grand  knight  of  that  organization.  Reared  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Power 
has  for  many  years  been  a  liberal  supporter  and  an  active  worker  in 
that  faith. 

September  30,  1868,  at  Clifl:,  Michigan,  lohn  Power  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Corgan,  born  in  Toronto,  Ontario,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Mary  Corgan;  her  (Mrs.  Power's)  father  served  for  thirty  years  or 
more  in  the  United  States  lighthouse  service  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Power  have  the  following  children:  Walter  J.,  who  was  born 
at  Copper  Harbor,  Michigan,  ^larch  30,  1870,  and  now  a  lawyer  and 
mining  operator  in  Minnesota,  who  married  Miss  Dottie  O'Connell  of 
Gladstone,  Michigan ;  Catherine,  a  resident  of  Hibbing,  ^Minnesota ;  Pat- 
rick S.,  a  lawyer  at  Menominee,  Michigan,  who  married  Miss  Nina  Doton 
of  Escanaba,  Michigan ;  May  Frances,  who  is  married  and  living  in  Chi- 
cago ;  Roscoe  B.,  who  took  up  the  profession  of  dentistry  and  who  is 
practicing  in  his  profession  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin;  Matthew  L.,  a 
physician  practicing  at  Hancock,  Michigan ;  Victor  L.,  a  lawyer  at  Hib- 
bing, Minnesota,  and  Patricia,  wife  of  George  J.  ^Vink,  formerly  of 
Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  now  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Rev.  Jqiix  Bekx.\rd  Hewett.  A  highly  educated  Catholic  church- 
man. Rev.  John  Bernard  Hewett  has  been  in  the  active  ministry  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  and  was  the  organizer  and  has  since  been  pastor  of 
All  Saints  church  in  Flint.  That  church  was  organized  and  was  built  by 
Rev.  Father  Hewett  in  1910,  and  he  now  has  pastoral  charge  of  a  parish 
composed  of  nine  nationalities,  though  predominantly  Polish. 

Father  Hewett  was  born  October  16,  1864,  in  Prussian  Poland  and 
belongs  to  a  family  that  was  distinguished  in  that  part  of  the  original 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2201 

Poland.  His  grandfather,  Michael  Ilewett,  won  the  rank  of  a  general 
and  saw  active  service  in  the  wars  under  the  first  Xapoleon.  Through 
the  fortunes  of  war  he  became  a  great  land  owner  at  Bresino,  in  Prussian 
Poland.  Michael  Hewett  married  Magdalene  Czarzbon,  of  a  noble  and 
wealthy  family  in  Polzin,  Prussian  Poland.  Michael  Hewett,  Jr.,  father 
of  Rev.  John  B.  Hewett,  came  to  the  United  States  shortly  after  the 
Franco-Prussian  war  of  1870,  in  which  war  he  served  with  great  distinc- 
tion, earning  the  iron  cross  for  bravery.  In  consequence  of  the  war  he 
lost  much  property,  without  redress  from  the  German  government,  and, 
indignant  at  this  oppression  and  outrage,  he  left  his  native  land  and 
settled  in  Detroit,  which  city  remained  his  home  until  his  death.  He  was 
an  engineer  by  profession,  and  worked  at  that  until  shortly  before  his 
death.  Fie  married  Catharine  Krause,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary 
Krause,  wealthy  meadow  owners  of  Bohlschau,  in  Western  Prussian 
Poland.  The  late  Michael  Hewett  was  active  in  the  founding  of  St.  Kasi- 
mir's  church  and  the  Polish  Seminary  in  Detroit. 

John  Bernard  Hewett  was  a  child  when  his  father  came  to  America, 
antl  jnirsued  his  classical  studies  in  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  Sandwich,  Ontario, 
and  at  Monroe,  ^lichigan.  His  studies  in  philosophy  and  theology  were 
pursued  in  the  Grand  Seminary  at  ^lihvaukee.  He  was  ordained  a  priest 
May  23,  1891.  by  Rt.  Rev.  John  S.  Foley,  Bishop  of  Detroit.  Father 
Flewett  before  coming  to  Flint  was  pastor  in  Fowler,  ^Michigan;  Bronson, 
Michigan,  and  then  came  to  Flint.  In  all  three  places  he  organized 
schools  and  has  shown  peculiar  ability  as  an  organizer  and  a  builder  up 
of  new  church  communities. 

Hi:rm.\x  I.  McMiLL.\x.  This  well  known  and  jjrogressive  citizen  of 
Charlevoix  county  has  made  an  admirable  record  in  connection  with  busi- 
ness activities  of  broad  scope  and  importance  and  has  also  proved  an 
able  and  influential  factor  in  the  governmental  affairs  of  his  native  State, 
through  his  effective  service  as  representative  of  Charlevoix  county  in  the 
Michigan  legislature.  He  maintains  his  residence  in  the  village  of  East 
Jordan  and  is  here  prominently  identified  with  the  operation  of  high- 
grade  flour  mills  that  contribute  definitely  to  the  industrial  and  com- 
mercial prestige  of  the  county,  and  he  is  also  actively  concerned  with 
banking  enterprise  in  this  favored  county  of  the  Wolverine  common- 
wealth. 

A  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family  of  the  State,  Thurman 
Isaac  McMillan  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  Michigan,  on  the  19th 
of  January,  1868,  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Alice  (Norton) 
McMillan,  the  former  of  Scotch  lineage  and  the  latter  a  representative 
of  a  long  line  of  English  ancestry.  Isaac  McMillan,  grandfather  of  him 
whose  name  initiates  this  article,  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  the  family  was  founded  in  an  early  day,  and  he  himself  became 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  and  influential  citizens  of  Livingston  county, 
Michigan,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  and  developed  a  fine  farm, 
his  occupation  prior  to  his  immigration  to  ]\lichigan  having  been  that  of 
lumber  manufacturing,  in  connection  with  which  he  owned  and  operated 
a  saw  mill  in  his  native  State.  Both  he  and  his  wife  continued  to  reside 
on  their  old  homestead  farm  in  Livingston  county  until  the  time  of  their 
death,  and  their  names  are  enrolled  on  the  roster  of  the  sterling  pioneers 
of  Livingston  county,  the  old  family  farmstead  having  been  the  birthplace 
of  their  son  \\'illiam  H.  and  also  of  the  latter's  son  Herman  I.,  of  this 
sketch. 

William  H.  ]\IcMillan  was  reared  to  the  sturdy  discipline  of  the  pioneer 
farm  and  in  his  native  county  was  afforded  the  advantages  of  the  common 
schools  of  that  period.     He  continued  to  be  actively  identified  with  agri- 


2202  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

cultural  pursuits  iu  his  native  county  until  his  intrinsic  patriotism  led  him 
to  respond  to  the  call  of  higher  duty  and  to  tender  his  aid  in  defense  of 
the  Union,  at  the  inception  of  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  the  Twenty- 
second  Michigan  \'olunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  continued  in  active 
and  local  service  until  the  close  of  the  great  conflict  through  which  the 
integrity  of  the  nation  was  preserved.  After  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge Mr.  ^McMillan  returned  to  the  parental  home,  and  within  a  short 
time  thereafter  he  married.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  in 
Livingston  county  he  continued  to  be  successfully  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  until  1S76,  when  he  purchased  farm  and  resumed  his  active 
association  with  the  great  basic  industry  under  the  influence  of  which  he 
had  been  reared.  He  continued  his  activities  along  this  line  until  1882, 
and  since  the  death  of  his  wife  he  has  given  hjs  attention  to  the  opera- 
tion of  a  flour  mill,  at  Little  Prairie  Ronde,  Cass  county,  this  State,  a 
property  of  which  he  has  been  the  owner  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
McAIillan  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  allegiance  and  has  held  various 
township  offices.  He  is  a  man  of  high  principles  and  marked  strength  of 
character,  commands  the  friendship  of  all  who  know  him.  is  an  unyield- 
ing opponent  of  the  licjuor  trafiic,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  has  stood 
sponsor  for  integrity  and  honor.  The  memories  and  associations  of  his 
military  career  are  vitalized  through  his  active  affiliation  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

Of  the  five  children  of  ^^'illiam  H.  and  Alice  (Norton)  McMillan 
Herman  L,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  eldest:  Emma  B.  is  the  wife  of  John 
B.  Scott,  and  they  reside  in  the  State  of  Montana,  where  Mr.  Scott  holds 
the  office  of  L'nited  States  land  commissioner  for  that  commonwealth  : 
Louis,  who  resides  at  Marcellus,  Cass  county,  and  is  in  the  United 
States  mail  service,  as  carrier  on  a  rural  route,  served  as  a  gallant  soldier 
in  the  Spanish-American  war.  in  which  he  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  San 
Juan  Hill;  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  David  L.  Fitch,  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Charlevoix  county  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1914,  and  they  reside  at 
East  Jordan ;  and  William,  who  is  a  millwright  by  trade  and  vocation, 
resides  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids. 

Herman  I.  McMillan  gained  his  preliminary  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  county  and  thereafter  attended,  for  two  terms,  the 
L'nion  high  school  at  Howell,  the  judicial  center  of  Livingston  county. 
He  attended  school  until  he  attained  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and 
thereafter  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  work  and  management  of 
the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  found 
employment  in  the  flour  mill  owned  and  operated  by  John  T.  Pierce  at 
Oak  Grove.  Livingston  county.  One  year  later  he  retired  from  this 
position  and  went  to  Decatur,  Van  Buren  county,  where  he  was  similarly 
employed  for  the  ensuing  six  months.  He  perfected  himself  in  knowledge 
of  all  details  of  the  milling  business,  and  after  leaving  Decatur  he  was  for 
three  years  manager  for  the  Fowler  Milling  Company,  at  Fowder,  Clinton 
coimty.  Greater  responsibilities  came  to  him  in  connection  with  his  next 
business  association,  as  he  assumed  charge  of  the  flour  mill  at  Pewamo, 
Ionia  county,  where  he  had  practical  supervision  of  the  enlargement  and 
re-equipping  of  the  mill.  Thereafter  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  latter's  mill,  at  Little  Prairie  Ronde,  and  after  the  mill  had 
been  thoroughly  remodeled  he  assumed  practical  charge  of  its  operation. 
At  the  expiration  of  two  years  he  turned  over  to  his  brother  Louis  the 
management  of  the  mill  and  assumed  the  position  of  selling  agent  for  the 
John  T.  Hudson  Milling  Machine  Company,  of  Jackson,  this  State.  In 
this  connection  he  made  three  successful  trips  through  the  State,  and 
then  ensued  a  financial  panic  that  caused  the  company  to  make  retrench- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2203 

nients,  ivith  radical  changes  in  its  field  work.  Under  such  conditions 
Mr.  ^loMillan  resigned  his  position,  and  at  this  junction  in  his  career  he 
removed  to  Charlevoix,  where  he  retained  for  the  ensuing  three  years  the 
supervision  of  the  roller  mills  of  Henry  M.  Enos.  The  property  was 
then  sold  and  j\Ir.  McMillan  acquired  a  one-third  interest,  commercial 
expediency  later  leading  to  the  organization  and  incorporation  of  a  stock 
company,  known  as  the  Arco  Milling  Company.  ^Ir.  !McAIillan  became 
superintendent  and  martager  of  the  mills,  and  in  1904  the  company  erected 
a  branch  mill  at  East  Jordan,  this  plant  being  of  the  best  modern  type  and 
having  an  output  capacity  of  125  barrels  a  day,  the  Charlevoix  mills  hav- 
ing a  capacity  of  seventy-five  barrels  a  day,  and  the  plants  both  at  Charle- 
voix and  East  Jordan  including  grain  elevators  of  adequate  capacity. 
Mr.  McMillan  has  had  the  direct  management  of  the  mill  at  East  Jordan 
from  the  time  it  was  put  into  operation  and  has  maintained  his  home  in 
this  attractive  village  since  1904.  He  is  not  only  one  of  the  principal 
stockholders  of  the  Arco  Milling  Company  but  is  also  a  stockholder  and 
director  of  the  People's  State  Bank  of  East  Jordan,  of  which  institution 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising,  alert  and 
influential  figures  in  the  business  circles  of  Charlevoix  county,  and  is  a 
citizen  whose  co-operation  is  invariably  given  in  the  furtherance  of 
measures  advanced  for  the  general  good  of  the  community. 

Mr.  McMillan  is  a  stalwart  in  the  local  camp  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  while  a  resident  of  Charlevoix  he  served  two  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council.  In  this  connection  he  was  most  zealous  in  the  further- 
ance of  needed  municipal  improvements  and  notably  took  leadership  in  the 
movements  which  gave  to  the  city  an  effective  sewerage  system  and  its 
large  showing  of  cement  sidewalks.  He  has  been  able  to  render  in  East 
Jordan  even  more  valuable  service  in  official  capacity,  as  he  served  two 
terms  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  and  one  term  as  president  of 
the  village.  His  efforts  did  much  to  bring  about  desirable  improvements 
of  public  order,  both  along  utilitarian  lines  and  in  beautifying  the  town. 
Still  higher  official  honors  were  conferred  upon  Mr.  Mc^Iillan  when,  in 
the  autumn  of  1912,  he  was  elected  a  representative  of  Charlevoix  county 
in  the  State  legislature,  of  which  body  he  proved  a  loyal,  progressive  and 
valued  member,  taking  active  part  in  the  work  on  the  floor  of  the  house 
of  representatives  and  in  the  deliberations  of  the  various  committees  to 
which  he  was  assigned.  Four  important  bills  were  introduced  and  ably 
championed  by  him,  his  influence  having  been  potent  in  leading  to  their 
enactment.  One  of  these  bills  had  to  do  with  the  banking  laws  of  the 
State,  and  his  bill  providing  for  the  inspection  of  barber  shops,  for  the 
purpose  of  maintaining  sanitary  conditions,  was  strongly  opposed  by  the 
Democratic  members  of  the  house,  as  they  had  a  similar  bill  on  file, 
but  the  bill  introduced  by  ]Mr.  [McMillan  was  passed  by  both  house  and 
senate,  at  the  special  request  of  Governor  Ferris,  who  is  himself  a  Demo- 
crat, the  bill  passing  the  house  with  a  roll-call  memorandum  attached. 
Another  of  the  important  bills  introduced  by  Mr.  McMillan  was  that 
resulting  in  the  law  which  provides  sufficient  increase  in  the  salary  of  the 
attorney  general  of  the  State  to  enable  him  to  appoint  efficient  assistants 
in  handling  the  affairs  of  his  important  office.  The  fourth  of  the  bills 
for  which  Mr.  ^McMillan  must  be  accorded  high  credit  is  that  enacted 
in  connection  with  insurance  matters,  the  new  law  giving  to  mutual 
casualty  companies  advantages  on  a  parity  with  those  of  the  old-line 
companies  of  larger  capital. 

In  his  home  village  Mr.  McMillan  is  affiliated  with  the  lodge,  chapter 
and  council  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  past  master  of  the  East 
Jordan  Lodge,  No.  379,  Free  &  Accepted  Masons,  besides  which  he  holds 
membership  in  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


2204  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

At  Marcellus,  Cass  county,  in  the  year  1895,  was  solemnized  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  McAIillan  to  ]\Iiss  Pearl  Finch,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  that  county  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Augusta  (INIcCane) 
Finch.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Mc^NIillan  have  three  children,  the  two  elder 
children  having  been  born  at  Charlevoix  and  the  youngest  at  East  Jordan, 
their  names  and  respective  dates  of  birth  being  here  designated:  Erzala, 
September  12,  1897:  \"era  Alice,  April  21,  1899;  and  Hugh  Charles, 
May  12,  1907. 

RossLYN  L.  Sowers.  One  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful 
lawyers  of  Eaton  county  is  Rosslyn  L.  Sowers,  of  Charlotte.  He  is  an 
able  lawyer,  has  taken  an  active  part  in  state  politics,  and  is  a  man  well 
known  for  his  integrity  and  honesty,  and  these  two  characteristics  have 
done  much  toward  gaining  for  him  the  large  private  practice  which  he 
enjoys. 

Rosslyn  L.  Sowers  was  born  in  Williams  county,  Ohio,  near  Stryker, 
July  20,  1869.  He  is  the  only  son  of  John  F.  and  Mary  A.  (Kunkle) 
Sowers.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  1840,  and  belonged  to  a  family  of 
early  settlers  in  Williams  county,  was  a  farmer,  and  in  1883  moved  to 
Indianapolis.  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
The  paternal  grandfather  was  David  Sowers,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  in  young  manhood  settled  in  Ohio.  John  F.  Sowers  married 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kunkle,  an  early  Ohio  settler,  and  she  was  born  in 
Pottsville,  Pennsylvania. 

The  Charlotte  attorney  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Williams  county,  Ohio,  later  moved  out  to  Missouri,  and 
continued  his  education  in  Chillicothe.  Like  many  successful  lawyers, 
he  had  an  early  preliminary  experience  as  a  school  teacher,  and  taught 
in  district  schools,  also  in  a  private  academy,  and  when  he  came  to 
Michigan  in  1889  and  settled  in  Eaton  county,  he  took  up  farming  and 
stock  raising  in  Carmel  township.  He  prospered  and  in  time  became  a 
man  of  local  prominence.  In  1899  he  was  elected  to  the  important  posi- 
tion of  county  drain  commissioner,  and  supervised  the  public  drainage 
system  of  the  county  for  four  years,  or  two  terms.  In  the  meantime 
he  had  studied  law  and  in  1904  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  supreme 
court  at  Lansing.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  second  term  as  commissioner 
he  associated  himself  with  E.  A.  Foote  and  A.  G.  Flemming  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Charlotte,  and  has  since  enjoyed  a  large  and  profitable 
general  practice. 

Mr.  Sowers  in  1892  married  Ella  Kruson  of  Carmel  township  in 
Eaton  county,  a  daughter  of  Enoch  Kruson,  one  of  the  prominent  farmers 
of  that  county.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Murrel  E.,  now  a  student  in  the  county  normal  school ;  Franklin 
D.  Wayne,  student  in  the  high  school ;  and  Erma  Marie.  As  a  Democrat 
Mr.  Sowers  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  influential  factors 
in  the  county,  and  has  interested  himself  in  local,  county  and  state  politics, 
and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  central  committee.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  lodge. 

Cii.\RLES  A.  Andrcs.  Proprietor  of  the  Andrus  Granite  and  i\Iarble 
Works  of  Saginaw,  Mr.  Andrus  has  been  identified  wtih  this  city  since 
1889.  Mr.  Andrus  has  experienced  the  vicissitudes  of  business  existence. 
It  requires  a  great  deal  of  courage,  after  one  has  gained  what  appears  to 
be  a  secure  position  in  prosperity,  suddenly  to  find  one's  self  at  the  bottom 
and  obliged  to  take  up  the  battle  again  and  fight  it  out  practically  over 
the  old   ground.     Mr.   Andrus   started  out  and   in   earlv   life  had  con- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2205 

siderable  money,  but  lost  it  all,  and  without  allowing  himself  to  be 
defeated  by  misfortune,  he  went  to  work  and  now  is  in  better  position 
than  ever,  being  secure  in  a  fair  degree  of  financial  prosperity  and  also 
in  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  business  associates  and  friends  in 
Saginaw. 

In  Perry,  New  York,  on  June  4,  1859,  Charles  A.  Andrus  was  born 
as  the  second  of  four  children  to  David  and  Harriet  (Parmer)  Andrus. 
Both  parents  were  natives  of  New  York  State,  spent  all  their  lives  at 
Perry,  where  the  father  was  engaged  at  lumbering  and  farming  until 
his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years  in  191 1.  The  mother  died  in 
1910  when  sixty-five  years  of  age. 

Charles  A.  Andrus  had  his  early  schooling  at  Perry,  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  Perry  Academy,  and  on  leaving  school  entered  the 
grocery  business  at  Midland,  Michigan,  where  he  located  in  1880  being 
then  just  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  1889,  Mr.  Andrus  transferred  his 
residence  to  Saginaw,  and  continued  the  grocery  trade  until  about  1893. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  become  interested  in  other  lines  of  enterprise, 
and  in  1885  became  identified  with  the  marble  and  granite  business,  and 
also  in  the  handling  of  real  estate. 

In  politics  Mr.  Andrus  is  a  Republican  and  is  affiliated  with  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He  was  married  in  Saginaw,  in  1881,  to 
Miss  Agnes  Wylie,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Wylie  of  Perry,  New 
York.  She  died  in  1900,  and  is  buried  at  Saginaw.  In  1903,  Mr.  Andrus 
was  married  also  at  Saginaw,  to  Miss  Lillian  Kremer,  whose  mother 
was  Caroline  Kremer  of  Saginaw  and  is  still  living.  Mr.  Andrus  has 
one  child,  born  to  his  first  wife,  Harry  N.  Andrus,  born  in  Saginaw, 
in  1883. 

Edward  J.  Bowman.  As  United  States  District  Attorney 
for  the  Western  District  of  Michigan,  position  to  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed January  2,  1914,  Edward  J.  Bowman  has  the  direction  and  legal 
charge  of  matters  which  concern  the  people  of  this  section  as  closely 
as  those  of  any  other  department  of  the  government  service.  An  able 
member  of  the  bar,  a  leader  of  Republicanism  in  the  state,  and  a  citi- 
zen who  has  impressed  the  force  and  straightforwardness  of  his  char- 
acter upon  the  legislation  and  institutions  of  Michigan,  he  has  fairly 
earned  the  high  honors  which  are  now  his,  for  he  belongs  to  that  class 
of  men  who  have  been  the  architects  of  their  own  fortunes  and  who 
have  steadily  fought  their  way  upward  through  diligence  and  never- 
failing  application. 

The  Bowman  family  originated  in  Switzerland,  from  whence  the 
progenitor  fled  to  America,  driven  here  by  religious  persecution.  A 
little  colony  was  formed  among  those  of  the  Mennonite  faith  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  there  was  born  Jacob  Bowman,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  Edward  T-  Bowman.  He  migrated  to  Canada  in  young  manhood, 
and  there  spent  some  years,  but  eventually  came  to  Michigan,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement,  and  here  passed  his  last 
years.  His  farm  in  Kent  county  is  now  o\\aied  by  one  of  his  sons,  Wash- 
ington Bowman,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  community.  Moses  Bow- 
man, the  maternal  grandfather  of  Edward  J.  Bowman,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  belonging  to  a  family  which  had  its  origin  in  Germany. 
He  also  migrated  to  Canada,  and  there  his  death  occurred.  The  father 
of  Edward  T.  Bowman,  Nelson  Bowman,  was  born  at  Berlin,  Ontario, 
Canada,  in  1846,  and  as  a  youth  accompanied  his  father  to  Michigan, 
the  family  settling  on  a  farm  in  Kent  county.  In  1868  he  returned  to 
Canada  and  was  married  to  Nancy  Bowman,  who  was  born  in  Ontario 

Vol.  rv— 29 


2206  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

in  1848,  and  with  his  bride  returned  to  [Michigan.  In  1872  he  again 
went  back  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  until  1881  and  then  again 
took  up  his  residence  in  [Michigan,  tliis  time  at  Greenville,  where  he 
continued  to  be  engaged  in  the  milling  business  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1898.  The  mother  passed  away  in  191 1,  in  the  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  Canada  Mr.  Bowman  was  a  supporter 
of  the  Liberal  party,  and  on  various  occasions  filled  minor  offices,  while 
in  Michigan  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  fraternal  connection  was  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Of  the  five  children  of  Nelson 
and  Nancy  Bowman,  four  survive:  Edward  J.;  Edith,  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  Greenville,  Michigan ;  Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Decker,  also 
a  resident  of  Greenville ;  and  Mrs.  Clark  C)sborn,  who  resides  in  Chicago. 

Edward  J.  Bowman  was  given  only  ordinary  educational  advantages, 
and  the  acquiring  of  a  legal  training  was  an  arduous  and  discouraging 
task.  However,  his  perseverance  and  hard  study  finally  overcame  all 
obstacles,  and  in  1892  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  began 
practice.  Gradually  he  rose  to  the  foremost  position  among  the  prac- 
titioners of  Greenville,  in  which  town  he  had  been  born  November  30, 
1871,  and  there  was  elected  to  the  office  of  city  attorney.  His  practice 
was  a  large  and  lucrative  one,  but  in  1910,  when  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant district  attorney,  he  came  to  Grand  Rapids,  and  this  city  has 
since  continued  to  be  the  scene  of  his  activities,  although  he  still  main- 
tains his  home  at  Greenville.  On  January  2,  1914,  he  was  appointed 
United  States  District  Attorney  of  the  Western  District  of  Michigan 
to  fill  a  vacancy  by  C.  W.  Sessions.  Mr.  Bowman  is  serving  his  second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  Greenville  school  board,  and  at  this  time  the 
board  is  engaged  in  erecting  a  $10,000  schoolhouse  on  the  site  of  the 
little  structure  where  he  received  his  first  instruction.  Always  a  leader 
in  Republican  politics,  Mr.  Bowman  is  secretary  of  the  Michigan  League 
of  Republican  Clubs  and  president  of  the  Greenville  Republican  Club, 
the  latter  one  of  the  strongest  party  organizations  in  the  state.  Frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  belonging  to  the  lodge,  chapter 
and  consistory,  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  is  past 
chancellor.    With  his  family,  he  attends  the  ^lethodist  Episcopal  church. 

In  October,  1898,  Mr.  Bowman  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Cowen, 
daughter  of  John  Cowen,  a  carpenter  of  Greenville,  who  was  born  on 
the  Isle  of  [Man.  One  son  has  been  born  to  this  union :  Llewellyn,  who 
is  attending  school. 

Arthur  J.  Beese.  One  of  the  most  efficient  and  at  the  same  time 
one  of  the  younger  business  executives  in  the  city  of  Saginaw  is  Arthur 
J.  Beese.  president  of  the  Saginaw  Sheet  Metal  \\'^orks,  an  industry  with 
a  large  force  of  employes  and  contributing  everv'  month  a  large  sum  to 
the  resources  which  are  expended  in  providing  for  the  livelihood  and 
comforts  of  Saginaw's  industrial  population. 

Arthur  J.  Beese  was  born  in  Saginaw,  November  5,  1874,  a  son  of 
J.  H.  and  Rosa  (Fecmann)  Beese.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  Meck- 
lenburg. Germany,  came  to  Michigan  when  five  years  of  age,  his  parents 
locating  in  Saginaw  county.  Growing  up  to  manhood  he  learned  the 
tailor's  trade,  and  later  was  in  the  general  merchandise  business  and  also 
a  coal  merchant.  His  death  occurred  in  Saginaw  in  1894,  when  forty- 
five  years  of  age.  and  his  long  and  honorable  career  had  brought  him 
considerable  business  prosperity  and  the  high  standing  in  the  civic  com- 
munity. His  wife  was  also  born  in  Germany,  and  was  a  girl  when 
brought  to  Michigan.  She  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Of 
tlie  three  children,  A.  J.  Beese  is  the  oldest. 

His  early  training  was  in  the  Saginaw  schools,  and  in  the  Michigan 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2207 

Agricultural  College  he  completed  a  course  in  mechanical  engineering, 
which  gave  him  good  preparation  for  his  present  line  of  business.  On 
leaving  school  his  first  responsibilities  were  the  management  of  his 
father's  estate,  and  he  was  employed  by  others  for  a  year  or  two.  Finally 
his  time  and  attention  were  diverted  to  the  sheet  metal  business,  and 
starting  on  a  small  scale  the  enterprise  has  been  developed  and  kept 
growing  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  Saginaw.  Orig- 
inally it  was  a  co-partnership,  but  since  1910  the  business  has  been  in- 
corporated and  Mr.  Beese  is  the  president  and  chief  executive.  There 
are  seventy-five  workmen  employed,  the  floor  space  occupied  by  the 
stock  and  the  factory  covers  an  aggregate  two  and  a  half  acres,  the 
business  is  conducted  in  a  modern,  well  equipped,  well  lighted  and  sani- 
tary building,  and  the  annual  payroll  amounts  to  forty  thousand  dollars. 
Mr.  Beese  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the  East  Saginaw 
Club.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Mr.  Beese  is  unmarried  and  lives 
at  home  with  his  mother. 

Jerome  E.  Turner.  Established  in  the  successful  practice  of  his 
profession  in  the  city  of  Muskegon,  Mr.  Turner  has  gained  through 
ability,  integrity  of  purpose  and  well  directed  endeavor  a  secure  place 
as  one  of  the  representative  members  of  the  bar  of  his  native  state, 
and  further  interest  attaches  to  his  career  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
he  is  a  scion  of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of  the  fine  old 
Wolverine  commonwealth. 

Mr.  Turner  was  born  at  Howell,  the  judicial  center  of  Livingston 
county,  Michigan,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jerome  VV.  and  Martha  P.  (Gregory)  Turner,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Vermont,  in  1839,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Ohio,  in 
1840.  Jerome  W.  Turner  was  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Evelyn  (Ellsworth) 
Turner,  who  likewise  were  natives  of  Vermont  and  who  were  repre- 
sentatives of  stanch  colonial  families  in  New  England,  that  gracious 
cradle  of  much  of  our  national  history.  Josiah  Turner  was  reared  and 
educated  in  New  England,  where  he  prepared  himself  for  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  came  with  his  family  to  Michigan  in  the  early 
pioneer  days  and  established  his  home  at  Howell,  Livingston  county, 
where  he  became  a  citizen  of  much  prominence  and  influence  and  where 
he  long  held  precedence  as  one  of  the  representative  lawyers  and  jurists 
of  the  state.  He  served  on  the  bench  of  the  circuit  court  for  fully  a 
quarter  of  a  century  and  his  name  merits  an  enduring  place  on  the 
roster  of  the  sterling  pioneers  who  aided  in  the  civic  and  material  de- 
velopment and  progress  of  Michigan.  Both  he  and  his  wife  continued 
to  reside  in  Livingston  county  until  their  death. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view were  Rev.  Edward  E.  and  Jane  (McKillop)  Gregory.  They  were 
natives  of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  whence  they  removed  in  an  early 
day  to  Ohio,  and  from  the  latter  state  they  came  to  Michigan,  where 
Mr.  Gregory  was  long  numbered  among  the  honored  and  able  members 
of  the  clergy  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  labored  with  all 
of  consecrated  zeal  and  devotion,  as  one  of  its  pioneer  ministers  in  this 
commonwealth.  He  was  graduated  in  Princeton  College  and  was  a  man 
of  ripe  scholarship,  even  as  he  was  one  of  the  highest  ideals,  so  that  his 
influence  was  ever  of  the  most  benignant  order. 

Jerome  W.  Turner  was  a  boy  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  immigra- 
tion to  the  comparative  wilds  of  the  new  state  of  Michigan,  and  he  was 
afforded  the  advantages  of  the  common  schools  of  Howell,  which  was 
then  a  mere  village.     He  was  favored  in  having  the  environment  of  a 


2208  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

home  of  signal  culture  and  refinement,  and  he  was  encouraged  in  his 
laudable  ambition  for  the  attainment  of  a  liberal  education  and  the  pre- 
•paring  himself  for  the  profession  that  was  dignified  and  honored  by 
the  character  and  services  of  his  father.  In  1857  he  was  graduated  in 
the  University  of  Michigan,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and 
he  then  read  law  under  the  able  preceptorship  of  his  father.  He  was 
duly  admitted  to  the  bar  and  for  forty  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Owosso,  Shiawassee  county,  where  he  built  up 
a  large  and  important  practice  and  became  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  that  section  of  the  state.  He  there  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1908,  and  his  loved  and  devoted  wife 
passed  to  the  life  eternal  in  191 1.  Of  their  nine  chiklren  seven  are 
living,  and  Jerome  E.,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  eldest  of  this  number;  Wil- 
liam J.  is  likewise  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar  of  Muskegon, 
where  he  is  associated  in  practice  with  his  elder  brother,  Jerome  E. ; 
Charles  G.  is  engaged  in  the  successful  practice  of  law  in  the  city  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  the  three  brothers-  represent  the  third  generation  of 
the  family  to  be  prominent  in  the  legal  profession  in  ^lichigan.  Jerome 
\\\  Turner,  the  honored  father,  was  an  influential  figure  in  public  affairs 
in  Shiawassee  county  and  he  served  with  characteristic  ability  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate.  He  was  a  stalwart  Republican  in  his  political 
allegiance,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  but  as  the  same  had  no  organization  in  Owosso  they  attended 
and  supported  the  Congregational  church  in  that  city,  where  their  names 
and  memories  are  held  in  lasting  honor  by  all  who  knew  them.  Mr. 
Turner  was  a  valiant  soldier  of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  Michigan  regiment,  and,  in  later  years,  he  was  an  influential 
and  valued  member  of  the  ^Michigan  department  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  in  the  aft'airs  of  which  he  took  a  lively  interest. 

Jerome  E.  Turner  gained  his  early  educational  discipline  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Owosso  and  Corunna,  Shiawassee  county,  the  later  town 
being  the  judicial  center  of  the  county.  After  his  school  days  he  made 
a  trip  through  the  west,  and  upon  his  return  to  Michigan  he  located  in 
the  city  of  Detroit,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  Mabley  &  Connelly.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  native 
state  on  the  226  of  December,  1881,  one  week  prior  to  his  twenty-third 
birthflay  anniversary,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  his  success 
and  precedence  represent  the  results  of  close  application,  broad  and 
exact  knowledge  of  the  science  of  jurisprudence,  in\iolable  integrity  of 
purpose,  and  the  unequivocal  tenure  of  popular  confidence  and  esteem. 
For  nine  years  he  was  associated  in  practice  with  his  honored  father, 
at  Owosso  and  Corunna,  and  he  then,  in  1890,  removed  to  Muskegon, 
which  city  has  since  been  the  stage  of  his  professional  activities,  which 
have  involved  his  interposition  in  many  of  the  important  litigations  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  his  practice  extending  into  the  [Michigan  supreme 
court  as  well  as  into  the  federal  courts  in  the  state  and  the  United 
States  supreme  court.  Mr.  Turner  is  forceful  and  versatile  as  a  trial 
lawyer,  has  won  many  decisive  forensic  victories,  and  is  also  known  as 
a  well  fortified  and  duly  conservative  counselor.  In  the  practice  of  his 
profession  he  is  associated  with  his  two  younger  brothers,  Charles  G. 
and  W'illard  J.,  who  are  most  able  and  valued  coadjutors. 

The  firm  composed  of  the  three  brothers  is  known  as  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  successful  law  firms  in  western  Michigan,  and  its 
members  are  well  upholding  the  high  prestige  of  the  family  name. 

In  politics  Mr.  Turner  has  been  found  arrayed  as  a  staunch  and 
effective  exponent  of   the  cause   of   the   Republican   party.     He   served 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2209 

as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of  Muskegon  county  in  1891-92  and 
is  now  city  attorney  of  Muskegon  Heights,  a  beautiful  little  city  that 
is  one  of  the  fine  suburban  residence  districts  of  the  county  and  one 
in  which  he  maintains  his  residence,  his  office  headquarters  being  in 
the  city  of  Muskegon,  the  judicial  center 'and  metropolis  of  the  county. 
In  1905  Mr.  Turner  was  elected  representative  of  Muskegon  county  in 
the  state  legislature,  in  which  he  served  one  term  and  in  which  he  proved 
a  valued  working  member  of  the  house,  with  progressive  ideas  and  pol- 
icies and  with  distinctive  influence  in  the  councils  of  the  various  com- 
mittees to  which  he  was  assigned,  including  the  judiciary  committee. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Michigan  State  Bar  Association  and  the  Muske- 
gon County  Bar  Association ;  is  afliliated  with  Muskegon  Lodge,  No.  276, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  which  he  has  served  as 
lecturing  knight ;  and  both  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  191 1,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Turner  to  Miss  Bessie  Perry,  of  Charleston,  West  Virginia,  in 
which  state  she  was  born  and  reared.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Colonel  John  T.  S.  Perry,  who  served  with  distinction  as  an  officer  of 
the  Confederacy  in  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  was  for  some  time  a  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  General  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  and  who  was  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  distinguished  newspaper  men  of  West  Virginia  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  on  the  8th  of  July,  191 3.  Mrs.  Turner  is  a 
woman  of  most  gracious  personality  and  has  proved  a  popular  acquisi- 
tion to  the  representative  social  circles  of  Muskegon. 

James  Schriver,  City  Clerk  of  the  City  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan, 
was  elected  to  his  present  position  in  1909  and  is  now  serving  his  third 
term.  He  has  introduced  into  his  department  several  practical  methods 
in  keeping  track  of  the  large  volume  of  records  filed  in  his  office.  Al- 
though he  entered  the  political  field  but  ten  years  ago,  he  is  already 
accounted  one  of  the  most  influential  factors  in  the  public  and  official 
afTairs  of  the  city,  and  his  record  has  always  been  that  of  an  earnest 
and  conscientious  public  servant.  His  career  is  distinctively  that  of  a 
self-made  man,  for  in  his  boyhood  he  was  denied  the  privileges  of  more 
than  an  elementary  educational  training,  and  the  position  that  he  has 
attained  has  come  purely  by  reason  of  his  own  persistent  and  well-applied 
effort. 

His  parents,  Cornelius  and  Nellie  (Van  Halteren)  .Schriver,  were 
natives  of  the  Netherlands  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1867 
and  came  direct  to  Grand  Rapids,  where  James  was  born  three  years 
later.  He  began  attending  school  at  the  age  of  five  years  and  started  to 
work  in  a  furniture  factory  when  quite  young.  He  soon  secured  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Bissell  Carpet  Sweeper  Company,  which  was  then  in  its 
infancy,  employing  about  fifty  persons  and  which  has  since  grown  to  be 
one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  institutions  in  the  city,  as  errand  boy. 
While  so  employed  he  came  in  daily  contact  with  Mr.  Maurice  Shanahan, 
who  at  that  time  had  charge  of  the  office  as  well  as  looking  after  other 
afTairs  in  which  Mr.  M.  R.  Bissell  was  interested.  Mr.  Shanahan  took 
a  great  interest  in  the  lad  and  soon  found  that  he  was  eager  to  learn,  and 
attended  to  his  duties  in  an  honest  and  faithful  manner,  and  was  always 
bright,  cheerful  and  energetic.  Air.  Shanahan  became  so  attached  to  the 
boy  that  he  oft'ered  him  a  position  as  a  chore  boy  on  his  own  premises, 
where  his  duties  were  doing  the  chores  about  the  house  and  taking  care 
of  his  driving  horse.  Here  James  again  showed  his  training  and  was 
permitted  all  the  privileges  of  the  home ;  in  fact,  was  almost  considered 
a  member  of  the  family.     His  place  at  the  table  was  at  the  right  of  his 


2210  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

employer  and  his  evenings  were  spent  in  the  family  circle.  He  also  had 
access  to  Mr.  Shanahan's  library,  which  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city, 
and  in  driving  to  and  from  the  office  and  at  home  his  employer  gave  the 
boy  a  great  deal  of  instruction  and  information  which  to  this  day  is  ap- 
preciated and  is  very  helpful  to  him ;  in  fact  it  was  the  beginning  of  a 
different  career,  although  success  did  not  come  until  several  years  later. 
He  also  attended  school  part  of  the  time  while  so  employed.  After 
leaving  Mr.  Shanahan's  employ,  which  was  under  pleasant  circumstances, 
although  regretted  by  both  James  and  the  Shanahan  family,  and  was 
simply  because  James  could  earn  more  money  by  being  employed  in  the 
factory  and  thereby  give  greater  aid  to  his  parents  and  family,  as  his 
father  was  not  possessed  of  much  of  this  world's  goods,  Mr.  Shanahan 
again  secured  for  him  a  position  in  the  Bissell  factory,  which  by  that 
time  had  grown  extensively,  and  he  studied  nights  and  in  spare  time 
until  he  secured  a  comprehensive  education  in  spite  of  being  denied  the 
benefits  of  the  public  school  excepting  in  the  elementary  grades.  After 
working  for  the  Bissell  Company  several  years  he  secured  a  position 
with  the  Oriel  Cabinet  Company  and  later  with  the  Nelson  Matter  Furni- 
ture Company,  where  he  continued  to  work  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
and  thereafter  securing  employment  with  the  Phoenix  Furniture  Com- 
pany. In  1900  the  company  gave  him  a  leave  of  absence  for  the  purpose 
of  allowing  him  to  recei\e  the  appointment  as  a  Special  Agent  of  the 
United  States  Census  Bureau,  of  which  there  were  six  for  Grand  Rapids, 
whose  duty  was  to  secure  manufacturing  statistics,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  its  employ,  and  during  all  the  time  of  his  employment  in  the 
furniture  factories  he  helped  to  build  some  of  the  finest  furniture  made 
and  always  held  the  best  of  mechanical  positions. 

He  entered  politics  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  and  was  first  elected  Clerk 
of  Justice  Courts  in  1903  on  the  city  ballot.  In  ujoy  he  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  in  1909  was  elected  as  City  Clerk 
and  has  since  been  re-elected  twice  by  increased  majorities,  twice  lead- 
ing the  ticket.  He  is  known  as  a  fearless  public  official  who  stands  for 
human  rights  in  public  affairs,  and  has  taken  part  in  all  public  matters  in 
an  open  and  frank  manner.  Coming  from  the  ranks  his  sympathies  are 
largely  with  the  common  people,  although  he  is  broad  enough  to  see  the 
other  side  of  the  question,  and  if  the  past  is  any  criterion  of  the  future  ' 
it  is  fairly  safe  to  predict  that  still  further  honors  await  him. 

On  October  16,  1900,  James  Schriver  was  married  to  .\ugusta  E. 
Hoppie,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  and  to  this  union  three  children  were 
born — Nellie  C,  Hazel  H.  and  William  A.  Schriver.  All  are  still  at  home 
with  their  jiarents  and  William  is  still  in  the  High  School  and  is  a  general 
favorite  among  his  classmates  and  teachers.  Mr.  Schriver  is  a  luember 
of  several  fraternal  orders  and  was  until  elected  City  Clerk  very  active 
therein.  He,  however,  resigned  various  offices  which  he  held  so  that  he 
might  devote  all  his  time  and  energies  in  the  service  of  the  people. 

Cii.\RLES  Henry  Patterson.  Distinguished  not  only  as  one  of  the 
leading  druggists  of  Jackson,  but  as  one  of  the  more  prominent  and 
active  members  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Charles  Henry  Patterson  is 
eminently  worthy  of  special  mention  in  a  work  of  this  character.  Upon 
him  has  l)cen  conferred  the  highest  honors  of  Masonry,  of  both  the 
York  and  the  Scottish  rites,  and  he  has  now,  in  1914,  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  man  in  Jackson  who  has  received  the  thirty-third  degree 
of  Masonry,  an  honor  all  the  more  noteworthy  when  we  consider  that 
there  are  fewer  than  one  hundred  men  in  the  entire  state  of  Alichigan 
who  have  been  thus  honored.  A  son  of  Charles  G.  and  Eliza  (Guy) 
Patterson,  he  was  born  at  Saint  Johns.  Clinton  county,  Michigan,  De- 
cember 28,  1873,  and  was  there  brought  up  and  educated. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2211 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Saint  Johns  High  School,  in  1894, 
Charles  Henry  Patterson  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  in 
that  place,  and  since  that  time  has  been  continually  identified  with  the 
drug  business  either  as  a  clerk  or  as  proprietor  of  a  drug  establishment 
of  his  own.  While  clerking  he  was  employed  in  Saint  Johns,  Otsego 
and  Charlotte  before  coming  to  Jackson,  in  these  different  places  gain- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  business.  Coming  to 
Jackson  in  1896,  Mr.  Patterson  entered  the  employ  of  the  Brooks  Drug 
Company  as  a  clerk,  the  store  being  located  at  No.  428  East  Main  street. 
The  following  year  he  purchased  the  stock  and  fixtures  of  his  employers, 
becoming  successor  of  the  Brooks  Drug  Company,  and  has  since  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  ani  remunerative  business  under  the  name  of 
Patterson's  Drug  Store.  He  is  widely  and  favorably  known  among  the 
leading  druggists  of  the  county  and  the  state,  being  a  member,  and  treas- 
urer, of  the  Jackson  County  Retail  Druggists'  Association,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Michigan  State   Pharmaceutical  Association. 

In  August.  1897,  Mr.  Patterson  was  made  a  member  of  Jackson 
Lodge,  No.  17,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Order  of  ]\Iasons,  and  since 
that  time  has  taken  the  chapter,  council  and  commandery  degrees  in 
Jackson,  and  all  of  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees  up  to  the  thirty-second 
degree  in  Detroit,  where  that  degree  was  conferred  upon  him  March 
29,  1906,  his  class  taking  the  name  of  the  William  McKinley  Class  in 
honor  of  the  lamented  martyred  president.  Mr.  Patterson  was  honored 
with  the  thirty-third  degree  of  Masonry  on  September  19,  191 1,  at 
Saratoga  Springs,  New  York,  as  a  reward  for  his  faithfulness  and  serv- 
ices to  the  Order.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  an  organization  in  which  he  takes 
much  interest.  He  has  served  in  various  capacities,  being  past  master, 
past  high  priest,  past  thrice  illustrious  master,  past  commander,  past 
grand  master  of  the  Grand  Council  of  Michigan,  and  at  the  present 
time,  1914,  is  grand  junior  warden  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  the 
Knights  Templar  of  Michigan. 

On  February  2,  1898,  Mr.  Patterson  married  Miss  Bertha  Lyon,  of 
Saint  Johns,  Michigan. 

Henry  G.  Tremblev.  No  history  of  the  representative  men  of  Flint, 
Michigan,  would  be  complete  were  not  extended  mention  made  of  Henry 
G.  Trembley,  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Standard  Rule 
Company,  and  a  man  whose  career  has  ever  been  one  in  which  busi- 
ness activity  has  been  blended  with  unbending  honor  and  unflinching 
integrity.  Success  has  come  to  him  as  a  result  of  his  own  labors,  for 
he  commenced  his  career  as  a  poor  boy  and  through  indefatigable  en- 
ergy has  worked  his  way  to  a  position  where  he  may  claim  the  proud 
American  title  of  self-made  man.  Mr.  Trembley  was  born  at  Utica, 
New  York,  February  6,  1882,  and  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Emma 
(Davis)  Trembley,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of 
Devonshire,  England.  His  mother  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  when  she  was  but  six  years  of  age,  and  was  reared,  educated 
and  married  in  New  York.  She  died  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  forty-five 
years.  The  father,  who  is  an  artist  of  some  note,  is  still  engaged  in 
interior  decorating  and  designing,  and  is  a  resident  of  Albany,  New 
York,  being  sixty-two  years  of  age.  Si.x  children  were  born  to  William 
H.  and  Emma  Trembley,  of  whom  Henrv'  G.  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth. 

Henry  G.  Trembley  secured  his  education  in  the  graded  and  high 
schools  of  LTtica,  New  York,  showed  himself  a  bright  and  eager  stu- 
dent, and  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  An  industrious  and  ener- 
getic youth,  he  was  anxious  to  enter  upon  a  career  of  his  own,  and  upon 


2212  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

his  graduation  from  high  school  entered  into  an  apprenticeship  under 
his  father,  thus  learning  art  decorating.  He  continued  with  his  father 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  electrical  work,  and  eventually  worked  his  way  up  to  the 
superintendency  of  the  Johnston-Morton  Company,  electrical  manufac- 
turers, of  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  continued  with  this  firm  for  five  years,  and 
then  went  to  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  became  associated  with 
the  Crescent  Electrical  Manlifacturing  Company,  where  he  remained 
as  superintendent  for  two  years.  Succeeding  this  he  was  connected 
with  the  General  Electric  Company,  at  Schenectady,  New  York,  where 
he  spent  six  months  in  switchboard  work,  and  then  identified  himself 
with  the  Weston-Mott  Company,  of  Utica,  New  York,  remaining  four 
months.  Mr.  Trembley  was  transferred  from  Utica  to  Flint  in  1906 
to  install  a  stock  record  system  in  the  new  factory,  and  continued  with 
the  Weston-Mott  Company  in  a  production  capacity  until  June,  1913, 
when  he  was  offered  the  position  of  factory  manager  of  the  Standard 
Rule  Company,  a  position  which  he  accepted.  One  month  later  his  new 
employers  made  recognition  of  his  ability  by  making  him  general  man- 
ager of  the  company.  A  man  of  judgment  in  business  matters,  shrewd 
and  far-seeing,  and  an  excellent  mechanic,  he  has  directed  the  affairs 
of  this  concern  in  an  able  manner,  while  his  pleasant  personality  has 
gained  the  friendship  of  the  forty  mechanics  under  his  control.  Since 
coming  to  this  city,  he  has  made  numerous  friends  in  all  circles  of  ac- 
tivity, and  few  men  are  held  in  higher  regard.  He  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  been  too  busy  to  seek  or  care  for  public  office.  His  fraternal 
connection  is  with  the  ]\Iasons,  and  his  religious  belief  is  that  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

On  June  23,  1905,  Mr.  Trembley  was  married  at  Gilbertsville.  New 
York,  to  Miss  Bertha  A.  Bushnell,  daughter  of  Charles  F.  and  Huldah 
(Janet)  Bushnell,  residents  of  Gilbertsville,  New  York,  and  to  this 
union  there  has  been  born  one  daughter,  Huldah  Janet,  born  in  1906, 
in  Rochester.  New  York,  and  now  attending  the  public  schools  of  Flint, 
and  one  son,  Marion  Bushnell,  born  August  28,  19 14,  in  Flint. 

Thom.'vs  Cr.an.\ge.  In  the  late  Thomas  Cranage,  who  died  March  5, 
191 1,  Michigan  had  one  of  its  great  business  organizers  and  executives. 
Upwards  of  fifty  years  he  was  identified  by  residence  with  Bay  City, 
where  most  of  his  interests  centered,  but  the  scope  of  his  activity  was 
too  wide  to  be  confined  to  one  locality.  Mr.  Cranage  should  be  best 
remembered,  perhaps,  for  his  courage  and  far-sighted  judgment  in  help- 
ing to  introduce  beet-sugar  manufacture  into  Michigan.  That  is  now 
one  of  the  state's  best  sources  of  wealth,  and  comparatively  few  realize 
that  its  establishment  was  due  to  the  forehanded  enterprise  of  a  little 
group  of  Bay  City  capitalists,  who  some  fifteen  years  ago  ventured  money 
and  reputation  on  a  project  that  had  never  before  been  successfully  tried 
in  the  United  States  outside  of  California.  The  qualities  of  business 
prescience  displayed  in  this  instance  were  characteristic  of  Thomas  Cran- 
age in  his  entire  career.  His  business  was  not  his  sole  monument,  for  he 
exercised  a  practical  helpfulness  in  many  ways  to  promote  Bay  City's 
civic  riches  and  institutions. 

Thomas  Cranage  was  born  in  Shropshire,  England,  July  21,  1833,  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Hill)  Cranage.  His  father  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, September  15,  1804,  and  the  mother  at  Ludlow,  August  17,  1798, 
and  they  were  married  June  21,  1827.  The  father  died  at  Detroit,  Mich- 
igan, April  20,  1886,  and  the  mother  passed  away  in  the  same  city  July 
4,  1873.  In  1835  the  family  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel  which  after 
several  weeks  landed  them  in  New  York,  and  in  April  of  that  year  they 


9tz^, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2213 

reached  Cleveland,  Ohio.  They  lived  at  Cleveland,  subsequently  at 
Warren,  and  later  at  Princeton,  Ohio,  and  in  September,  1845,  moved  to 
Detroit. 

Thomas  Cranage  thus  spent  his  early  boyhood  chiefly  in  Ohio,  and 
finished  his  education  in  Detroit.  At  Detroit  his  father  was  a  well  known 
speculator  in  real  estate,  a  builder  of  residence  property,  and  many  of  the 
old  business  structures  of  that  city  were  erected  by  him.  After  com- 
pleting- his  studies  the  son  had  his  first  experience  as  clerk  in  a  wholesale 
drug  house  for  Theodore  Eaton.  Later  he  became  confidential  man  for 
Air.  Eaton  and  managed  that  business  for  several  years.  In  1863  Mr. 
Cranage  became  associated  with  the  late  Samuel  Pitts  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  moved  to  Bay  City,  as  one  of  the  active  men  in  the  lumber 
and  manufacturing  interests  conducted  under  the  Pitts  name.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Samuel  Pitts  &  Company,  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Pitts,  when  the  business  became  that  of  Pitts  &  Cranage.  From  Bay  City 
Mr.  Cranage  conducted  many  lines  of  industry.  Samuel  Pitts  had  bought 
a  milling  property  at  Bay  City  in  1858,  and  the  lumber  business  grew  from 
a  plant  manufacturing  a  few  million  feet  to  one  with  an  annual  output  of 
many  millions.  Besides  the  large  lumber  mills  and  salt  plant,  the  industry 
comprised  a  planing  mill,  many  thousand  feet  of  river  frontage  and  docks, 
and  all  the  equipment  and  organization  that  Tfv^ept  with  this  industry  in 
the  early  years.  '.  '  '"-    ''■';.. 

Many  years  ago  Thomas  Cranage  becameJone  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Bay  County  Savings  Bank,  and  after  the  death  of  its  president,  Alex- 
ander Folsom,  consented  to  take  the  position  of  president,  which  he  held 
until  his  death.  For  many  years  he  was  director  and  treasurer  and 
president  of  the  Michigan  Salt  Association; -1  •  ^    ^  .'• 

In  1897  Thomas  Cranage  was  one  of  a  committee,  the  other  members 
of  which  were  E.  Y.  Williams  and  M.  Garland,  appointed  to  investigate 
the  beet-sugar  industry  of  the  west,  with  a  view  to  its  introduction  into 
Michigan.  The  committee  after  completing  their  work  made  a  very 
favorable  report,  advocating  the  establishment  of  a  sugar  factory  and  a 
systematic  education  of  the  farmers  in  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar  beet. 
That  was  the  first  step  taken  in  creating  the  now  great  Michigan  sugar 
industry.  The  report  of  the  committee  was  only  a  preliminary,  and 
nothing  might  ever  have  come  of  it  except  for  the  persistent  energy  of 
the  few  men,  including  Mr.  Cranage,  who  were  bent  upon  realizing  the 
possibilities  of  the  undertaking.  It  proved  a  very  different  matter  to 
interest  capital  sufficient  for  the  erection  of  a  factory.  Men  with  money 
were  naturally  slow  in  venturing  it  upon  so  wide  a  departure  from 
established  industries,  and  Mr.  Cranage  was  the  first  to  subscribe  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  for  the  construction  of  a  plant.  Other  members 
of  the  committee  did  likewise,  but  as  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  were 
needed  to  finance  the  project  it  was  for  some  tmie  on  the  point  of  failing 
altogether.  Finally,  however,  the  necessary  amount  was  subscribed,  a 
plant  erected,  and  the  experiment  proved  successful.  With  this  example 
another  company  was  formed,  and  other  factories  erected  by  other  organ- 
ized concerns,  and  the  competition  became  so  keen  that  it  very  nearly 
proved  disastrous  to  the  entire  group  of  sugar  companies,  since  there 
were  not  enough  beets  raised  in  the  state  to  sup])ly  the  plants.  For  a 
number  of  years  Mr.  Cranage  was  a  guiding  spirit  in  the  Michigan  beet- 
sugar  industry.  He  served  as  president  of  the  Michigan  Sugar  Com- 
pany, and  also  organized  the  Iowa  Sugar  Company  and  also  built  a  fac- 
tory in  the  state  of  Iowa. 

Besides  his  presidency  of  the  Bay  County  Savings  Bank  from  May, 
1889,  Thomas  Cranage  was  vice-president,  from  1890  until  resigning 
January  30,  1900,  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bay  City,  was  managing 


2214  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

partner  of  the  Pitts  &  Cranage  Lumber  Company,  president  of  the  Cran- 
age Steamship  Company,  owning  three  of  the  largest  steamers  on  the 
great  lakes,  was  president  of  the  McGraw  Transportation  Company, 
president  of  the  Croxton  Steamship  Company,  a  director  in  the  Shearer 
Brothers  Office  Building  Company,  and  not  only  in  Bay  City,  but  in  the 
state  at  large,  his  name  and  influence  were  long  preeminent  in  financial 
and  industrial  affairs. 

Although  h's  inclinations  were  not  such  as  to  give  him  prominence  in 
political  life,  Mr.  Cranage  gave  much  public  spirited  and  valuable  service 
to  his  city  and  state.  He  was  a  Republican,  but  never  accepted  any 
of  the  honors  of  practical  politics.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Bay 
City  Library,  acting  on  its  board  for  a  number  of  years,  and  served  on 
the  board  of  water  commissioners,  and  the  board  of  education.  While 
his  life  was  one  of  profound  activity  in  practical  aft'airs,  he  was  devoted 
to  matters  of  intellectual  interest,  and  during  his  leisure  could  usually 
be  found  in  his  fine  private  library,  and  had  a  broad  information  much 
beyond  the  scope  of  the  average  man.  The  late  Mr.  Cranage  stood  high 
in  Masonic  circles.  He  joined  the  order  at  Detroit,  in  1859,  and  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  Bay  City  Lodge.  He  took  thirty-two  degrees 
of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  and  his  family  worshipped  in  the  Episcopal 
church,  and  he  was  for  over  forty  years  warden  of  Trinity  parish,  and 
served  on  the  building  committee,  and  was  a  liberal  contractor  toward 
the  erection  of  the  beautiful  church  edifice. 

Thomas  Cranage  was  marriecl  at  Detroit,  October  20,  1863,  to  Miss 
Julia  Pitts,  daughter  of  Samuel  Pitts,  who  was  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful men  in  Michigan's  lumber  industry  and  business  alifairs,  and  Mr. 
Cranage  was  associated  with  him  in  all  enterprises.  The  three  children 
of  Thomas  Cranage  and  wife  were :  Sarah  Pitts  Cranage,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1864,  died  at  Bay  City  in  1875.  Mrs.  Mary  Cranage  Tupper,  born 
at  Bay  City,  July  27,  1867,  and  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Tupper,  a  well  known 
physician  of  Bay  City,  has  one  child,  Thomas  Cranage  Tupper.  Samuel 
Pitts  Cranage,  who  was  born  in  Bay  City  September  26,  1865,  graduated 
from  the  Liniversity  of  Michigan,  and  though  educated  for  the  law  has 
given  most  of  his  attention  to  the  business  developed  by  his  father. 

Edwin  Sterner  has  been  a  constant  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  Flint 
for  forty  years.  As  president  of  one  of  the  city's  large  and  flourish- 
ing enterprises  he  has  given  employment  to  many  men  and  has  directed 
their  energies  into  channels  that  have  brought  adequate  rewards  to  them- 
selves, to  their  employers  and  to  the  city  in  which  they  have  lived  and 
labored.  Mr.  Sterner  is  in  every  sense  a  self-made  man.  When  he  arrived 
in  this  city  he  was  possessed  of  little  save  a  knowledge  of  the  tinner's 
trade,  a  persistent  and  energetic  nature  and  a  strong  determination  to  win 
success.  With  these  he  has  brought  himself  to  the  forefront  among  the 
substantial  men  of  his  adopted  community  and  today  is  the  directing  head 
of  a  prosperous  industrv'  in  the  line  of  contracting  in  heating  and  plumb- 
ing, ventilating  and  electrical  wiring  and  general  building  and  repairing. 
Mr.  Sterner  is  a  New  Yorker  by  nativity,  and  was  born  at  Groveland, 
June  I.  1848,  a  son  of  David  and  Catherine  Sterner. 

David  Sterner  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  descent,  and  as 
a  young  man  went  to  New  York,  where  he  followed  farming  for  some 
years,  although  later  in  life  he  spent  quite  an  extended  period  in  the  West. 
He  and  his  wife  had  two  daughters  and  one  son,  all  living,  Edwin  being 
the  oldest  of  the  children.  After  attending  the  country  schools  of  New 
York,  Edwin  Sterner  applied  himself  to  learning  the  tinner's  trade, 
which  he  completed  at  Sturgis,  Michigan,  in  1867.  He  left  that  place  in 
1870  and  went  to  South  Bend,  subsequently  removing  to  Detroit,  in  which 
city  he  assisted  in  the  building  of  the  City  Hall.     On  coming  to  Flint, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2215 

in  1872,  he  secured  a  position  witli  Wood  &  Hubbard,  hardware  mer- 
chants, where  his  fidelity  to  duty,  his  energy  and  his  abihty  soon  won 
him  a  partnership  in  the  firm.  This  association  continued  for  six  years, 
when  it  was  dissolved,  but  Mr.  Sterner  continued  in  the  business  alone, 
and  this  furnished  the  nucleus  for  the  present  large  establishment.  He 
first  located  at  No.  414  Buckham  street,  but  as  the  years  passed  and  the 
business  grew,  he  was  forced  to  enlarge  his  quarters  from  time  to  time 
until  the  store  has  extended  to  include  No.  422,  occupying  a  property 
with  a  front  of  107  feet,  and  sixty-six  feet  in  depth,  with  a  substantial 
brick  building,  four  stories  in  height.  In  1901  Mr.  Sterner  organized  a 
stock  company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $30,000,  taking  into  the  business 
five  of  his  old-time  reliable  employes,  who  are  still  devoting  their  best 
energies  to  advancing  its  growth  and  prosperity.  At  this  time  the  concern 
is  doing  $140,000  worth  of  business  annually,  and  this  is  increasing  in 
volume  with  the  growth  of  the  city.  A  man  of  sterling  integrity,  held 
in  the  highest  confidence  by  all  who  have  had  transactions  with  him, 
Mr.  Sterner  is  worthy  of  being  classed  among  the  city's  most  repre- 
sentative men.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia,  and 
in  numerous  ways  he  has  demonstrated  his  public  spirit  and  patriotism. 
In  politics  a  Democrat,  he  has  ever  worked  faithfully  for  the  best  interests 
of  his  party,  and,  although  not  an  office  seeker,  is  considered  one  of  the 
organizations'  influential  men  in  the  city.  He  has  been  president  of  the 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners  for  the  past  six  years.  His  fraternal  con- 
nection is  with  the  Masons,  in  which  he  is  a  member  of  the  Consistory 
at  Detroit  and  has  attained  to  the  thirty-second  degree.  With  his  family 
he  attends  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  January  24,  1874,  Mr.  Sterner  was  married  at  Groveland,  New 
York,  to  Miss  Lottie  Bean,  to  whom  a  good  share  of  credit  should  be  given 
for  any  success  and  a  life  worth  living.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Bean,  for  a  long  period  a  farmer  of  that  place  and  who  has  been  dead 
for  several  years.  Two  sons  and  one  daughter  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  but  Edwin,  Jr.,  is  the  only  one  living.  He  is  associated  with  his 
father  as  a  partner  in  business.  The  family  home,  a  modern  residence,  is 
situated  at  No.  8ofi  Grand  Travis  street. 

Dr.  Albert  B.  Green.  One  of  the  skilled  members  of  the  dental 
profession  in  Jackson  is  Dr.  Albert  B.  Green,  who,  though  only  a 
resident  of  this  city  since  1910,  has  already  established  himself  firmly  in 
his  profession  here  and  has  a  generous  clientele  in  the  community. 
Twelve  years  previous  to  his  coming  to  Jackson  he  was  located  in  Stock- 
bridge,  Michigan,  and  there,  too,  did  he  prosper  in  his  profession  and 
gain  a  place  in  popular  confidence  and  esteem  of  which  he  was  in  every 
way  worthy. 

Dr.  Green  was  born  at  Howell,  Livingston  county,  Michigan,  on  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1871,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Albert  E.  and  Florialla  (Fargo)  Green. 
The  father,  a  merchant  in  former  years,  is  now  retired  and  has  his  resi- 
dence at  Pinckney,  Michigan.  He  is  now  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his 
life,  and  his  faithful  wife  is  eighty-three.  The  parents  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding  anniversary  in  1900  and  their  sixtieth  anniversary  in 
19 10.  They  reared  a  fine  family,  of  which  Dr.  Green  of  this  review  is 
the  youngest  of  their  seven  living  children. 

Dr.  Green  had  his  early  educational  training  in  the  schools  of  Pinck- 
ney, Michigan,  where  the  family  resided  for  years.  He  had  his  profes- 
sional training  in  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  Illinois, 
where  he  spent  a  year,  and  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he 
gave  two  years  to  his  studies.  He  was  graduated  from  the  latter  insti- 
tution in  the  year  1897,  receiving  his  dental  degree  at  that  time.  Upon 
his  graduation  Dr.  Green  established  himself  in  practice  in  Stockbridge, 
and  there  for  twelve  years  he  was  busily  engaged  in  his  professional 


2216  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

duties.  It  was  in  19 lo  that  he  withdrew  from  his  labors  there  and  set- 
tled in  Jackson,  where  he  might  draw  up  on  a  wider  field,  and  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  he  had  already  experienced  a  splendid  success  in 
his  work  in  this  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Jackson  Dental  Society, 
and  fraternally  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons.  Beyond  that  he  has  no 
other  fraternal  connections. 

Dr.  Green  was  married  on  December  i,  1897,  to  Miss  Xellie  W'illmon, 
of  Stockbridge,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children :  Helen  F.,  born 
May  22,  1899,  and  .Albert  C.,  born  November  26,  1901. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Green  are  prominent  socially  in  Jackson,  and  brief 
though  their  residence  has  been,  they  have  a  wide  circle  of  stanch  friends 
in  and  about  the  city.  They  have  added  something  of  value  to  the 
citizenship  of  the  community,  and  are  held  as  valua^ble  acquisitions  to 
the  city. 

John  C.  Donnelly  was  born  at  Plympton,  in  the  Province  of  Ontario, 
November  27,  1851,  a  son  of  William  and  Eleanor  (Boulgerl  Donnelly. 
His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of 
Ontario.  He  afterwards  attended  the  University  of  Michigan  ( 1871-72), 
graduating  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Since  1873  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  active  practice  of  the  law  in  the  city  of  Detroit. 

On  October  i,  1873.  he  became  associated  in  practice  with  the  late 
Michael  Brennan,  forming  the  law  firm  of  Brennan  &  Donnellv,  which, 
up  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Brennan's  death  in  1905,  was  one  of  the  oklest  law- 
firms  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Donnelly  is  now  the'  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Donnelly.  Lyster,  Brennan  &  Munro.  Throughout  his  professional 
career  he  has  had  a  large  and  important  practice,  and  has  appeared  in 
many  cases  of  note  in  the  State  and  Federal  courts.  He  is  general  counsel 
for  the  Detroit  United  Railway,  in  which  corporation  he  is  also  a  director. 
He  is  also  counsel  and  director  of  the  Peninsular  State  Bank. 

Mr.  Donnelly  was  a  member  of  the  Michigan  House  of  Representa- 
tives from  Detroit,  during  the  session  of  1878-79.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  served  for  a  considerable  time  in  the  Michigan  National 
Guard,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain. 

On  September  i,  1875,  he  married  Miss  Anna  Minton  of  Alpena, 
Michigan.  He  has  four  children:  Edward  Donnelly  (A.  B.  1901,  Yale; 
LL.  B.  1904,  Mich.)  ;  \\"illiam  M.  Donnelly  [A.  B.  1909,  Yale;  LL.  B. 
191 1,  Mich.).  Both  his  sons  are  associated  with  him  in  the  practice  of 
law.  His  two  daughters  are  Laura  M.  Donnelly  and  Anne  M.  Donnelly. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic'church. 

Mr.  Donnelly  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  .Assofciation,  the  Mich- 
igan State  Bar  Association,  and  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  city  of 
Detroit,  of  which  latter  association  he  was  president  for  two  terms.  Mr. 
Donnelly  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Detroit  Club, 
the  Yondotega  Club,  the  Country  Club,  the  Universitv  Club  and  the 
Bloomfield  Hills  Country  Club.  'His  residence  is  at  Bloomfield  Hills, 
Oakland  county. 

Ch.\rles  \\'.  B.XTES.  The  business  record,  of  Charles  W.  Bates 
includes  farming,  lumbering,  hotel  keeping,  and  his  present  extensive 
operations  as  a  real  estate  man  at  Flint.  As  his  father  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  who  initiated  the  lumbering  operations  of  northeastern  Mich- 
igan, the  son  has  shown  a  similar  quality  of  enterprise  in  his  various 
undertakings,  and  has  seldom  failed  to  carry  out  with  unqualified  suc- 
cess every  plan  or  project  which  he  has  seriously  entertained. 

Born  at  Saginaw,  March  18,  1859,  Mr.  Bates  is  a  son  of  Albert  J. 
Bates,  who  was  born  in  Genesee  county.  New  York,  in  1826,  and  came 
to  Michigan  about  1850.  The  distinction  belongs  to  him  of  having  driven 
the  first  pile  in  the  Saginaw  River,  and  in  subsequent  years  he  was  one 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2217 

of  the  very  successful  lumbermen  not  only  along  the  Saginaw,  but  up 
and  down  the  Cass  and  Flint  rivers.  He  is  now  living  retired  at  Sag- 
inaw, well  upwards  of  ninety  years  of  age.  Particularly  in  the  early  days 
he  took  a  prominent  part  in  public  aitairs,  he  built  the  first  schoolhouse 
and  hired  the  first  school  teacher  ni  Bridgeport  township  of  Saginaw 
county,  and  showed  a  similar  public  spirit  in  connection  with  every  move- 
ment for  the  improvement  of  his  locality.  For  a  number  of  years  he  con- 
ducted a  large  farm  out  of  Saginaw  city,  and  that  estate  is  still  owned 
in  the  family.  A  part  of  the  heavy  woods  which  once  covered  the  lands 
was  cleared  by  the  Flint  real  estate  man  above  named.  Albert  J.  Bates 
is  a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  family  came 
originally  from  England,  ha\ing  been  founded  at  an  early  date  in  this 
country,  by  great-great-grandfather  Joseph  Bates.  Albert  J.  Bates  mar- 
ried Katherine  Goodrich,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  was  of  an  old 
New  York  stock.  Her  father,  x^aron  Goodrich,  settled  in  Genesee  county 
at  an  early  day  and  the  village  of  Goodrich  was  named  in  his  honor. 
He  was  a  man  of  much  prominence  in  politics,  and  in  civic  matters,  and 
during  the  forties  received  appointment  as  minister  to  a  foreign  country. 
He  was  one  of  the  stanch  adherents  of  the  Democratic  party  in  those 
days.  Mrs.  Albert  J.  Bates  died  in  1901  at  Saginaw,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years.     Her  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  are  all  living. 

Charles  W.  Bates,  the  oldest  son,  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
country  schools  in  Bridgeport  township  of  Saginaw  county.  Between 
the  age  of  sixteen  and  twenty-three  he  lived  on  the  home  farm,  and  it 
was  during  that  time  that  he  applied  his  labors  to  the  clearing  off  of  a 
portion  of  the  farm.  At  twenty-three  he  began  his  independent  career 
m  the  vocations  of  lumbering  and  farming.  His  limiber  operations  were 
conducted  in  Oakland  county,  and  also  in  northern  Michigan.  Two 
years  were  spent  very  prosperously  in  that  industry.  He  then  engaged 
in  farming  on  the  Albert  J.  Bates  estate  in  Atlas  township  of  Genesee 
county,  and  continued  to  farm  there  for  six  years.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Holly  township,  where  he  was  a  farmer  two  years,  and  then  bought 
and  for  two  years  operated  as  landlord  the  Goodrich  Hotel  at  Goodrich. 
Several  years  following  were  spent  in  prospecting  and  in  various  ven- 
tures on  the  coast  of  Oregon  and  California.  With  this  varied  experience 
behind  him,  Mr.  Bates  returned  to  Mint,  and  opened  an  office  for  the 
handling  of  real  estate.  In  this  line  he  has  become  one  of  the  local 
authorities  on  city  and  country  values,  and  has  manifested  much  enter- 
prise in  promoting  the  substantial  development  of  the  locality.  He  has 
laid  out  a  number  of  subdivisions,  and  has  erected  a  number  of  resi- 
dences in  Flint  and  its  suburbs,  thus  affording  substantial  homes  and 
assisting  many  worthy  people  to  acquire  independence  in  their  means  of 
living. 

Mr.  Bates  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  belongs  to  the  Board  of  Trade, 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  an  energetic  public-spirited  cit- 
izen whose  name  has  often  been  associated  with  practical  charity  in  this 
city.  His  favorite  diversions  are  fishing  and  hunting,  and  he  also  enjoys 
horse  racing,  though  he  has  never  been  known  to  neglect  his  business 
for  the  following  of  his  ]5astimes. 

At  Saginaw,  on  March  22.  1885,  Mr.  Bates  married  Miss  Augusta 
E.  Tesch,  a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany,  who  came  to  America  when 
three  years  of  age.  Her  parents  were  William  and  Anna  Tesch.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bates  have  two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Edwin  L.  Bates,  of 
Flint;  Henry  H.  Bates,  and  Gertrude  L.  Bates.  Their  home  is  at  728 
Cornelia  Street,  and  Mrs.  Bates'  business  office  is  in  the  Fenton  Block. 

T.  Leigiiton  Busm.  a  former  county  clerk  of  Lenawee  county 
and  now  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  coal  business  at  Adrian. 


2218  HISTORY  OF  .AliCHIGAN 

J.  Leighton  Busli  is  a  Michigan  man  by  birth  and  represents  a  family  of 
early  settlers. 

He  is  the  son  of  John  A.  and  Laura  M.  Bush,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Saline  township  in  Washtenaw  county,  and  their  respective 
parents  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  section.  J.  Leighton  Bush 
was  educated  in  the  Clinton  public  schools,  and  when  only  ten  years  of 
age  began  clerking  in  his  father's  grocery  store,  and  in  that  way  got  a 
thorough  business  training  while  also  attending  the  public  schools.  He 
worked  for  his  father  about  twelve  years,  and  then  for  seven  months 
was  employed  as  a  w-eaver  in  the  Clinton  Woolen  Mills.  In  1905  Mr. 
Bush  became  deputy  county  clerk,  and  after  six  years  as  deputy  was 
elected  county  clerk  of  Lenawee  county  and  served  a  term  of  two  years. 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  coal  business, 
having  succeeded  in  the  establishment  formerl}'  owned  by  W.  J\L  Blan- 
chard. 

\It.  Bush  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
is  affiliated  with  Adrian  Lodge  No.  19,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  At  Adrian  on 
October  7,  1909,  he  married  Alice  Louise  Lewis,  daughter  of  Ladd  J.  and 
Alice  M.  Lewis.  She  was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  and  was 
reared  and  educated  near  L'tica,  New  York.  Her  father  is  president  of 
the  Adrian  Knitting  Company,  and  a  prominent  factor  both  in  political 
and  public  affairs.  Air.  and  Airs.  Bush  are  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Alice  Laura  and  James  Richard  Bush. 

Edward  Forsyth.  The  founder  of  the  Cheboygan  Democrat, 
Edward  Forsyth  since  boyhood  has  concentrated  his  ambitions  and  enthu- 
siasm in  the  "fourth  estate."  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Che- 
boygan, has  held  one  or  two  offices,  but  the  real  story  of  his  life  is  told 
in  his  experiences  as  a  printer  and  newspaper  man.  That  record  is 
briefly  and  simply  as  follows : 

Born  in  Flint,  Michigan,  with  a  limited  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  city,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  Edward  Forsyth  suffered  an  illness 
with  what  was  then  called  "spotted  fever,"  and  while  convalescent  became 
obsessed  with  the  idea  that  he  wanted  an  amateur  printing  press.  Such 
presses  were  then  extensively  advertised,  and  thousands  of  boys  all  over 
the  country  had  similar  desires  for  ownership,  but  perhaps  very  few  pur- 
sued their  end  with  such  persistence  as  Edward  Forsyth.  His  father  was 
disposed  to  grant  his  wish,  "but,"  said  he,  "you  must  go  into  a  printing 
office  for  a  short  time  and  learn  how  to  operate  it  so  you  can  do  my 
work,  and  I'll  get  you  a  nice  outfit."  So  he  was  put  into  the  office  of 
the  Flint  Globe,  A.  L.  Aldrich's  paper,  and  his  father  paid  his  wages, 
which  he  did  not  know  for  a  long  time  afterward,  or  he  would  have 
revolted.  Every  day  he  worked  he  became  more  and  more  fascinated, 
and  the  larger  his  ideas  became  as  to  what  kind  of  an  outfit  he  wanted, 
until  they  were  very  great.  After  a  short  time  he  went  to  setting  type 
for  F.  H.  Rankin  on  the  Wolverine  Citizen,  and  then  his  parents  moved 
to  Detroit  and  he  with  them.  In  that  city  he  worked  for  a  temperance 
paper  owned  by  Rev.  Mr.  Russell,  and  not  being  alile  to  collect  pay  for 
three  months'  work  left.  This  is  how  he  came  to  be  a  newspaper  man.  for 
his  folks  being  unable  to  wean  him  from  the  work,  sent  him  to  Marquette, 
where  his  uncle,  W.  I.  Beardsley,  was  half  owner  and  business  man- 
ager of  the  Mining  Journal.  He  spent  many  happy  months  under  that 
veteran  on  the  Minincj  Journal.  Returning  to  Detroit,  he  was  a  year  in 
school  in  Connecticut,  and  then  joined  his  family,  who  had  in  the  mean- 
time moved  to  Bay  City.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  his  father's  hardware 
store,  but  found  little  satisfaction  in  that  occupation.  He  then  began 
sticking  type  again  under  Dan  P.  IMcMullen,  foreman  of  the  Tribune,  and 
was  afterwards  night  editor  and  make-up  foreman  of  the  Daily  Tribune 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2219 

under  George  K.  Shaw,  where  he  spent  several  years.  Mr.  Forsyth 
helped  start  and  was  owner  of  the  Bay  City  Observer,  associated  with 
the  late  lamented  A.  ]\Ici\Iullen,  and  became  owner  of  the  Bay  City  Penny 
Press,  which  he  sold  to  Ed.  Bennet,  of  the  Bay  City  Lumberman,  which 
in  the  course  of  time  has  become  the  Bay  City  Times.  From  Bay  City 
Mr.  Forsyth  went  to  Cheboygan  and  founded  the  Democrat,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  that  prosperous  Northern  Michigan  paper. 

P'olitically  he  has  shown  active  partisanship  for  the  Democratic  inter- 
ests, and  has  advocated  them  both  personally  and  through  his  papers. 
During  Cleveland's  two  terms  he  was  deputy  collector  of  customs  for 
Cheboygan,  serving  altogether  for  seven  years.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  delegate  to  most  of  the  state  conventions.  Mr.  Forsyth  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cheboygan  Lodge  No.  504  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  and  that  is  the  only  fraternity  he  has  ever  joined.  In 
1880  he  married  Miss  Charlotte  Mercer  of  Bay  City.  They  have  no 
living  children. 

Cii.vRLES  Edward  Gauss,  born  Marshall,  Michigan,  March  5,  1874. 
Elected  mayor  of  city  April,  1913;  re-elected  April,  1914  (Democrat). 
Six  years  chairman  of  school  board. 

William  Lee  Jenks.  A  Port  Huron  lawyer  for  the  past  thirty-five 
years,  and  identified  in  many  important  relations  with  commercial  and 
civic  afl:'airs,  William  L.  Jenks  comes  of  a  family  that  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  development  of  St.  Clair  county,  and  which  has  furnished  a 
number  of  names  prominent  in  business,  the  professions  and  in  public 
life. 

William  Lee  Jenks  was  born  in  St.  Clair,  St.  Clair  county,  December 
27,  1856,  a  son  of  Bela  W.  Jenks  and  Sarah  Carleton.  His  father,  who 
was  born  in  Crown  Point,  New  York,  June  6,  1824,  came  to  Michigan  and 
located  at  St.  Clair  in  1848,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  county. 
The  next  to  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  William 
L.  Jenks  grew  up  in  St.  Clair,  attended  the  public  schools,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  high  school  in  1873.  Entering  the  L'niversity  of  Michigan  in 
1874,  he  was  gracluated  from  the  literary  department  in  1878.  In  January, 
1879,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Brown  &  Farrand  at  Port  Huron,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1879.  I'l  1880  Mr.  Jenks  began  practice 
in  partnership  with  his  cousin,  J.  W.  Jenks,  who  for  many  years  occupied 
the  chair  of  political  economy  in  Cornell  LIniversity  and  is  now  connected 
with  New  York  University,  is  a  recognized  authority  on  economics,  has 
served  on  many  commissions  and  enjoyed  many  of  the  distinctions  of 
scholarship  and  is  the  author  of  many  works.  In  1882  after  Professor 
Jenks  left  the  law,  William  L.  Jenks  formed  a  partnership  with  B.  C. 
Farrand  under  the  name  Farrand  &  Jenks.  Some  years  later  he  resigned 
from  this  firm  and  became  associated  with  A.  R.  Avery  and  Lincoln 
Avery,  a  partnership  that  existed  only  a  few  months,  after  which,  in  1891, 
Mr.  Jenks  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Phillips  &  Jenks,  which  has 
been  a  strong  legal  partnership  in  Port  Huron  for  many  years. 

In  1892  Mr.  Jenks  became  interested  in  the  City  Electric  Railway 
of  Port  Huron,  and  subsequently  became  one  of  its  associate  owners  with 
A.  and  F.  J.  Dixon.  During  1899-1900  they  built  the  electric  line  from 
Port  Huron  to  Marine  City,  uniting  it  with  the  Rapid  Railway  System. 
Mr.  Jenks  sold  his  interests  in  1901,  and  the  road  is  now  a  part  of  the 
Detroit  United  Railway.  It  was  a  successful  financial  undertaking,  and 
the  electric  line  did  much  to  open  up  and  improve  the  country  along  its 
route.  Mr.  Jenks  has  also  been  a  director  and  otherwise  financially 
identified  with  some  of  the  most  important  concerns  in  Port  Huron,  and 


2220  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

is  now  a  director  of  the  First  National  Exchange  Bank  and  of  the  Port 
Huron  Engine  and  Thresher  Company. 

Mr.  Jeni<s  was  the  prime  factor  in  securing  an  amendment  to  the 
Port  Huron  city  charter  in  1895  so  as  to  provide  for  a  public  library,  and 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  library  board  for  the  past  twenty  years  and 
active  in  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  that  important  institution,  having  for  a 
number  of  years  been  president  of  the  board.  Mr.  Jenks  has  been  much 
interested  in  local  history,  has  served  as  president  of  the  St.  Clair  Pioneer 
Society,  and  has  also  filled  the  office  of  vice  president  and  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Historians  of  the  Michigan  Pioneer  Historical  Society  and 
is  now  president  of  the  Michigan  Historical  Commission.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  affiliated  with  Port  Huron  Lodge 
No.  57,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  with  the  Knight  Templar  Commandery. 

Air.  Jenks  was  married  August  10,  1881,  to  Margaret  W'illson.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  M.  B.  Willson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenks 
have  one  daughter,  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Carl  Lassen.  There  are  two 
granddaughters,  Margaret  Marie  Lassen  and  Elizabeth  Dagmar  Lassen. 

Ricii.\RD  Detlofi'.  For  a  number  of  years  the  late  Carl  DetlotT  was 
numbered  among  the  prominent  contractors  and  builders,  and  his  pro- 
fession has  been  taken  up  by  some  of  his  sons,  and  the  firm  of  Detloff 
Brothers,  of  which  Richard  Detloff  is  senior  member,  has  since  1900 
handled  some  of  the  largest  carpenter  and  building  contracts  in  the  city. 
High  skill  in  the  technical  branch  of  the  profession,  aggressive  executive 
ability,  and  careful  and  reliable  performance  and  financial  res])onsibility 
ha\e  been  the  characteristics  of  the  Detloff  family  in  all  its  business  rela- 
tions in  this  city. 

Richard  Detloff  is  a  native  of  Germany,  though  practically  all  his 
life  has  been  spent  in  Detroit.  He  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Pomern, 
Prussia,  on  September  22,  1866,  a  son  of  Carl  and  Emily  (Detloff) 
Detloff".  Both  parents  were  born  in  the  same  Province,  and  in  1872,  six 
years  after  the  birth  of  the  son  Richard,  emigrated  to  America  and  found 
a  home  in  Detroit.  The  elder  Detloff'  had  acquired  proficiency  in  the  car- 
[lenter's  trade  in  the  old  country,  and  was  em])loyed  for  several  years  in 
Detroit  as  a  journeyman,  but  in  1890  engaged  in  independent  contracting 
and  did  a  successful  practice  until  1903,  which  year  marked  his  retire- 
ment from  active  affairs.  His  death  occurred  in  October,  191 1,  when 
sixty-seven  years  of  age,  and  his  widow  now  survives  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  large  family  of  twelve  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Richard;  Paul,  of  Detroit;  Giarles, 
of  Detroit ;  Otto,  of  Detroit ;  Alax,  also  a  builder  at  Detroit ;  Hermann, 
partner  of  his  brother  Richard ;  William,  who  lives  in  New  Jersey  :  F.rnie, 
of  Detroit;  Reinhold,  of  Detroit;  Grover,  of  Detroit;  while  Alfred  and 
Clara  are  deceased,  the  latter  at  the  age  of  two  and  a  half  years. 

Richard  Detloff'  Ijegan  to  attend  .school  soon  after  coming  to  Detroit 
and  received  the  fundamentals  of  a  good  English  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  in  the  (ierman  Lutheran  parochial  school.  When  sixteen  he 
began  handling  tools  and  entered  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years  at  the 
car])enter's  trade.  Following  a  number  of  years  of  service  as  a  journey- 
man under  his  father,  during  the  early  nineties  he  gave  up  his  trade  on 
accoimt  of  the  ])anic,  and  found  employment  as  a  draftsman,  work  that 
kept  him  busy  until  1900.  In  that  year  he  returned  to  his  original  field, 
and  joined  his  brother  Hermann  in  establishing  the  firm  of  Detloff" 
Pirothcrs.  general  caqienter  contractors.  They  have  a  splendid  record  of 
business  in  all  lines  of  carpenter  contracting,  including  the  erection  of 
flats,  a])artments,  resiliences,  stores,  factories,  etc.  A  partial  list  of  their 
work  would  include  the  Princess  Manufacturing  Company's  factory;  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2221 

residence  of  Captain  B.  H.  Dorsey.  on  East  Grand  Boulevard ;  the  resi- 
dence of  Walter  C.  Boynton  on  Atkinson  avenue ;  residence  of  Wayne 
Frye  on  Pingree  avenue;  four  apartment  houses  for  Miss  Helen  Clarke 
on  West  Boulevard  and  Second  street ;  four  apartments  for  Miss  Emma 
Lamb  on  Philadelphia  avenue  near  Woodward  avenue;  the  double  resi- 
dence on  Stinson  street  for  A.  A.  Schantz ;  two  apartment  houses  on 
Philadelphia  avenue;  four  six-family  apartments  for  Franklin  Latham; 
an  eighteen  family  apartment  for  Frank  E.  Bader ;  a  twelve- family  apart- 
ment for  Mr.  Fredericks  of  the  Board  of  Education ;  the  factory  of  the 
Hall  Lamp  Company,  besides  many  other  minor  constructions. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Detloff  has  been  one  of  the  influential 
members  of  the  Detroit  Builders  and  Traders  Exchange  and  of  the 
Master  Carpenters  Association.  He  and  his  family  worship  in  the  Grace 
Lutheran  church.  In  1892  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Detloft  to  Miss 
Bertha  Schewe,  who  is  a  native  of  Germany,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Henrietta  (Plough)  Schewe.  Her  family  emigrated  to  America  and 
located  in  Detroit  in  1879,  and  both  her  parents  are  now  deceased.  The 
four  sons  born  to  Mr.  Detloff  and  wife  are  as  follows:  Louis,  who  died 
when  three  and  a  half  years  of  age;  Larry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years ;  Henry  Otto,  who  is  now  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  has  filled 
positions  as  stenographer  for  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  and 
is  now  employed  in  that  capacity  with  the  American  Express  Company ; 
Arthur  Emil. 

Hon.  John  E.  Kinnane.  If  the  title  of  the  Hon.  John  E.  Kinnane, 
of  Bay  City,  to  a  place  among  the  forceful  and  useful  men  of  his  state 
rested  alone  upon  his  work  in  connection  with  the  State  of  Michigan 
Industrial  Accident  Board  and  the  Workingmen's  Compensation  Law,  he 
would  still  be  accounted  one  of  the  dominant  figures  of  his  day  and  local- 
ity; but,  while  his  achievements  in  this  direction  have  won  him  the  uni- 
versal approbation  of  men  of  all  political  parties  and  the  public  at  large, 
his  activities  have  brought  him  to  the  forefront  in  every  phase  of  his 
city's  busy  life,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  one  individual  has  played  so 
important  a  part  in  shaping  public  sentiment  along  the  lines  of  progress. 
As  lawyer,  legislator  and  man  of  affairs  in  business  life,  he  has  demon- 
strated abilities  of  a  nature  that  have  placed  him  far  above  the  ordinary 
or  mediocre,  and  throughout  his  career  his  unselfish  and  public-spirited 
citizenship  has  distinguished  him  as  one  to  whom  the  people  might  look, 
and  not  in  vain,  for  safe  guidance  and  skilled  leadership. 

Mr.  Kinnane  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan, 
January  10,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary  Meade  (Sullivan) 
kinnane,  natives  of  Ireland.  Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1857,  the 
parents  became  pioneer  settlers  of  Kalamazoo  county,  where  they  hewed 
a  fine  farm  out  of  the  wilderness,  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children, 
one  of  the  sons  being  State  Senator  Kinnane  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan. 
Like  the  rest  of  his  parents'  children,  John  E.  Kinnane  was  given  good 
educational  advantages,  first  attending  the  country  district  schools  of 
Kalamazoo  county  and  later  Kalamazoo  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1885,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  Adopting  the  profession  of  teaching,  in  1886  he  became  principal 
of  the  schools  of  Essexville.  and  after  serving  two  years  in  that  capacity 
was  made  county  commissioner  of  schools  of  Bay  county,  a  position 
which  he  held  until  1893.  In  the  meantime  he  had  pursued  his  law 
studies  diligently  and  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  from  1893  until 
1895  acted  as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of  Bay  county.  During  the 
past  quarter  of  a  century'  he  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  and  has  handled  much  important  litigation  in  the  state 
and  federal  courts.    When  he  became  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party 


2222  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

for  the  office  of  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  in  191 1,  the  press  was 
unanimous  in  his  support.  The  Bay  City  Times,  speaking  editorially,  said : 
"John  E.  Kinnane  has  been  nominated  for  justice  of  the  supreme  court  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  The  nomination  came  to  him  unsought  and  in 
recognition  of  his  ability  to  serve  on  the  supreme  bench,  if  elected.  Mr. 
Kinnane  has  a  fine  legal  mind,  is  admittedly  one  of  the  best  attorneys  of 
the  local  bar  association  by  which  he  has  been  honored  with  election  as 
president.  As  a  citizen  he  has  always  worked  for  the  advancement  of 
the  city's  welfare,  and  he  commands  the  highest  respect."  The  Detroit 
Nczcs  commented  as  follows  :  "Mr.  Kinnane  is  one  of  the  leading  lawyers 
of  Bay  City,  is  highly  respected  Ijoth  as  a  citizen  and  in  his  profession, 
and  is  regarded  as  authority  on  constitutional  law."  An  extract  from  the 
Bay  City  Democrat  stated :  "Mr.  Kinnane  is  one  of  the  ablest  attorneys 
in  Bay  county  and  takes  high  rank  among  the  profession  of  the  state. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Pierce  &  Kinnane,  and  the  standing  of 
this  firm  is  so  well  established  in  the  community  that  no  words  of  ours 
could  give  them  greater  fame  or  reputation."  At  the  time  when  Mr. 
Kinnane's  name  was  proposed  for  a  member  of  the  State  Railway  Com- 
mission, the  Bay  City  Tribune  said  editorially:  "The  legislative  delega- 
tion of  Bay  county  has  unanimously  endorsed  John  E.  Kinnane,  of  Bay 
City,  for  appointment  as  member  of  the  State  Railroad  Commission. 
There  is  no  politics  in  this,  the  men  who  asked  for  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Kinnane,  a  stanch  Democrat,  being  Republicans.  Mr.  Kinnane  is  pre- 
sented because  his  legal  attainments,  his  ripe  and  balanced  judgment  and 
his  unswerving  integrity,  eminently  fit  him  for  the  position."  In  spite  of 
the  fact  that  he  ran  several  thousand  votes  ahead  of  his  ticket,  Mr.  Kin- 
nane failed  of  election,  owing  to  political  conditions  in  the  state  at  that 
time. 

In  1912  Mr.  Kinnane  was  ajipointed  by  Governor  Osborn  chairman 
of  the  Industrial  Accident  Board  of  the  state  and  was  reappointed  to  the 
same  position  by  Governor  I-"erris,  his  present  term  e.xpiring  in  1916.  In 
this  connection  his  services  in  launching  the  Workmen's  Compensation 
Law  and  in  developing  the  same  has  been  followed  by  making  this  law 
the  most  successful  in  the  country  and  the  most  generally  accepted  and 
approved.  Quoting  from  the  official  bulletin  of  the  State  of  Michigan 
Industrial  Accident  Board,  August  18,  19 13,  we  find  the  following  state- 
ment:  "New  praise  and  commendation  for  Alichigan's  compensation  act 
and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  being  administered  by  the  Industrial  Acci- 
dent Board  were  a  result  of  the  visit  to  Lansing  of  John  ^Mitchell,  Nice- 
president  of  the  American  Federation  of  Labor;  Assemblyman  Phillips 
of  the  New  York  legislature :  Mr.  Lord,  of  the  American  Civic  Federa- 
tion, and  other  prominent  labor  leaders  and  sociologists  from  the  East. 
There  were  also  in  attendance  Claude  Taylor,  president,  and  Homer 
Waterman,  secretary,  of  the  Michigan  Federation  of  Labor.  The  work- 
ings of  the  Michigan  Comjiensation  Law  were  fully  explained  by  Chair- 
man John  E.  Kinnane  of  the  Industrial  Accident  Board.  Every  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  for  free  discussion,  and  the  questions  asked  indicated 
the  intelligent  interest  which  is  taken  in  advanced  legislation  of  this 
nature  by  those  who  have  at  heart  the  welfare  of  the  masses. 

"One  general  result  of  the  conference  was  a  favorable  comparison  of 
the  liability  insurance  ])lan  with  the  other  three  options  opened  to  the 
Michigan  employer.  Robert  K.  Orr,  deputy  insurance  commissioner, 
appeared  as  an  advocate  of  the  state  insurance  plan,  while  several  rep- 
resentatives of  insurance  companies,  as  well  as  employers,  who  are  carry- 
ing their  own  risks,  were  in  attendance.  Chairman  Kinnane  explained 
that  at  the  very  outset  the  board  required  every  insurance  company  oper- 
ating in  Michigan  to  change  its  policy  so  as  to  afl'ord  complete  protection 
for  the  employe,  irrespective  of  the  question  of  premium  jjayment  or  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2223 

solvency  of  the  employer.  It  was  demanded  that  any  policy  on  the 
strength  of  which  an  employer  was  permitted  to  operate  under  the 
Michigan  law  should  not  be  cancelled,  as  regards  to  the  employes,  until 
due  notice  had  been  given  to  the  board,  enabling  it  to  take  up  the  matter 
of  securing  other  protection  with  the  employer,  and  thus  at  no  time 
leaving  the  employe  unprotected.  He  also  explained  that  the  bare  assur- 
ance upon  the  part  of  an  employer  that  he  carries  a  policy  with  such  and 
such  a  company  is  not  sufficient,  but  that  there  must  be  filed  by  the  com- 
pany covering  the  risk  a  certificate  of  insurance. 

"The  chairman  explained  the  manner  in  which  the  increase  of  rates  by 
an  insurance  company  carrying  an  extra  hazardous  risk  operate  to  reduce 
that  hazard  through  the  installation  of  safety  devices,  education  of  em- 
ployes, etc.  When  the  employer's  pocketbook  is  touched  through  an 
exorbitant  premium  rate,  he  immediately  sets  to  work  to  learn  why,  and 
when  he  has  learned  the  fault  he  loses  little  time  in  remedying  it.  The 
result  is  that  industrial  accidents  in  Michigan  in  the  ten  months  in  which 
the  act  has  been  in  efifect  have  been  reduced  almost  twenty-five  per  cent. 
The  wage-earner  of  Michigan  has  a  better  change  of  life  today  than  he 
did  September  i,  igi2,  when  the  compensation  law  became  operative. 
The  employer  is  gradually  finding  the  burden  of  compensation  insurance 
lighter.  The  visitors  were  especially  pleased  to  learn  that  under  the  com- 
pensation act  an  average  of  not  more  than  three  weeks  elapses  between 
the  date  of  accident  and  the  beginning  of  compensation  payment.  He 
explained  the  follow-up  system  in  operation  by  the  board,  which  does  not 
lose  sight  of  an  employe  from  the  day  he  is  injured  until  the  last  penny 
of  compensation  has  been  paid,  and  a  witnessed  receipt  showing  that 
payment  has  been  made  and  is  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  board. 

"There  is  one  thing  our  law  provides  for — no  compromise.  If  a  man 
is  entitled  to  a  certain  amount  we  cannot  compromise — either  that  or 
nothing.  We  are  not  allowed  to  permit  a  compromise  under  any  circum- 
stances. You  cannot  come  to  a  man  who  is  injured  and  say:  "Here,  we 
will  fight  you  if  you  don't  take  so  much,'  and  we  think  that  is  all  right. 
We  construed  the  law  as  providing  that,  and  we  feel  that  the  mere  fact 
that  once  in  a  while  a  man  might  get  a  compromise  doesn't  meet  the  point 
the  law  is  intended  to  meet, — that  is,  if  a  man  is  injured,  if  you  talk 
settlement  at  all.  you  must  talk  the  exact  figures. 

"It  was  brought  out  that  in  the  experience  of  the  Michigan  Industrial 
Accident  Board  the  motive  for  taking  appeals  to  the  supreme  court,  of 
which  there  have  been  but  eight  out  of  some  200  arbitrations,  has  been 
rather  to  settle  doubtful  questions  of  law  under  the  act  than  any  hostile 
motive  on  the  part  of  the  employers  or  the  insurance  companies.  In  some 
cases  which  have  been  appealed,  compensation  has  been  paid  pending  the 
decision  of  the  supreme  court. 

"A  brief  reference  was  made  to  the  one  instance  of  perempton,'  action 
upon  the  part  of  the  Industrial  Accident  Board,  when  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  present  an  award  on  arbitration  in  the  circuit  court  for  the  county 
in  which  the  claim  originated  and  secure  judgment  against  the  insurance 
company  covering  the  employer's  risk.  Assurance  has  been  received  by 
the  board  that  there  will  not  soon  arise  another  demand  for  the  use  of 
the  'big  stick'  in  this  manner.  The  question  of  the  possibility  of  insur- 
ance companies  resorting  to  arbitration  and  delay  was  brought  up,  and 
Insurance  Commissioner  Winship  suggested  that  his  department  could 
take  up  the  question  and  possibly  by  the  use  of  'Suasion'  compel  them  to 
'come  to  time'  at  once.  'At  the  end  of  the  year  we  could  surely  do  so, 
because  we  could  refuse  to  license  them,'  said  the  commissioner. 

"Attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  when  the  IMichigan  act  went 
into  eft'ect  it  was  estimated  there  were  6,500  employers  in  the  state,  while 
in  ten  months  almost  9,500  have  been  revealed  by  acceptances  filed  with 


2224  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

the  board.  Note  was  also  taken  of  the  greatly  increased  number  of 
accidents  which  are  being  reported  under  the  compensation  law,  as  com- 
pared with  the  reports  formerly  made  to  the  state  labor  commissioner. 
A  rejiort  submitted  l)y  Labor  Commissioner  Cunningham  placed  the  num- 
ber of  factories  in  Alichigan  at  9,456  and  the  number  of  employes  en- 
gaged in  these  industries  at  359,752.  In  answer  to  a  question  from  Mr. 
Mitchell  as  to  the  method  adopted  of  insuring  to  the  employe  or  his 
dependents  payments  in  a  total  disability  or  death  case,  running  300  weeks 
or  500  weeks,  respectively,  Insurance  Commissioner  Winship  replied  that 
the  insurance  department  takes  that  up  the  same  way  as  it  takes  up  any 
other.  The  insurance  department  insists  that  insurance  companies  meet 
their  liabilities.  If  they  do  not  the  department  can  revoke  their  license. 
'We  cannot  compel  them  to  pay  it  in  a  lumji  sum,  if  it  is  to  be  spread 
over  300  weeks,  but  if  they  do  fall  down  on  compensation  we  can  compel 
them  to  settle.' 

"Deputy  Insurance  Commissioner  Orr  explained  the  method  adopted 
in  the  state  insurance  department  of  setting  aside  a  reserve  to  meet  obliga- 
tions in  the  same  manner  as  is  required  of  insurance  companies.  The 
same  is  true  of  mutual  companies.  That  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
employers  requesting  permission  to  carry  their  own  risks  have  been 
rejected  by  the  board  was  brought  out  during  the  discussion.  The  ques- 
tion of  discrimination,  as  a  result  of  the  operation  of  the  compensation 
act,  against  employes  who  are  not  physically  lit  was  entered  into.  Chair- 
man Kinnane  stated  he  knew  of  no  such  discrimination  in  Michigan,  and 
there  had  come  to  his  knowledge  no  instances  of  an  employe  being  dis- 
charged because  he  was  considered  a  bad  risk.  In  support  of  this  state- 
ment, Mr.  Eaton,  chief  of  the  Cadillac  Motor  Company's  compensation 
department,  said :  'In  cases  where  we  have  paid  compensation,  we  have 
paid  it  not  to  men  who  have  been  physically  below  the  average.  Men 
with  whom  I  have  dealt  within  the  last  year  who  have  been  injured  have 
not  been  men  physically  incompetent.'  'We  have  been  obliged  to 
adopt  the  rule  that  has  been  adopted  in  the  old  countries  that  in  case 
of  injury  causing  death  or  serious  results  on  account  of  weak- 
ness or  old  diseases  that  the  employer  is  liable  to  compensation  upon  the 
principal  that  we  are  not  dealing  with  perfect  men,  but  with  men  as  they 
are  in  the  world,'  said  Mr.  Kinnane.  Upon  the  subject  of  payment  for 
occupation  diseases.  Chairman  Kinnane  said :  'With  regard  to  occupa- 
tional diseases  and  those  that  would  come  under  the  line  of  "occupa- 
tional" diseases,  our  act,  and  that  probably  would  lead  to  some  question 
in  the  supreme  court,  does  not  use  the  word  "accidental"  at  all.  It  says: 
"Any  person  who  sustains  a  personal  injury,"  and  whether  that 
is  intended  to  make  its  scope  broader,  so  as  to  include  diseases  that  come 
without  accident,  and  if  so,  how  far.  will  undoubtedly  be  for  the  supreme 
court  finally  to  determine.'  Many  other  matters  of  importance  were 
dealt  with.  The  conference  was  without  doubt  helpful,  "and  the  result 
eminently  successful  to  those  who  attended.  The  Michigan  act  won  firm 
apostles  in  the  men  who  examined  carefully  into  its  workings,  and  there 
is  every  probability  that  in  the  campaign  for  uniformity  throughout  the 
\-arious'  states  the  Michigan  statute  will  be  adopted  in  whole  or  part  as  a 
standard." 

The  foregoing  article  has  been  quoted  so  fully  in  that  it  gi\es  a  more 
or  less  comprehensive  idea  of  the  great  work  of  the  Industrial  Accident 
Board  and  shows  in  what  extent  it  is  now  assisting,  and  will  continue  to 
assist,  the  working  people.  His  connection  alone  with  this  body  and  his 
indefatigable  labor  in  bringing  the  law  to  a  successful  issue  should  place 
Mr.  Kinnane's  name  high  among  the  public  benefactors  of  his  day. 

Mr.  Kinnane  has  long  been  connected  with  Democratic  politics.     He 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2225 

was  a  delegate  from  Michigan  to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at 
Baltimore,  in  1912,  which  nominated  Woodrow  Wilson  for  the  presi- 
dency, and  is  the  oldest  member  in  point  of  service  on  the  Democratic 
State  Central  Committee,  being  now  in  his  fourteenth  year  of  consecu- 
tive service.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and 
during  his  incumbency  of  that  office  started  the  first  beet  sugar  industry 
in  the  state  of  Michigan,  this  being  the  organization  of  the  Michigan 
Sugar  Company  of  Bay  City  and  the  building  of  the  first  beet  sugar 
factory  in  the  state.  This  was  accomplished  only  after  a  long  fight  by  the 
Board  of  Trade,  which  lasted  for  more  than  a  year.'  He  is  connected  with 
a  number  of  fraternal  organizations,  and  at  this  time  is  chairman  of  the 
law  committee  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  a  position 
which  he  has  held  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Kinnane  is  not  averse  to 
the  social  amenities  of  life,  and  is  an  extensive  traveler,  having  visited 
various  parts  of  Africa  and  nearly  even,-  country  in  Europe. 

In  1897  Mr.  Kinnane  was  married  to  Miss  Maud  Crosbie.  daughter 
of  William  Crosbie,  of  Bay  City,  and  two  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union :  Margaret,  who  is  ten  years  old ;  and  Janet  Eleanor,  aged  seven 
years. 

Hon.  W.\shington  Gardner.  A  veteran  Union  soldier,  in  his  early 
career  successful  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  a  former 
member  of  the  faculty  of  .Albion  College,  for  five  years  secretary  of  state 
of  Michigan  and  for  twelve  years  a  representative  from  the  Third  Dis- 
trict in  Congress,  Washington  Gardner  has  had  a  long  career  with  many 
of  the  best  distinctions  of  private  and  public  life. 

Washington  Gardner  was  born  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  February  16, 
1845.  The  greater  part  of  what  follows  is  taken  from  a  sketch  prepared 
by  Captain  R.  F.  Bartlett,  a  boyhood  friend  of  Mr.  Gardner.  His  grand- 
father was  John  Gardner  and  his  parents  were  John  Lewis  and  Sarah 
(Goodin)  Gardner.  In  his  fourth  year  his  mother  died,  and  he  lived  then 
in  the  home  of  his  paternal  uncle  near  the  village  of  Westfield,  Ohio, 
until  he  entered  the  army.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  his  uncle  engaged  him 
to  work  for  a  farmer  at  wages  of  six  dollars  a  month  and  board,  and  in 
the  following  year  his  salary  was  increased  to  seven  dollars  and  during 
the  third  year  to  eight  dollars  a  month.  His  employer  had  a  small  but 
well  selected  library,  and  the  boy  made  good  use  of  his  leisure  hours  and 
the  long  winter  evenings  in  studious  application  to  those  books.  In  the 
spring  of  i860  after  a  winter  in  the  village  school,  he  attended  the  Mount 
Hesper  Academy  near  South  Woodbury.  At  a  war  meeting  on  October 
26,  1861,  held  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  iMethodist  church,  young  Gard- 
ner was  the  first  of  a  considerable  number  of  Westfield  boys  to  go  for- 
ward and  write  down  his  name  as  a  vokmteer.  He  became  a  member 
of  Company  D,  Sixty-fifth  Ohio  Infantrv',  and  was,  according  to  the 
official  record  the  youngest  member  of  the  company.  He  shared  every 
campaign,  march,  siege  and  battle  participated  in  by  his  regiment  until 
hit  in  battle  at  Resaca,  Georgia,  on  May  14,  1864,  during  Sherman's  cam- 
paign against  Atlanta.  His  clothes  were  pierced  by  a  Confederate  sharp- 
shooter in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  his  bayonet  scabbard  cut  into 
and  the  little  finger  of  the  left  hand  grazed  on  the  second  day  at  Chick- 
amauga,  but  blood  was  not  drawn  until  the  well  aimed  bullet  at  Resaca 
permanently  disabled  and  made  him  henceforth  a  suft'erer  for  life.  On 
December  14,  1864.  the  day  before  the  battle  of  Nashville  opened,  Wash- 
ington Gardner  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  service.  In  Michigan  Mr.  Gardner  has  long  been  identified  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  in  1888  was  honored  with  the  oflice  of 
Commander  of  the  Department  of  Michigan.     At  the  national  encamp- 


2226  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

luent  IkIiI  in  Chattanooga,  September,  1913,  Mr.  Gardner  was  unani- 
mously elected  Commander-in-Chief  of  liie  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
During  the  succeeding  twelve  months  he  traveled  thirty  thousand  miles, 
ofiicially  \isited  thirty-three  of  the  states  of  the  Union  and  spoke  more 
tlian  one  hundred  and  fifty  times  in  the  interest  of  the  order. 

While  in  the  army  Mr.  Gardner  had  formed  a  resolution  to  attend 
school  as  soon  as  he  returned  home,  and  on  the  Monday  morning  follow- 
ing his  return  to  Westfield  put  that  resolution  into  execution.  He  became 
a  pupil  in  Beech  Grove  Academy  at  Ashley,  and  then  for  four  terms  was 
a  student  in  the  preparatory  department  of  Baldwin  University  at  Berea. 
In  the  fall  of  1866  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  at  Hillsdale  College, 
Michigan.  During  his  three  years  as  a  student  in  that  institution  he  had 
as  schoolmates,  Will  Carleton,  the  poet;  Congressman  and  Senator  Albert 
J.  Hopkins,  with  whom  he  was  afterwards  associated  in  congress ;  and 
Jose])h  H,  Moore,  for  many  years  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Michigan 
Supreme  Court.  His  senior  collegiate  year  was  spent  in  the  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Delaware,  where  he  was  graduated  A.  B.  June  30, 
1870,  and  subsequently  received  the  degree  A.  M.  in  cursu. 

His  early  ambition  was  for  the  law  and  a  political  career,  but 
influences  at  the  Ohio  W'esleyan  University  caused  him  in  1871  to  become 
a  student  in  the  Boston  University  School  of  Theology.  During  his  sec- 
ond year  his  health  gave  way,  owing  to  severe  application  to  his  studies 
and  hard  work  in  vacations  to  earn  mone}\  This  interruption  brought 
about  a  change  of  plans,  and  in  1875  li*^  entered  the  Albany  Law  School 
and  in  1876  graduated  LL.  ]'>.  valedictorian  of  his  class. 

Mr.  Gardner  in  the  fall  of  1876  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Grand 
Rapids  in  partnership  with  Samuel  A.  Kennedy,  a  former  college  chum. 
After  one  year  in  the  law  he  entered  the  Michigan  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  for  twelve  years  was  in  the  active  min- 
istry. At  the  end  of  that  time  he  accepted  a  professorship  in  Albion  Col- 
lege, and  remained  on  the  faculty  of  that  institution  from  1889  to  1894. 
In  March  of  the  latter  year  Governor  John  T.  Rich  requested  him  to 
accept  the  position  of  secretary  of  state  to  fill  out  an  unexpired  term. 
This  position  came  to  him  without  any  solicitation  on  his  part.  He  was 
subsequently  twice  nominated  by  acclamation  and  elected  to  the  same 
office  and  served  until  1899.  In  1898  Mr.  Gardner  was  nominated  and 
elected  to  congress  by  the  Republicans  of  the  Third  Michigan  District 
and  was  five  times  elected  to  succeed  himself,  serving  in  the  56th,  57th, 
58th,  59th,  60th  and  6ist  Congresses,  from  1899  to  191 1.  Of  his  record 
in  congress  Captain  Bartlett  speaks  as  follows :  "Ten  of  his  twelve  years 
in  congress  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  appropriations.  Dur- 
ing his  service  on  this  committee  estimates  aggregating  $3,405,927,100.10 
were  considered  and  bills  amounting  to  $3,185,567,336.69  were  framed 
and  carried  through  congress,  resulting  in  a  saving  to  the  government 
below  the  estimates  of  $220,359,763.41.  Mr.  Gardner  also  served  as 
chairman  on  the  committee  of  expenditures  in  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor.  Through  the  committee  on  appropriations  he  was 
closely  associated  with  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal.  It  was  before 
this  committee  that  the  chief  and  his  assistant  engineers  annually 
appeared  to  explain  the  progress  of  the  enterprise.  Three  times  at  the 
request  of  the  jiresidcnt  Mr.  (iardner  with  his  associate  committee  mem- 
bers visited  the  Canal  Zone  and  inspected  the  work  with  great  care  in 
order  that  the  committee  might  have  the  fullest  and  most  accurate 
information  upon  which  to  base  their,  recommendations  to  the  congress. 
In  congress  Mr.  Gardner  had  the  reputation  of  jireparing  with  great  care 
and  thoroughness  of  detail  the  appropriation  bills  of  which  he  had  charge 
and  of  advocating  and  defining  the  measures  presented  by  him  with  such 
clearness  and  force  that  not  infrequently  bills  carrying  many  millions  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2227 

dollars  passed  the  critical  scrutiny  of  the  house  with  very  little  of  change. 
For  ten  years  he  was  a  member  and  for  four  years  chairman  of  the  sub- 
committee having  in  charge  the  District  of  Columbia  appropriation  bills." 
An  unusual  honor  was  paid  him  on  the  eve  of  his  retirement  from  con- 
gress in  a  public  dinner  at  which  among  other  distinguished  guests  was 
President  Taft.  From  the  various  speakers  of  the  evening,  all  of  them 
men  of  national  reputation,  came  many  hearty  tributes  to  his  work  in 
congress,  and  while  it  would  take  too  much  space  to  quote  these  tributes 
as  they  appeared  in  the  next  day's  issue  of  the  Washington  Star,  an 
exception  may  be  made  in  the  case  of  one  which  fairly  summarizes  his 
work  as  a  careful  and  disinterested  congressman.  With  special  reference 
to  his  work  in  behalf  of  the  District  of  Columbia  one  of  the  speakers 
said:  "Mr.  Gardner  has  neyer  inserted  in  an  appropriation  bill  a  single 
item  to  gratify  a  friend  or  to  win  the  applause  of  the  thoughtless.  No 
man  in  Washington  owes  him  a  thank  you  for  a  special  favor.  I  bear 
witness  to  the  sterling  qualities  of  this  man.  His  honesty,  infinite  patience 
and  intelligent  application  are  too  unworthily  recognized  by  any  mere 
public  diinier.  In  giving  this  slight  token  of  respect  we  feel  that  we 
honor  ourselves  more  than  we  do  him." 

Since  retiring  from  congress  Mr.  Gardner  has  lived  quietly  at  his 
home  in  Albion  and  has  looked  after  his  private  interests.  In  1871  Mr. 
Gardner  married  Miss  .-Vnna  Lee  Powers  of  Abington,  Massachusetts. 
Mrs.  Gardner  on  the  paternal  side  is  connected  with  the  well  known 
Powers  family  of  New  Hampshire,  distinguished  in  sculpture,  law  and 
politics.  Her  mother  was  a  Miss  Reed,  related  to  the  people  of  that  name 
both  in  Massachusetts  and  Maine.  Her  ancestors  on  the  maternal  side 
have  lived  in  Plymouth  county  since  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  from  the 
Mayflower.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner  were  born  seven  children :  Grace 
Bartlett,  Mary  Theodosia,  Carleton  Frederick,  Elton  Goldthwaite,  Ray- 
mond Huntington,  Lucy  Reed  and  Helen  Louis.  The  oldest  died  in 
infancy,  while  the  others  all  lived  to  maturity. 

Fred  J.  Weiss.  Among  Flint,  industries  the  Walker-Weiss  Axle 
Company  has  been  a  productive  and  valuable  concern  since  it  was  estab- 
lished here  a  few  years  ago  by  two  very  enterprising  and  energetic  young 
business  men.  The  career  of  Fred  J.  Weiss  of  this  firm,  is  a  record  of 
rise  from  a  position  as  workman  and  mechanic  to  owner  of  a  leading 
industry.  His  record  is  one  that  would  be  creditable  in  any  group  of  men 
who  have  reached  success  in  the  world.  His  career  is  also  proof  of  the 
fact  that  early  circumstances  are  never  a  permanent  handicap  to  large  and 
useful  achievements. 

His  birth  occurred  December  22,  1872,  at  Allegheny,  a  city  that  in 
recent  years  has  been  incorporated  into  the  larger  city  of  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  His  parents  were  Fred  J.  and  Caroline  ( Narss  Lang) 
W^eiss.  His  father  was  born  in  Germany,  and  his  mother  in  Buffalo,  New 
York.  When  four  years  of  age,  the  father  was  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents,  was  reared  and  educated  here,  and  spent  most  of  his 
active  career  in  tobacco  manufacturing.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  well  known  Block  Brothers  Tobacco  Works,  in 
Wheeling,  West  \'irginia.  and  remained  in  their  trusted  employ  until  his 
death  in  July,  1913,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  The  mother,  who  was  mar- 
ried in  Pittsburg,  died  in  Wheeling  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty- four. 

Fred  Weiss  was  the  second  of  their  eight  children.  As  a  boy  he 
attended  the  public  schools  in  Pittsburg,  but  the  necessities  of  a  large 
household  and  inadequate  provision  of  funds  by  the  chief  money-maker 
in  the  family,  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  begin  earning  his  own  sup- 
port at  an  early  age.  Thus,  at  the  age  of  eight  years  he  gave  up  school 
and  started  to  work.     His  boyhood  labor  was  first  employed  in  a  glass 


2228  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

factory,  and  soon  afterwards  his  parents  moved  to  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  found  work  in  an  axle  factory.  With  unimportant  excep- 
tions, Mr.  Weiss  has  been*  identitied  with  axle  manufacturmg  since  boy- 
hood. In  1889,  he  left  Wheeling  and  went  to  Chicago  to  take  charge  of 
an  axle  factory  there,  ha\  ing  in  the  meantime  acquired  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  business.  From  Chicago  in  1895  he  moved  to  Racine,  Wis- 
consin, where  for  two  and  a  half  years  he  was  with  the  Higgins  Axle 
Company.  In  June,  lyoo,  the  Durant-Dort  Company,  having  planned  the 
establishment  of  a  plant  at  I'dint,  sent  Mr.  Weiss  to  this  city  to  install 
the  necessary  machinery  and  supervise  the  opening  of  the  plant.  Having 
started  the  business  he  remained  in  active  charge  for  that  company,  unld 
1911,  and  then  withdrew  to  go  into  business  for  himself.  His  partner  in 
the  new  venture  was  Mr.  U  dliam  T.  Foster,,  and  they  bought  out  the  old 
establishment,  and  have  since  conducted  the  enterprise  as  the  Walker- 
Weiss  Axle  Company,  and  have  continued  it  on  the  highest  plans  of 
industrial  effort.  Their  plant  is  one  of  the  leading  axle  factories  in  Mich- 
igan, is  thoroughly  equipped  with  machinery,  has  ample  capital,  and  about 
ninety  expert  mechanics  are  constantly  employed.  Its  output  averages 
every  day  about  twenty-five  light  and  the  same  number  of  heavy  truck 
axles.  The  company  have  made  a  specialty  of  furnishing  axles  for  auto- 
mobile trucks. 

Mr.  Weiss  is  a  director  in  the  Industrial  Savings  Bank.  Outside  of 
his  business,  perhaps  his  most  important  accomplishment,  has  been  the 
important  part  he  took  in  the  organization  of  the  Workmen's  Mutual 
Benefit  Association,  of  which  he  is  a  director.  This  organization  received 
special  attention  from  Secretary  of  Commerce  Redfield,  on  the  trip  of 
that  cabinet  officer  in  Flint,  in  October,  1913,  and  Secretary  Redfield  used 
some  of  the  data  attained  from  his  personal  observation  of  the  institu- 
tion in  a  speech  delivered  at  Boston  and  in  other  places.  Mr.  Weiss  hav- 
ing come  up  from  the  ranks,  and  though  now  an  independent  manu- 
facturer, still  feels  that  he  is  a  laboring  man  in  every  sense  of  the  word, 
and  has  an  intimate  knowledge  and  sympathy  with  all  efforts  for  improve- 
ment of  labor  conditions.  Until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  con- 
tributed the  greater  part  of  his  income  as  a  wage  earner  to  the  support 
of  his  parents,  and  this  is  the  part  of  his  personal  record  of  which  he  will 
never  have  cause  to  be  ashamed. 

Mr.  Weiss  is  a  member  of  the  Police  Commission  of  Flint,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican.  Fraternally  his  affiliations  are  with  the  Masonic 
Order  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  At  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  August  20,  1895,  Mr.  Weiss  married  Miss  May  O'Keefe, 
a  daughter  of  Michael  OTveefe  now  deceased.  To  their  marriage  have 
been  born  six  children,  as  follows :  Ray,  born  at  Racine,  Wisconsin,  in 
1898  and  now  attending  school;  Robert,  born  in  1901  at  Flint;  Harry, 
born  in  Flint  in  1903;  Geraldine,  born  in  1905;  Mary  Louise,  born  in 
1907,  at  Flint,  all  attending  school;  and  Joseph,  born  in  1912. 

Edwin  C.  Peters.  A  son  of  the  late  Charles  H.  Peters,  Edwin  C. 
Peters  is  now  general  manager  of  the  practical  part  of  the  large  enter- 
prise conducted  at  Saginaw  under  the  name  of  Seemann  &  Peters.  Since 
his  boyhood  he  has  had  a  detailed  familiarity  with  the  various  branches 
of  printing  and  business  management  of  a  printing  establishment,  and 
under  the  supervision  of  his  father  advanced  until  he  was  general  super- 
intendent of  the  printing  plant. 

Edwin  Charles  Peters  was  born  in  East  Saginaw,  October  29,  187 1,  a 
son  of  L'harles  II.  and  .\nna  Seemann  Peters.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  Saginaw,  and  in  the  class  of  1893  he 
graduated  llachelor  of  .Science  from  the  .Agricultural  College  at  Lansing. 
Returning  home  and  entering  the  employ  of  his  father  and  uncle,  Joseph 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2229 

Seemann,  he  started  in  at  the  bottom  and  learned  every  detail  in  the  work 
of  the  large  establishment  conducted  by  Seemann  &  Peters.  When  the 
business  was  incorporated  on  January  i,  191 1,  Edwin  C.  Peters  became 
secretary-treasurer,  and  general  manager,  the  other  executive  officers 
being  Joseph  Seemann,  president,  and  Charles  H.  Peters,  Jr.,  vice- 
president. 

Mr.  Peters  is  president  of  the  Michigan  Press  and  Printers  Federa- 
tion, job  section,  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Point  Lookout 
Navigation  Company.  He  is  a  past  potentate  of  the  Shrine,  a  Knights 
Templar  and  a  member  of  Bay  City  Consistory,  past  exahed  ruler  of 
the  Elks  and  is  affiliated  with  other  fraternal  orders.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  East  Saginaw  Club  and  a  director  of  the  Saginaw  Board  of 
Trade. 

On  June  10,  1896,  Mr.  Peters  married  Miss  Gussie  Estelle  Nerreter, 
a  daughter  of  Leonard  Nerreter,  long  a  resident  of  Saginaw,  and  now 
deceased.  The  two  children  of  their  marriage  are  Dorothea  Nerreter 
Peters,  and  Charles  H.  Peters,  third  of  the  name. 

Judge  R.  R.  Pe.vler.  As  soldier,  lawyer,  judge,  legislator,  banker 
and  public  spirited  citizen.  Judge  Pealer  has  been  a  notable  figure  in 
Michigan  for  many  years,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Three  Rivers  in 
St.  Joseph  county  since  1867. 

Russel  Ralph  Pealer  was  bom  in  Greenwood,  Columbia  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  I,  1842,  a  son  of  George  and  Rebecca  Boyd  (Hamp- 
ton) Pealer,  and  a  grandson  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Kuder)  Pealer.  Daniel 
Pealer  was  a  Pennsylvania  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  at  one  time 
owned  and  operated  fourteen  hundred  acres.  His  wife  was  of  a  Ger- 
man family  and  the  Pealer  ancestors  came  from  the  Black  Forest  of 
Germany.  George  Pealer,  the  father,  was  bom  in  Columbia  county, 
PennsyKania,  August  22,  1818,  and  followed  farming  and  lumbering.  He 
was  a  Methodist,  and  in  politics  a  W  big  and  later  a  strong  Republican, 
and  filled  local  offices.  His  wife,  Rebecca  Hampton,  was  born  at  Blooms- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1819,  was  well  educated,  taught  school  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  while  boarding  with  the  family  of  Daniel  Pealer  became 
acquainted  with  her  future  husband.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Rosanna  (Hopkins)  Hampton.  Her  grandfather,  Caleb  Hopkins, 
was  the  founder  and  first  rector  of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Bloomsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  early  life  had  served  as  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary army. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  Judge  Pealer  has  always  taken  an  inter- 
est in  agricultural  matters,  and  later  in  life  owned  and  improved  a  couple 
of  fine  farms  in  his  section  of  Alichigan,  and  also  invested  in  western 
lands.  He  studied  at  home  and  in  the  public  schools  until  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  later  was  a  student  in  the  New  Columbus  Normal  School 
and  the  Orangeville  Normal.  He  often  walked  five  miles  to  and  from 
school  and  paid  most  of  his  expenses  by  teaching.  From  his  mother 
he  received  special  encouragement  toward  a  higher  education,  and  as  a 
boy  he  definitely  determined  upon  the  law  as  a  vocation  and  was  plan- 
ning to  enter  the  Albany  Law  School  in  New  York,  when  the  Ci\'il  war 
came  on.  He  was  attending  school  at  the  time  of  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  and  then  went  to  \\'ashington  and  volunteered  to  assist  in 
the  care  of  the  wounded.  On  September  9,  1862,  he  enlisted  for  three 
years  as  a  private  in  Company  E  of  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Cavalry  and  served  until  honorably  discharged  August  11,  1865.  For 
"meritorious  conduct"  he  was  promoted  to  sergeant  major  of  the  reg- 
iment, and  later  was  commissioned  second  and  then  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  E,  acted  as  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  served  on  the  staff  of 
the   regimental   and   brigade   commanders,   and   at   times   commanded   a 


2230  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

company  and  sonielinies  a  squadron,  and  during  the  battle  of  Reams 
Station  was  temporarily  in  command  of  the  Second  Pennsylvania  Cav- 
alry. Judge  Pealer  participated  in  thirty-five  battles  and  engagements, 
including  the  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg  campaigns,  and  the  engage- 
ments at  Shepardstown,  Culpeper,  Mine  Run,  Sulphur  Springs,  the 
Wilderness  campaign.  Cold  Harbor,  North  Anna,  Petersburg,  Weldon 
Railroad,  Plank  Road  and  Hatcher's  Run.  While  leading  Companies  E 
and  I  in  the  Rattle  of  Hatcher's  Run  he  was  wounded,  and  was  carried 
from  the  field  on  a  stretcher,  and  then  removed  a  distance  of  six  hun- 
dred miles  to  his  home.  The  ball  was  extracted  in  Baltimore,  and  he 
was  cared  for  by  his  mother  at  his  home  until  able  to  return  on  crutches 
to  his  regiment. 

While  recovering  from  his  wound  he  studied  civil  engineering,  and 
after  the  war  defrayed  some  of  the  expenses  of  his  legal  education  by 
work  as  a  surveyor.  He  began  the  regular  study  of  law  at  Lynchburg, 
Virginia,  entered  a  law  office  in  Bloomsburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  September, 
1865,  and  just  two  years  later,  on  September  3,  1867,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  soon  afterwards  removed  to  Three  Rivers,  Michigan,  and 
began  practice  November  12,  1867.  During  his  first  year  at  Three 
Rivers  he  collected  only  one  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  for  professional 
services,  and  paid  a  hundred  dollars  for  office  rent.  The  second  year 
his  receipts  were  oxer  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  from  that  time  on  he 
had  a  lucrative  business.  Early  in  his  career  he  was  elected  Circtiit 
Court  Commissioner  and  later  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  St.  Joseph 
county.  During  his  term  as  prosecutor,  and  at  his  request,  a  grand  jury 
was  called  and  thirty-three  indictments  were  returned,  and  all  the  accused 
pleaded  guilty,  except  three,  who  were  tried  and  convicted.  From  Jan- 
uary I,  1882,  to  January  i,  1888,  Mr.  Pealer  served  as  circuit  judge  of 
the  Fifteenth  Judicial  Circuit.  No  further  comment  on  his  work  as  a 
jurist  is  required  than  a  partial  quotation  from  resolutions  that  may  be 
found  on  the  court  records  imder  date  of  Februarv',  1888,  by  the  Branch 
County  Bar  Association:  "Presiding  with  dignity,  he  was  never  caustic 
nor  overbearing,  always  giving  a  respectful  hearing  and  consideration 
to  the  argiunents  of  counsel,  his  decisions  have  merited  and  received 
our  respect,  even  when  against  us.  Zealous  to  guard  public  interests,  he 
has  pushed  the  business  of  the  court  with  untiring  energy,  but  at  the 
same  time  has  carefully  protected  the  rights  and  interests  of  litigants.  An 
able  and  conscientious  judge,  who  has  studiously  kept  himself  in  line  of 
knowledge  and  before  deciding  has  carefully  investigated  all  questions 
coming  before  him.  he  has  done  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  the 
Bench  from  which  he  is  about  to  retire." 

On  retiring  from  the  Bench  Judge  Pealer  overcame  a  strong  opjio- 
sition  and  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
While  in  the  legislature  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  enactment  of  the 
Local  Option  Law,  among  many  other  important  measures.  Later  he 
was  a  Republican  candidate  for  the  nomination  for  judge  of  the  supreme 
court,  and  had  the  united  support  of  his  county,  judicial  and  congres- 
sional districts,  and  was  second  in  the  state  convention  among  the  seven 
candidates.  Jud,ge  Pealer  is  practically  a  birthright  Republican,  his 
father  and  grandfather  before  him  having  been  Whigs,  and  his  father 
a  sup]X)rtcr  of  Fremont  in  the  first  Reinil)lican  campaign  of  1856.  He 
acquired  his  first  ideas  of  jiolitical  afiairs  from  that  great  mouthpiece  of 
politics,  the  Nav  York  Tribune,  then  edited  by  Horace  Greeley.  He 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1864,  in  the  open  fields  of 
\'irginia  while  serving  as  a  soldier.  The  votes  were  collected  and  returned 
to  the  State  from  which  the  soldiers  were  recruited.  He  has  participated 
actively  in  many  campaigns,  and  in  the  Garfield  campaign  was  chairman 
of  the  St.  Joseph  Republican  County  Committee  and  made  the  contest 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2231 

a  memorable  one  in  local  politics.  Under  appointment  from  Governor 
Rich,  Judge  Pealer  served  in  1897  as  one  of  the  commissioners  on  the 
compilation  of  state  laws,  and  under  Governor  Bliss  he  served  three 
years  on  the  State  Pardon  Board,  being  president  of  the  board  during 
the  last  year. 

From  1868  Judge  Pealer  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  served  as  Post  Commander,  as  Commander  of  the 
Department  of  Michigan,  and  several  times  as  Judge  Advocate  of  the 
Department,  and  also  as  Judge  Advocate  General  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  United  States.  He  took  the  lead  in  the  movement  to  erect  a  soldiers' 
and  sailors'  monument  at  Three  Rivers  and  was  chairman  of  the  Mon- 
ument Association,  and  presided  during  the  dedication  ceremonies.  He 
has  attended  most  of  the  state  and  national  encampments,  and  has  long 
been  an  active  member  of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and 
has  been  its  State  Commander.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  is  a  Knight 
Templar.  Judge  Pealer  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  since  1859,  has  filled  the  offices  in  his  home  church  and  Sunday 
school,  and  has  also  been  a  delegate  to  the  annual  conference  and  a  lay 
delegate  from  the  Michigan  Conference  to  the  general  conference. 

In  business  affairs  at  Three  Rivers  he  served  for  six  years  as  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  during  that  time  the  First  National  took 
over  the  business  of  the  Three  Rivers  National,  and  he  was  also  receiver 
for  the  First  National  liank  of  White  Pigeon.  Owning  a  summer  home 
at  Bay  \"iew,  near  Petoskey,  Judge  Pealer  became  a  well  known  figure 
among  the  summer  citizens  of  that  noted  resort,  became  a  trustee  and 
took  an  active  part  in  its  affairs. 

On  Christmas  Day  of  1868  Judge  Pealer  married  Sallie  A.  Stevens,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Alary  (Fellows)  Stevens.  She  died  Novem- 
ber 6,  1871,  leaving  two  daughters:  Anna  G.,  now  wife  of  George  F. 
Knappen,  a  South  f)akota  banker;  and  Alary  A.,  now  wife  of  J.  W.  Brey- 
fogle.  a  St.  Joseph  county  farmer.  Judge  Pealer  is  especially  fond  of  his 
grandchildren,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  these  two  daughters.  His  sec- 
ond wife  was  Amanda  Stevens,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  who  lived  about 
a  year  and  a  half  after  her  marriage  and  died  Alarch  28,  1874.  He  mar- 
ried, April  15,  1875,  for  his  third  wife,  Sue  F.  Santee,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Santee,  who  was  a  Alethodist  minister  and  a  friend  and  supporter 
of  David  Wilmot,  the  author  of  the  "Wilmot  Proviso."  Mrs.  Pealer  has 
been  a  devoted  wife  and  stepmother,  above  the  average  in  ability  and  edu- 
cation, having  been  a  teacher,  and  has  been  active  in  church,  woman's 
clubs  and  other  social  affairs  at  Three  Rivers.  Judge  Pealer  has  indulged 
his  taste  for  travel  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  while  in  England  his 
badge  of  the  Loyal  Legion  secured  his  admission  to  an  open  session  of  the 
House  of  Parliament  and  other  places  from  which  the  ordinary  traveler 
is  barred. 

Hon.  Orl.\ndo  M.  Barnes  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  he  was  born  in  1824,  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Abbott)  Barnes. 
His  father,  a  ^Michigan  pioneer,  removed  his  family  from  the  Empire 
State  to  Michigan  in  1836,  one  year  after  the  State  had  been  admitted  to 
the  Union,  and  settled  in  Ingham  County  where  he  established  a  home 
and  followed  farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Orlando  AI.  Barnes  was  given  good  educational  advantages  in  his 
youth,  graduating  from  the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  class  of 
1850.  After  a  year  of  study  in  law  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Mason 
in  1851  and  there  began  practice.  In  1852  he  was  appointed  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Ingham  County  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  in  1854  was  elected 
to  that  office  in  which  he  served  a  full  term  and  returned  to  private 


2232  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

practice.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Jackson,  Lansing  &  Saginaw 
Railroad  Company  Mr.  Barnes  was  chosen  secretary  of  the  company  and 
in  1 87 1  withdrew  from  general  practice  of  law  to  devote  all  his  time 
to  the  interests  of  the  railroad,  of  which  he  subse([uently  also  became 
the  legal  adviser,  general  attorney  and  land  commissioner,  serving  in 
the  last  named  capacity  for  a  period  of  thirty-three  years  and  until  the 
day  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Barnes  was  prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  State  and  filled 
various  official  positions,  both  by  election  and  appointment.  In  1862  he 
was  sent  to  the  JMichigan  Legislature  and  was  a  conspicuous  and  active 
member  of  that  body,  taking  a  leading  part  in  the  framing  of  legisla- 
tion during  that  stirring  period.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  the  .State  Prison  Boards  and  became  a  recognized  authority 
and  writer  on  penological  subjects.  For  thirteen  years  he  was  an 
acti\e  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee,  and  for  four 
years  the  Michigan  member  of  the  National  Democratic  Committee.  In 
1878  he  was  made  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  gubernatorial 
honors. 

Mr.  Barnes  continued  to  be  a  great  student  throughout  his  life,  not 
only  of  political  and  economic  subjects,  but  also  of  literature  and  art, 
and  his  private  library  continued  to  be  one  of  the  finest  and  most  com- 
plete in  ^lichigan,  while  his  collection  of  Shakespeare's  works  was  unsur- 
passed in  the  State.  Mr.  Barnes  became  a  resident  of  the  City  of  Lansing 
in  1875  and  was  elected  mayor  of  that  city  in  1877,  and  continued  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city  until  his  death,  which  occurred  November  11,  1899. 

In  1852  Mr.  Barnes  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  W.  Fleming,  who 
was  born  at  Romulus,  Seneca  County,  New  York,  daughter  of  John 
Fleming,  who  brought  his  family  to  Michigan  in  1844  ^"d  settled  near 
Albion.  Mrs.  Barnes,  who  is  still  living  and  in  her  ninetieth  year,  has 
been  the  mother  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living,  Orlando 
F.,  Edward  A.,  a  resident  of  Detroit ;  and  Marriette  A.,  who  married 
Professor  George  W.  Knight,  professor  of  history  at  the  Ohio  State 
University,  Coliunlnis,  Ohio. 

Hon.  ORL.\Nno  F.  B.vrnes.  Equally  as  business  man,  public-spirited 
citizen  and  one  identified  with  political  and  public  affairs,  Hon.  Orlando 
F.  Barnes,  of  Lansing,  is  justly  regarded  as  a  thoroughly  representative 
Michigander.  .At  various  times  holding  positions  of  responsibility  and 
trust,  he  has  steadily  advanced  in  public  confidence  and  esteem,  and  in 
his  present  capacity  as  chairman  of  the  state  board  of  tax  commissioners, 
he  is  rendering  his  nati\e  state  distinguished  services.  Mr.  liarnes  was 
born  at  Mason,  Ingham  county,  Michigan,  November  7,  1856,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Orlando  M.  Barnes,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Ingham  county 
and  subsequently  liecame  one  of  his  state's  most  prominent  men. 

CJrlando  F.  Barnes  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  class  of  1880,  receiving  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  during  that  same  year  entered  upon  a  business 
career  at  Lansing  that  steadily  brought  him  to  the  forefront  among  his 
state's  successful  and  forceful  men.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  manufacturing  and  banking  interests  of  Lansing, 
but  during  the  financial  and  industrial  depression  of  1893  not  a  few  of 
the  enter])riscs  with  which  he  was  associated  met  with  reverses,  and 
he  withdrew  from  that  line  of  endeavor.  In  1896  Mr.  Banies  went  to 
Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  where  for  four  years  he  was  variously  identified 
with  business  ventures,  and  in  1901  returned  to  Michigan  to  interest  him- 
self in  real  estate  activities  in  Crawford  county,  where  his  holdings 
expanded  year  by  year  under  his  careful  and  skillful  management  until 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2233 

he  owned  one  of  the  largest  stock  ranches  of  that  section,  together  with 
other  vakiable  property.  Mr.  Barnes  has  been  intimately  connected  with 
the  development  of  that  part  of  [Michigan  both  in  a  private  and  official 
capacity,  holding  many  electi\-e  and  appointive  offices  including  the 
Treasurership  of  the  Xortheastern  ^Michigan  Development  Bureau,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  continues  to  retain  his  legal 
residence  in  Crawford  County,  though  occupied  mainly  with  official 
duties  in  Lansing. 

When  but  twenty-five  years  of  age  ]\Ir.  Barnes  was  elected  mayor 
of  the  City  of  Lansing  in  1882  and  was  re-elected  to  that  office  in  1883. 
In  1888  he  became  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  6th 
Congressional  District,  and  was  again  nominated  for  that  office  in  1890, 
but  declined  the  nomination  on  account  of  his  manifold  business  interests. 
]\Ir.  Barnes  served  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee  and  has  been  several  times  chairman  of  State  conven- 
tions, and  during  two  campaigns  served  as  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
presidential  elector.  On  January  i,  1913,  Governor  Ferris  appointed 
Mr.  Barnes  one  of  the  Board  of  State  Tax  Commissioners,  and  on  Jan- 
uary I,  1914,  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Board.  On  the  expiration 
of  the  term  for  which  he  was  appointed  to  the  Board  of  State  Tax  Com- 
missioners January  I,  1915,  Mr.  Barnes  was  reappointed  to  that  Board 
and  continues  as  chairman. 

]\Ir.  Barnes  was  married  on  April  20,  1882,  to  Aliss  ^larj'  L.  Wood- 
ward of  Boston,  Mass.,  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  that  name  which 
has  been  in  Massachusetts  for  many  generations.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  four  of  whom :  Orlando  ^I.  Barnes,  a  graduate  of  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  of  the  Harvard 
Law  School  is  practicing  attorney  in  New  York  State ;  Lena  W.  Barnes, 
wife  of  Howard  \\  Luce  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana ;  and  Mildred  and 
Eleanor  single,  are  still  living. 

Mortimer  E.  Cooley.  The  greatness  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, at  Ann  Arbor,  is  due  to  the  fact  that,  through  the  generosity  of 
the  State,  the  institution  has  retained  from  early  years  a  faculty  of  the 
highest  order.  To  Professor  Cooley  has  been  largely  due  in  recent 
years  the  upbuilding  of  its  fine  department  of  engineering,  with  which 
he  has  been  actively  identified  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  of  which 
he  has  been  the  Dean  since  1903.  His  original  assignment  to  the  uni- 
versity was  made  by  the  United  States  Navy  Department  in  the  year 
1881.  Of  distinguished  scientific  attainments  and  marked  executive  abil- 
ity, Professor  Cooley  has  been  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  develop  to  a 
high  standard  the  Engineering  Department,  and  he  has  otherwise  served 
Michigan  in  semi-professional  connections  that  entitle  him  to  the  lasting 
gratitude  and  honor  of  the  State  and  its  people.  The  brief  outline  of  his 
career. that  is  possible  of  reproduction  in  this  publication  cannot  fail  to 
prove  of  interest  to  all  citizens  of  Michigan  and  to  the  many  who  have 
profited  from  his  instructions  during  the  long  period  of  his  alliance  with 
the  University. 

Mortimer  Elwyn  Cooley  was  born  at  Canandaigua,  New  York,  on 
the  28th  of  March,  1855.  and  was  reared  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years 
on  the  homestead  farm  of  his  parents.  His  rudimentary  education  was 
acquired  in  the  district  school  and  was  supplemented  by  his  attending 
the  Canandaigua  Academy,  an  institution  then  famed  for  the  thorough- 
ness of  its  scholastic  work.  In  the  winters  of  1872-3  and  1873-4  he  taught 
a  district  school,  and  the  money  thus  earned  was  applied  to  paying  his 
tuition  at  the  academy.  During  the  ftutumn  and  spring  Professor  Cooley 
walked  to  and  from  the  academy,  distant  about  three  and  one-half  miles 


2234  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

from  his  home,  and  this  daily  journeying  was  necessarily  a  study  hour, 
as  no  time  was  available  for  such  a])])licalion  after  he  reached  his  home. 

In  the  summer  of  1874,  in  casting  about  for  means  to  further  his 
education,  he  learned  of  the  law  providing  for  the  appointment  of  cadet 
engineer  to  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  on  competitive  examina- 
tion. With  no  assistance  and  without  influence  of  any  kind,  he  made 
personal  application  by  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  accompanied 
by  a  physician's  certificate  as  to  his  physical  condition  and  a  clergyman's 
letter  as  to  his  character,  and  was  gratified  beyond  measure  when  he 
received  permission  to  try  the  examination  at  Annapolis  in  the  following 
September. 

The  summer  months  were  devoted  to  the  work  of  preparation,  in  so 
far  as  time  was  granted  him  at  intervals  of  busy  application  onthe  home 
farm.  The  subject  of  physics,  or  natural  philosophy,  as  it  was  then  desig- 
nated, he  had  never  studied  and  in  this  domain  he  had  to  make  prepara- 
tion without  assistance  save  that  afi'orded  by  textbooks.  It  was  with  no 
little  difficulty  and  anxiety  that  Professor  Cooley  went  to  Annapolis  for 
the  examination,  but  his  ambition  and  courage  were  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency, though  his  equanimity  was  not  heightened  when  he  arrived  at  his 
destination  and  found  eighty  or  more  applicants  for  the  twenty-five 
coveted  appointments. 

The  few  days  in  Annapolis  were  strenuous  in  their  exactions  and 
conditions.  In  one  room,  on  the  top  floor  of  the  old  Mar}dand  Hotel, 
lived  candidates  from  eight  difl^'erent  states.  They  did  not  sleep.  The 
proprietor  tried  to  turn  them  out  each  night,  but  as  his  guests  grew 
accustomed  to  the  racket  and  found  it  did  not  avail  to  protest,  the  young 
men  stayed  on.  Professor  Cooley  faithfully  attended  every  examination, 
staying  the  full  time  and  doing  his  level  best.  .\t  the  close  of  the  exam- 
ination he  returned  home  and,  feeling  that  he  had  failed,  accepted  a 
position  as  teacher  in  the  Canandaigua  Acadeni}'. 

About  two  weeks  later  he  received  a  telegram  ordering  him  to  report 
at  Annapolis  without  delay.  Imagine  his  surprise  on  arriving  in  .Annap- 
olis to  learn  that  he  had  passed  the  examination  with  the  seventh  high- 
est record,  and  this  number  was  his  also  at  the  time  of  his  graduation, 
in  June,  1878.  At  the  academy  he  was  for  two  years  captain  of  his  class 
crew,  and  it  was  his  privilege  also  to  row  with  the  same  in  one  regatta. 
Just  before  the  second  year's  race  a  great  storm  swept  away  the  boat 
houses,  and  this  terminated  rowing  at  the  academy  for  that  year,  the 
sport  not  being  resumed  for  several  years  thereafter.  Professor  Cooley 
also  excelled  in  fencing  with  foils  and  broadswords  and  was  specially 
fond  of  this  indulgence. 

After  his  graduation  IVofessor  Cooley's  first  assignment  was  to  the 
United  States  Steamship  "Quinnebaug,"  which,  after  a  trial  trip,  sailed 
in  December  to  the  Mediterranean.  In  November,  1879,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  United  States  Steamship  "Alliance,"  which  on  her  return 
to  American  waters  was  attached  to  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  The 
Alliance  was  for  several  months  in  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  undergoing 
repairs.  In  December,  1879,  Professor  Cooley  obtained  a  month's  leave 
from  his  shij),  which  he  utilized  by  going  to  I-'airport,  Monroe  County, 
New  York,  where,  on  Christmas  day,  was  solemnized  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Carolyn  E.  Moseley.  He  returned  to  his  ship  in  January  and  sjient 
the  summer  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  thence  sailing  finally  for  the 
West  Indies.  On  the  3d  of  December,  1880,  he  was  detached  from 
the  "Alliance"  and  on  the  29th  of  the  following  March  was  ordered  to 
duty  in  the  government  Bureau  of  Steam  Engineering,  at  Washington. 

Congress  in  1879  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  detail  of  assistant 
engineers  of  the  navy  to  teach  marine  engineering  and  iron  shipbuilding 
in  colleges  and  technical  schools.     The  Uni\ersity  of  Michigan  was  the 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2235 

first  university  to  take  advantage  of  the  provisions  of  this  act  and  to 
apply  for  such  a  detail.  In  August,  iS8i,  Professor  Cooley  was  ordered 
by  the  Navy  Department  to  report  for  duty  at  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan. At  the  expiration  of  the  customary  detail  of  three  years'  dura- 
tion his  detail  was  extended  another  year  at  the  special  request  of  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  University,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year,  by  invi- 
tation of  the  President  and  Regents,  Professor  Cooley  resigned  from  the 
navy  and  accepted  the  chair  of  mechanical  engineer.  He  has  since  given 
the  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  engineering  department,  which  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
most  popular  and  important  on  the  university  campus.  Its  success  has 
been  the  one  great  object  of  his  life.  A  large  and  modern  building  has 
within  recent  years  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  this  finely 
equipped  department.  To  compass  this  end  Professor  Cooley  worked 
earnestly  and  tirelessly  for  many  years. 

As  a  citizen  Professor  Cooley  has  been  essentially  progressive  and 
public-spirited.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  fire  commissioners 
of  Ann  Arbor  in  1890  and  was  president  of  the  city  council  in  1891-2, 
his  name  having  at  the  time  of  his  re-election  appeared  on  all  tickets  in 
the  field  except  one.  He  has  served  as  a  vice-president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  and  as  a  fellow  of  the  Amer- 
ican Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  he  held  for  one  year  the 
vice-presidency  of  the  section  on  engineering.  He  also  holds  member- 
ship in  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  in  which  he  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Direction.  He  is  a  valued  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Educa- 
tion, a  member  of  the  United  States  Society  of  Naval  Engineers,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Franklin  Institute,  a  former  president  of  the  Michigan  Engi- 
neering Society,  member  of  the  Detroit  Engineering  Society,  and  in  the 
Michigan  metropolis  he  holds  membership  in  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Yon- 
dotega  Club  and  the  Prismatic  Club.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Sigma 
Phi  fraternity  and  the  Sigma  Xi  and  Tau  Beta  Pi  societies.  As  a  Mason 
he  has  completed  the  circle  of  the  York  Rite,  in  which  his  afiiliation  is 
with  the  Ann  Arbor  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar. 

The  exactions  of  his  work  in  connection  with  the  university  have 
left  to  Professor  Cooley  little  time  for  literary  work  other  than  college 
lectures  and  professional  reports  and  papers,  though  he  is  frequently 
called  upon  for  addresses,  especially  upon  scientific  subjects.  His  pro- 
fessional counsel  has  been  much  sought  in  Michigan  and  other  States. 
He  planned  the  heating  and  power  plants  for  a  number  of  the  State 
institutions  of  Michigan,  in  both  the  lower  and  upper  peninsula.  In  1899 
he  was  appointed  a  special  appraiser  for  the  Detroit  Street  Railway  Com- 
mission, having  charge  of  the  power  plants  and  rolling  stock,  stores  and 
supplies.  This  work  was  organized,  executed  and  reported  in  about  one 
week's  time,  and  gave  an  appraised  valuation  for  his  part  of  nearly  two 
million  dollars.  In  1900  he  was  appointed  by  the  State  Tax  Commission 
to  value  the  physical  properties  of  all  the  specific  t-ax-paying  properties 
in  Michigan,  including  railroads,  steamships,  telegraphs,  telephones,  plank 
roads,  river  improvements,  express  companies,  and  private  car  lines. 
This  herculean  task  was  practically  completed  by  him  in  four  months' 
time,  the  field  work  being  done  m  less  than  ninety  days.  The  aggregate 
valtie  approximated  $240,000,000.  In  October,  1902,  Professor  Cooley 
was  employed  by  the  government  of  Newfoundland  to  assist  in  apprais- 
ing the  mechanical  equipment  of  a  portion  of  the  Newfoundland  rail- 
ways. In  1903  he  was  consulting  engineer  on  the  Wisconsin  railroad 
valuation.  In  his  extensive  practice.  Professor  Cooley  has  had  charge  of, 
or  been  associated  with,  the  valuation  of  property  aggregating  in  value 
more  than  one  and  one-half  billions  of  dollars.    He  has  served  as  expert 


2236  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

witness  on  many  trials  inxohing-  the  validity  of  patents,  and  as  consult- 
ing engineer  in  many  other  litigated  causes. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Xaval  Brigade,  now  retired  after 
sixteen  years  of  active  service,  and  served  as  chief  engineer  on  the 
auxiliary  cruiser  "Yosemite"  during  the  Spanish-American  war.  This 
vessel  was  in  ser\-ice  off  Havana,  Santiago  and  other  points  and  effected 
the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  vessel  "Antonio  Lopez"  near  San  Juan, 
Porto  Rico.  ,  Following  this  patriotic  service  Professor  Cooley  was 
attached  to  the  League  Island  navy  yard  until  February,  1899,  when  he 
received  his  honorable  discharge  from  the  navy.  In  appreciation  of  his 
services  in  the  war  he  received  from  the  city  of  .\nn  Arbor  a  silver 
medal,  and  bronze  medals  from  the  State  of  Michigan  and  the  city  of 
Detroit,  and  the  .Sampson  war  medal.  He  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  marine  engineering,  the  committee  on  the  State  educational 
exhibit  of  Alichigan,  and  chairman  of  the  committee  on  the  University 
of  Michigan's  exhibit  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  in  1893; 
and  was  a  juror  on  the  committee  of  awards  at  the  Pan-.\merican  Expo- 
sition in  1901.  In  1898,  and  again  in  1903,  he  was  tendered  the  office 
of  dean  of  the  engineering  department  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
and  in  the  latter  year  he  was  importuned  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the 
Colorado  .State  School  of  Mines.  His  refusal  of  these  overtures  indicate 
his  loyalty  to  the  University   of   Michigan. 

In  1903-4  Professor  Cooley  was  called  to  assist  the  State  of  Michigan 
in  the  preparation  of  its  cases  in  the  suit  brought  by  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral and  twenty-seven  other  railroad  companies  to  enjoin  the  auditor 
general  from  collecting  the  taxes  imposed  under  the  ad  valorem  tax  law 
passed  by  the  legislature  after  the  appraisal  of  1900.  This  work  con- 
sisted of  a  revaluation  of  the  physical  properties  of  the  railroads  in  con- 
formity with  the  conditions  at  the  date  of  the  assessment,  in  April,  1902. 
Nine  months  were  demanded  in  its  completion,  with  the  circumspection 
and  fidelity  ever  characteristic  of  Professor  Cooley. 

He  to  whom  this  sketch  is  dedicated  has  been  dean  of  the  department 
of  engineering  in  the  University  of  Michigan  since  February,  1904,  and 
from  one  division  the  department  has,  within  the  time  of  his  identifica- 
tion therewith,  grown  to  include  six  divisions  of  sub-departments — civil, 
mechanical,  electrical,  chemical  and  marine,  besides  compassing  also  gen- 
eral and  naval  architecture.  The  department  has  now  an  attendance  of 
over  1,500  students.  This  fact  is  significant  when  it  is  stated  that  when 
its  present  dean  assumed  a  place  with  the  university  the  department  had 
an  enrollment  of  less  than  seventy-fi\'e  students. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  marriage  of  Professor  Cooley. 
His  wife  has  proved  a  most  popular  factor  in  the  social  life  of  Ann 
Arbor.  They  have  four  children :  Lucy  Alliance,  who  was  named  by 
the  officers  of  the  United  States  Steamship  "Alliance,"  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  child  born  to  a  member  of  the  class  of  1878  in  the 
United  States  Naval  .\cademy :  Hollis  Moseley  entered  the  naval  acad- 
emy in  September,  1902,  and  is  now  a  lieutenant,  and  senior  watch  offi- 
cer on  the  United  States  Battleship  "Florida ;"  the  younger  children  are 
Anna  Elizabeth  and  Margaret  Achsah.  All  are  married,  and  there  are 
four  grandchildren. 

Rev.  Willi.\m  N.  Lyster  came  to  Michigan  when  it  was  still 
a  territory,  having  left  a  home  of  refinement  and  culture  in  the 
south  of  Ireland,  where  he  had  but  recently  graduated  from  that 
ancient  and  historic  seat  of  learning,  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  His  family 
were  of  Anglo-Irish  stock,  as  were  many  of  the  land  holders  of  the  south 
of  Ireland."  He  was  descended  from  the  ancient  family  of  Lister  or 
Lvster,  which  was  settled  on  the  borders  of  the  Kibble  in  the  West  Riding 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2237 

of  Yorkshire,  England,  as  early  as  1312.  The  eldest  branch  of  the  family 
is  still  located  there,  having  occupied  the  present  estate  for  more  than  six 
centuries,  it  being  now  held  by  Lord  Ribblesdale,  the  present  head  of  the 
family.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  (c.  1590) 
Walter  Lister,  one  of  the  younger  sons  of  this  branch,  went  to  Ireland  as 
secretary  to  Hon.  Geoffrey  Osbaldcston,  Chief  Justice  of  Connaught, 
whose  daughter  he  married,  and  from  this  union  were  descended  the 
Lysters  of  Ireland. 

William  Narcissus  Lyster  was  born  at  Sion  (a  family  seat).  County 
Wexford,  Ireland,  on  the  5lh  of  March.  1805,  and  was  the  second  son  of 
Captain  William  John  Lyster  of  County  Wexford,  and  Martha  Hatton, 
his  wife,  daughter  of  John  Hatton,  Esq.,  of  Ballymartin,  in  the  same 
county.  He  entered  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  in  1822  and  graduated  from 
there  with  the  class  of  1826  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He 
then  studied  Theology  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  while  there  in 
1827  made  the  acquaintance  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  whom  he  visited  at 
Abbotsford.  He  took  orders  in  the  Church  of  England,  being  ordained 
in  1830. 

In  1829  he  first  visited  America,  being  then  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
four,  his  interest  in  this  country  having  been  inspired  by  Bishop  Chase  of 
Ohio,  whom  he  heard  preach  in  Great  Britain.  He  returned  to  Ireland 
the  same  year  and  in  1832  married  Ellen  Emily  Cooper,  daughter  of  John 
Cooper,  Esq.,  of  Birch  Grove,  County  Wexford,  Ireland.  That  year  he 
came  to  America  to  make  his  home,  going  first  to  Cleveland,  where  he 
became  rector  of  old  Trinity  church.  In  1833  he  settled  in  Tecumseh, 
Lenawee  county,  which  at  that  time  was  one  of  the  important  points  in  the 
territory  of  Michigan.  Here  he  became  one  of  the  pioneer  clergymen 
in  the  Episcopal  church  in  Michigan,  becoming  rector  of  St.  Peter's' 
church  at  Tecumseh.  which  still  stands  as  the  oldest  Episcopal  church 
west  of  the  Alleghenies. 

It  is  only  fitting  that  a  short  reference  be  made  to  some  of  the  work- 
he  did  among  the  early  pioneers  in  this  state.  He  organized  the  parish 
of  Tecumseh  and  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  church  there  October  10, 
1833.  From  July.  1834,  to  ]\Iarch,  1835,  he  was  absent  in  the  East  and 
South  soliciting  funds  for  the  completion  of  the  church.  A  partial  list 
of  subscriptions  was  recently  discovered  in  the  archives  of  that  church 
and  among  the  subscribers  are  such  names  as  /Andrew  Jackson  ( then 
President),  Henry  Clay,  Daniel  Webster.  Thomas  H.  Benton  and  Henry 
A.  Wise.  In  1835  he  built  St.  John's  church,  Clinton,  at  his  own  expense. 
When  he  came  to  this  country  he  brought  with  him  what  in  those  days 
was  regarded  as  a  considerable  fortune.  For  years  he  not  only  lived  off 
this,  accepting  no  salary,  but  gave  freely  in  contributions  towards  the 
erection  of  various  churches  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state.  Besides 
those  at  Tecumseh  and  Clinton  he  organized  the  following  parishes  and 
built  the  churches:  Homer,  1840-41;  Camliridge,  1843-70;  Brooklyn, 
1854-70.  He  was  also  rector  of  Christ  church,  Adrian,  1841-42;  Trinity 
church,  Monroe,  1850-54;  and  was  the  first  rector  of  Christ  church, 
Detroit.  1846-49.  He  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  clergymen  in 
the  Episcopal  church  in  the  middle  west,  and  his  name  merits  high  place 
on  the  roll  of  honored  pioneers  of  Michigan,  and  his  life  was  one  of  signal 
consecration  to  his  noble  calling,  in  which  he  did  much  to  guide  and  uplift 
his  fellow  men.  He  died  September  9.  1877,  and  is  buried  at  Elmwood 
cemetery,  Detroit.  The  regard  and  affection  in  which  he  was  held  is 
shown  in  the  memorial  window  in  Christ  church  chapel,  Detroit,  which 
was  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  late  Hon.  C.  C.  Trowbridge,  who  had 
been  his  lifelong  friend. 

His  eldest  son.  Colonel  \Ml!iam  J.  Lyster,  was  commissioned  in  the 
Union  service  at  the  inception  of  the  Civil  war,  and  went  to  the  front  as 

Vol.  IT— 31 


22:]8  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

adjutant  of  the  Second  .Michigan  \olunteer  Infantry  in  April,  1861.  He 
was  severe!)-  wounded  at  the  Ilattle  of  Shiloh.  During  the  war  he  entered 
the  regular  army,  where  gallant  and  meritorious  service  brought  about 
the  advancement,  he  finally  becoming  colonel  of  the  Ninth  United  States 
Infantry.  He  died  shortly  after  his  retirement  in  1897.  Col.  Lyster  left 
a  son,  Theodore  C.  Lyster,  who  graduated  from  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan (Ph.  B,.  1897;  M.  D.,  1899),  'i"'l  who  has  since  become  a  distin- 
guished surgeon  in  the  medical  corps  of  the  United  States  army.  He  was 
one  of  the  chief  lieutenants  of  his  uncle.  Colonel  Gorgas  ( now  surgeon- 
general,  U.  S.  army),  in  "cleaning  up"  the  Panama  Canal  Zone. 

The  second  son  of  Rev.  W.  N.  Lyster  was  Dr.  Henry  F.  Lyster,  who 
became  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Michigan  and  concerning  whom  a  spe- 
cial article  appears  in  this  history.  The  youngest  son,  Theodore  G.  Lyster, 
became  a  banker  in  Colorado,  where  he  died  in  1908.  The  only  daughter' 
Elizabeth  Lyster,  became  the  wife  of  Walter  S.  Cheesman,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Denver,  Colorado,  where  she  died  in  1871,  in  the  first  year  of 
her  marriage. 

Hen-rv  F.  Lyster,  M.  D.,  who  was  long  numbered  among  the 
distinguished  representatives  of  the  medical  profession  in  Michigan, 
spent  almost  his  entire  life  in  this  commonwealth  and  was  a  member  of 
one  of  its  honored  pioneer  families.  A  man  of  e.xalted  ideals,  gracious 
personality  and  professional  ability,  he  always  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Detroit  for  many  years,  and  his  loyalty  was  shown  at  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war  when  he  entered  the  Union  service  as  surgeon  of 
one  of  the  valiant  Michigan  regiments.  In  his  character  and  achievements 
he  honored  the  state  that  was  his  home  for  many  years,  and  was  one  of 
the  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Detroit,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  1894. 

Henry  Francis  LeHunte  Lyster  was  born  at  Sanders  Court,  County 
We.xford.  Ireland,  on  the  8th  of  November,  1837.  a  son  of  Rev.  William 
N.  Lyster,  who  came  to  Michigan  in  the  early  thirties  when  it  was  still 
a  territory  and  about  whom  a  separate  article  appears  on  preceding  pages. 
The  ancestry  of  the  Lyster  family  is  sufficiently  considered  in  that  article 
and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  repeat  it  here.  Dr.  Lyster's  father  had 
lived  four  years  in  this  country  when  he  decided  to  jiay  a  visit  to  his 
native  land.  In  June,  1836,  he  returned  to  Ireland  with  his  family,  where 
they  remained  until  Seiiteniber,  1838.  when  they  returned  to  .\merica.  It 
was  while  on  this  visit  that  his  son  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  article  was 
born  on  .November  8.  1837,  at  Sanders  Court,  which  was  a  seat  of  the 
Earl  of  .\rran,  but  at  that  time  was  held  under  lease  by  relatives,  whom 
they  were  visiting.  Thus  it  was  that  Dr.  Lyster  was'  born  in  Ireland, 
though  his  brothers  and  sister,  both  olrlcr  and  younger,  were  bom  in 
Michigan. 

.An  infant  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  return  to  .America,  Dr.  Lyster 
was  reared  to  maturity  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  .After  the  advantages 
of  private  schools  and  those  aft'orded  in  a  home  of  culture  and  refinement, 
he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1S58  with  the  degree  Bachelor  of  .Arts.  He  then  became  one  of  the  early 
students  in  the  medical  dejiartment  of  the  university,  and  his  alma  mater 
conferred  upon  him  in  i860  the  degree  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and  in  1861 
the  degree  Master  of  .Arts.  He  had  barely  established  himself  in  the 
jiracticc  of  his  profession  in  Detroit  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and 
subordinating  all  personal  interests,  he  offered  his  services  in  defense  of 
the  Union.  Volunteering  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's  call,  on 
April  25.  1861.  he  received  from  Governor  Blair  his  commission  as 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  Second  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which 


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HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2239 

his  brother,  William,  held  the  office  of  adjutant,  as  previously  noted  in 
another  article.  Dr.  Lyster  was  on  duty  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  and 
also  in  the  engagement  at  Blackburn's  Ford,  \'irginia,  in  July,  1861.  He 
was  tireless  in  his  ministrations  to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and  on 
July  15,  1862,  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  Fifth  Michigan  Volun- 
teer Infantry  with  the  rank  of  Major.  He  served  during  the  entire  Civil 
war,  1861-65,  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  was  present  in  twenty-four 
battles  and  skirmishes  and  was  wounded  in  action  May  5,  1864.  During 
his  service  he  was  surgeon  in  chief  of  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Division, 
Third  Corps,  surgeon  in  charge  of  Field  Hospital,  First  Division,  Third 
Corps,  operating  surgeon  in  Second  and  Third  Corps,  and  acting  medical 
director  and  medical  inspector  of  the  Third  Corjjs.  He  performed  the 
■  first  and  last  amputation  on  a  Michigan  soldier  during  the  war.  The  first 
was  at  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run  July  21,  1861,  and  the  last  at  Clover  Hill, 
Appomattox  Court  House,  Virginia,  April  9,  1865,  the  day  of  Lee's  sur- 
render. Dr.  Lyster's  interest  never  abated  in  the  comrades  of  the  Army 
of  the  Union,  and  he  cherished  his  afifiliation  with  both  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  and  the  Michigan  Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States,  in  which  he  was  made  a  member  of 
the  first  class,  being  one  of  the  organizers  in  Michigan,  and  where  he  was 
always  in  demand  as  an  after-dinner  speaker.  Some  of  his  responses  to 
toasts,  such  as:  "The  Army  Surgeon."  jand  "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind 
Me,"  are  still  remembered  by  many  of  his  oq/nrades  who  have  survived. 

After  the  war  Dr.  Lyster  resumed  the  practice  of  hfs  profession  in  the 
city  of  Detroit,  and  for  many  years  was  known  and  honored  as  one  of  the 
leading  surgeons  of  the  state,  his  skill  in  the  surgical  branch  of  the  profes- 
sion having  been  extraordinary.  He  keptliimself  efficient  and  up-to-date, 
was  in  love  with  his  profession,  and  practiced  the  unselfishness  which  is 
essential  to  the  highest  success,  and  held  the  regard  of  all  who  came 
within  the  sphere  of  his  gentle  influence.  Dr.  Lyster  served  as  medical 
director  of  the  Michigan  ^^utual  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  was  chief 
medical  examiner  and  referee  of  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
New  York  in  Michigan.  He  was  also  medical  examiner  for  the  Travelers 
Life  Insurance  Company,  and  served  in  the  same  capacity  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania, the  Aetna,  the  Northwestern,  the  New  England  and  the  Con- 
necticut Mutual  Life  Insurance  Companies.  He  was  also  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Association  of  Life-insurance  Medical  Directors. 
Dr.  Lyster  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  was  identified  with  the 
.•\merican  Medical  Association,  and  became  the  first  honorary  life  mem- 
ber of  the  Detroit  Medical  Library  Association,  the  interests  of  which  he 
did  much  to  promote  in  the  early  stages  of  its  history.  He  was  a  corres- 
ponding member  of  the  Gynecological  Society  of  Boston  and  an  honorary 
member  of  the  National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons.  He  had  the 
distinction  of  being  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health 
during  the  first  eighteen  years  after  it  had  been  created,  being  appointed 
by  Governor  Bagley  on  April  25,  1873,  as  one  of  its  first  members. 

As  a  citizen  Dr.  Lyster  was  animated  by  ideal  civic  loyalty  and  liberal- 
ity, and  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  general  welfare  of  his  home 
city  and  state.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  establishment  of  the 
board  of  health  of  Detroit  is  principally  due  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Lyster. 
The  necessity  of  such  a  department  of  the  city  government  had  long  been 
apparent  to  him,  and  as  chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  State 
Board  of  Health  to  devise  a  plan  he  made  a  report  of  a  prosposed  plan  at 
the  Sanitarj'  Convention  held  at  Flint  in  January,  1881  (Annual  Report 
Michigan  State  Board  of  Health.  1881  ;  R'eprint  No.  79,  p.  54).  At  that 
time  Detroit  had  no  board  of  health,  the  health  of  its  citizens  being  left 
in  the  hands  of  the  sanitary  squad  of  police,  who  at  most  could  "abate 


2240  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

nuisances  coming  to  their  attention,  particularly  if  detected  by  the  sense 
of  smell."  He  succeeded  in  having  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  of 
that  year  establishing  the  board  of  health  for  the  city  of  Detroit,  but  his 
original  plan  was  too  far  advanced  for  that  time,  although  today,  thirty- 
four  years  after,  many  of  the  reforms  then  suggested,  such  as  inspection 
of  school  children  and  dwellings,  are  now  accepted  as  a  matter  of  course 
throughout  the  country. 

Dr.  Lyster  served  as  school  inspector  and  aided  materially  in  estab- 
lishing and  developiug  the  public  high  school  system  of  Michigan.  He 
made  valuable  contributions  to  the  standard  and  periodical  literature  of 
his  profession,  and  at  one  time  was  acting  editor  of  the  Peninsular  Journal 
of  Aledicine.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  movement  that  culminated  in 
the  founding  of  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  in  Detroit,  was  presi- 
dent of  the  college  until  consolidated  with  the  Detroit  College  of  -Medicine, 
and  on  the  faculty  of  the  latter  institution  continued  as  a  popular  mem- 
ber. He  was  consulting  pliysician  to  Harper  Hospital,  the  Woman's  Hos- 
pital and  Foundlings'  Home,  and  the  Children's  Free  Hospital,  all  noble 
institutions  of  Detroit.  He  held  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1868-9,  and  that  of  Theory  and 
Practice  of  Medicine  and  Clinical  Medicine  in  1888-90.  His  life  was  one 
of  activity  and  usefulness,  he  was  a  true  and  helpful  friend  of  humanity, 
and  his  sincerity,  his  geniality  and  kindliness,  and  intellectual  and  profes- 
sional attainments  were  such  as  both  to  distinguish  him  and  to  give  him 
the  affection  of  thousantls.  It  was  in  the  prime  of  his  life  and  usefulness 
that  death  summoned  him  on  October  3,  1894,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year. 

Dr.  Lyster  was  married  in  Washington,  D.  C,  January  30,  1867,  to 
Winifred  Lee  Brent,  daughter  of  Captain  Thomas  Lee  lirent,  who  was  a 
distinguished  officer  in  the  United  States  Army,  having  been  appointed 
to  West  Point  from  Virginia  by  President  Andrew  Jackson,  and  who 
served  in  the  Light  Artillery  throughout  the  Mexican  war  as  well  as  the 
Seminole  Indian  war  in  Florida.  Captain  Brent  was  brevetted  for  gal- 
lantry at  the  Battle  of  Buena  \'ista.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Giles 
Brent,  deputy-governor  of  Maryland  during  the  absence  of  his  kinsman, 
Leonard  Calvert,  son  of  the  first  Lord  Baltimore,  and  who  was  first 
governor  of  Maryland.  Governor  Brent  went  to  Virginia  from  ^Maryland 
in  1645,  where  he  took  up  large  tracts  of  land,  part  of  which  was  held  by 
his  lineal  descendant,  Vv'illiam  Brent,  Esquire,  of  Richland,  Staft'ord 
county,  Virginia,  who  was  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Lyster.  Through  her 
great-grandmother,  Eleanor  Carroll,  she  is  related  to  the  distinguished 
Carroll  family  of  Maryland,  and  through  her  grandmother  Winifred  Lee 
to  the  famous  Lee  family  of  X'irginia.  While  a  young  lieutenant  in  the 
Regular  army  Captain  Brent  was  stationed  in  Detroit,  and  met  and  mar- 
ried Jane  Wilkins,  daughter  of  Judge  Ross  Wilkins.  one  of  the  leading 
lawyers  and  jurists  of  Michigan.  Judge  Wilkins  was  born  in  Penn.syl- 
vania,  was  reared  and  educated  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  state,  and 
in  1832  came  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  after  having  been  appointed 
territorial  judge  by  President  Jackson.  He  served  with  distinction  on 
the  bench  of  the  United  States  district  court  in  Michigan,  and  his  service 
as  a  judge  continued  without  interruption  from  1832  until  his  voluntary 
retirement  in  1870.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  convention 
of  1835  and  gave  valualjle  service  as  a  regent  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, to  which  office  he  was  first  appointed  in  1837,  the  year  of  Michigan's 
admission  to  the  Union.  He  continued  to  reside  at  Detroit,  one  of  its 
most  honored  and  distinguished  citizens,  until  his  death  in  1872. 

Mrs.  Lyster  came  to  Detroit  on  the  death  of  her  father  in  1858  to  live 
with  her  grandfather.  Judge  Wilkins.  She  was  a  young  woman  of  twenty 
when,  in  1862,  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  she  wrote  the  verses  of 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2241 

"Michigan,  My  Michigan,"  which  instantly  became  a  popular  song, 
spreading  like  wildfire  throughout  the  state  and  to  the  Michigan  regiments 
in  the  field,  where  it  was  sung  around  many  a  camp  fire  throughout  the 
war  (Michigan  Pioneer  &  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  35,  page  155). 
Mrs.  Lyster  survives  her  honored  husband  and  has  her  home  in  Detroit, 
a  city  endeared  to  her  by  many  memories  and  associations,  and  though 
past  the  allotted  span  of  three  score  and  ten,  she  still  maintains  an  active 
interest  in  all  the  questions  of  the  day.  Oi  the  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Lyster,  three  sons  and  two  daughters  are  living:  Major  William  J. 
Lyster,  M.  D.,  of  the  Medical  Corps  United  States  Army,  who  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Michigan  (Ph.  B.  1892)  and  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Public  Health  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  191 1. 
He  has  distinguished  himself  in  the  army  for  his  work  in  sanitation. 
Major  Lyster  entered  the  army  in  the  Philippines  during  the  insurrection 
and  was  later  assigned  to  the  American  legation  at  Pekin,  China:  Henry 
L.  Lyster,  individually  mentioned  in  following  paragraphs ;  Thomas  L.  B. 
Lyster,  also  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  ^Michigan  (B.  S.  1901),  and 
who  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Mechanical  Engineering  from  Cor- 
nell University  in  1903  and  is  now  an  electrical  and  mechanical  engmeer 
at  Niagara  Falls,  New  York;  Eleanor  Carroll  Parker,  the  widow  of 
Edward  H.  Parker  of  Detroit;  and  Florence  M.  Rutherford,  wife  of 
Captain  S.  McP.  Rutherford,  of  the  Cavalry  Corps,  U.  S.  Army. 

Henry  L.  Lv.ster.  A  memlier  of  the  Detroit  bar  since  i8g6,  Henry  L. 
Lyster  is  a  native  son  of  Detroit  whose  success  in  the  law  has  added  to  the 
distinction  enjoyed  in  the  Lyster  family  in  that  city.  The  father  of  Mr. 
Lyster  was  the  late  Dr.  Henry  F.  Lyster,  one  of  the  most  esteemed  citi- 
zens and  distinguished  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Detroit,  of  whom  an 
account  appears  on  previous  pages  of  this  volume. 

Henry  Laurence  Lyster  was  born  at  Detroit  December  22,  1872.  His 
early  education  was  in  the  private  and  public  schools  of  that  city.  He 
left  the  high  school  to  go  to  Europe,  where  he  studied  for  two  years  and 
a  half  in  \Veimar,  Germany,  and  at  Geneva,  Switzerland.  He  entered  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1892,  graduating 
with  the  degree  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1893.  Having  already  directed  some 
attention  to  the  study  of  law,  he  was  able  to  graduate  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  university  in  1896  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Since  his 
admission  to  the  bar  his  career  as  a  lawyer  has  been  spent  in  Detroit.  The 
firm  of  Donnelly,  Lyster,  Brennan  &  ^Nlunro,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
has  a  large  and  important  practice  in  the  courts  of  the  State  and  United 
States.  Mr.  Lyster  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  City 
of  Detroit,  the  Michigan  Bar  Association  and  the  American  Bar  Asso- 
ciation. As  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve  from  1897  to  1899 
he  saw  service  with  other  members  of  that  organization  on  board  the  U. 
S.  S.  "Yosemite"  in  the  West  Indies  during  the  Spanish-American  War 
in  i8g8.  The  record  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve  on  that  cruiser  is  a 
matter  of  pride  to  the  people  of  the  state.  It  is  not  generally  known  that 
the  crew  of  the  "Yosemite"  received  the  last  prize  or  bounty  money  paid 
by  the  government,  the  law  under  which  it  was  paid  being  repealed  by 
Congress  in  1899  after  it  had  been  operative  for  a  century.  Fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  bounty  money  was  paid  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
"Yosemite"  for  the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  cruiser  "Antonio  Lopez" 
on  June  28,  1898,  under  the  fire  of  Morro  Castle  and  the  Spanish  gun- 
boats at  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  It  was  also  the  only  bounty  money 
awarded  during  the  Spanish-American  War  where  a  superior  force  of  the 
enemy  was  engaged,  exclusive  of  the  land  batteries. 

Mr.  Lyster  is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fraternity,  and 


2242  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club.  University  Club,  Country  Club, 
Detroit  Boat  Club  and  the  Grosse  Pointe  Riding  lit  Hunt  Club. 

Gkokgk  B.  Caldwell.  Among  ^Michigan  men  who  have  made  their 
mark  in  the  business  world  outside  of  the  state  one  of  the  most  prominent 
is  George  B.  Caldwell,  who  until  recently  was  president  of  the  Investment 
Bankers  Association  of  America,  was  one  of  the  vice  presidents  of 
the  Continental  and  Commercial  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  of  Chicago,  and 
at  the  beginning  of  191 5  accepted  the  place  of  president  of  the  Sperry 
&  Hutchinson  Company  in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Caldwell,  though  not 
a  native  of  Michigan,  was  reared  in  Ionia  county,  gained  his  first  knowl- 
edge of  banking  and  general  business  affairs  in  Greenville,  Michigan, 
and  still  has  extensive  interests  in  land  in  Ionia  county,  and  is  a  director 
in  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  St.  Joseph,  Michigan. 

George  B.  Caldwell  was  born  in  Dunkirk.  New  York.  August  24, 
1863,  a  son  of  Charles  Melville  and  Mary  Ann  (Kelner)  Caldwell.  His 
father  was  bom  in  Jamestown.  New  York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  Elyria,  Ohio,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  one  of  a  family  of  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  is  the  oldest  of  the  children.  His  father,  who  was  a 
farmer,  moved  from  New  York  State  to  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  in  1868, 
when  George  was  five  years  old,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  as  one  of 
the  prominent  fanners  and  citizens  of  that  locality.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Disciples  Church,  was  affiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat. 

George  B.  Caldwell  received  his  early  education  in  the  Ionia  public 
schools  and  the  Greenville  high  school,  and  in  1881  was  graduated  from 
a  commercial  college  in  Grand  Rapids.  After  one  winter  of  teaching, 
he  began  his  business  career  as  clerk  in  a  hardware  store,  and  a  year 
later  became  bookkeeper  in  the  City  National  Bank  of  Greenville.  He 
was  promoted  to  teller,  and  remained  with  the  Greenville  bank  until 
1888,  when  he  resigned.  In  the  meantime,  in  1884,  he  was  elected  city 
clerk.  In  1886  he  obtained  a  franchise  and  established  the  first  electric 
light  plant  at  Greenville,  a  public  utility  which  he  subsequently  sold. 
In  1888  Mr.  Caldwell  removed  to  Grand  Rapids,  and  became  head  book- 
keeper for  Tucker  Hoops  &  Company,  one  of  the  largest  lumber  manu- 
facturing and  mill  owning  concerns  in  Michigan,  having  several  mills 
in  operation  at  Cliase  and  Luther,  Michigan,  and  doing  an  immense 
wholesale   business. 

In  1890  State  Auditor  George  W.  Stone  appointed  IMr.  Caldwell 
state  accountant,  and  while  in  that  office  from  1890  to  1892  he  estab- 
lished a  uniform  system  of  accounting  in  all  state  institutions  and 
boards  and  commissions.  His  next  post  was  national  bank  examiner, 
to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1893  by  the  late  James  H.  Eckels,  then 
comptroller  of  currency.  While  bank  examiner  Mr.  Caldwell  resided 
at  Detroit,  and  held  that  office  until  March,  1899. 

From  1899  to  1902  ]\Ir.  Caldwell  was  assistant  cashier  of  the  Mer- 
chants National  Bank  of  Indianapolis,  and  then  came  to  Chicago  to 
take  the  management  of  the  bond  department  for  the  American  Trust 
iS.-  Savings  Bank.  In  1910  this  institution  was  merged  with  the  Conti- 
nental and  Commercial  Trust  &  Savings  Bank,  and  Mr.  Caldwell  con- 
tinued as  manager  of  the  bond  department  and  in  191 2  was  elected  one 
of  the  vice  presidents,  thus  reaching  an  executive  post  in  one  of  the 
largest  banks  of  the  country. 

In  1912  Mr.  Caldwell  took  a  leading  part  in  the  mo\ement  to  unite  the 
bond  and  investment  houses  of  the  country  for  mutual  benefit,  and  was 
honored  with  the  post  of  president  of  the  newly  organized  Investment 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2243 

Bankers  Association  of  America,  from  whicli  he  retired  in  November, 
1914.  On  December  i,  1914,  Mr.  Caldwell  offered  his  resignation  to  the 
Continental  and  Commercial  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  in  order  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  the  Sperry  &  Hutchinson  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
and  the  pioneer  premium  giving  or  profit  sharing  companies  in  the  world. 
The  Sperry  &  Hutchinson  Company  have  been  foremost  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  feature  of  business  which  has  had  a  remarkable  growth,  and 
it  is  estimated  that  more  than  a  hundred  million  dollars  of  capital  are 
employed  by  the  company  of  which  Mr.  Caldwell  becomes  the  head. 
Mr.  Caldwell  is  only  one  of  a  number  of  prominent  western  bankers 
and  financiers  who  have  been  called  to  take  charge  of  metropolitan  insti- 
tutions in  New  York  City.  He  is  one  of  the  men  whose  names  are  recog- 
nized in  banking  circles  from  coast  to  coast,  and  as  an  instance  of  his 
standing  his  recent  message  of  encouragement  and  optimism  to  the 
business  men  of  America,  in  an  address  delivered  before  the  Third  Annual 
Convention  of  the  Investment  Bankers  Association  of  America,  received 
attention  and  was  published  in  all  the  large  papers  of  the  country,  and 
marked  the  turn  for  the  better  in  public  sentiment. 

Mr.  Caldwell  while  in  Chicago  was  a  director  of  the  Oak  Park  State 
Bank.  He  is  an  extensive  land  owner  in  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  and 
owns  most  of  the  old  homesteads.  At  Chicago  he  has  memberships  in 
the  Midday  Club,  the  Union  League  Club,  is  a  past  president  of  the  Oak 
Park  Club,  a  past  president  of  the  Michigan  Society  of  Chicago,  and  is 
affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  and  in  politics  is  an  independent. 
Mr.  Caldwell  married  Miss  Lucy  S.  Patrick  of  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  in 
1886.     They  have  one  child,  Helen  Marie  Caldwell. 

Hon.  Samuel  Nott  Warren.  From  1832  until  his  death  in  1904 — 
seventy-two  years,  Samuel  Nott  Warren  was  a  citizen  of  Michigan  whose 
career  touched  many  of  the  prominent  and  useful  points  in  civic  and 
business  activities.  His  was  no  ordinary  character.  As  an  individual, 
he  was  a  leader  among  men,  and  in  many  communities  left  his  impress 
for  practical  good.  The  following  brief  recital  of  his  life  is  one  of  the 
most  stimulating  biographies  of  Michigan  men  to  be  found  in  these 
pages. 

To  be  well  bom  is  a  great  advantage.  Mr.  Warren,  who  was  bom 
in  Orwell,  \'ermont,  September  13,  1812,  and  who  died  in  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan,  September  3,  1904,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years, 
is  of  sterling  New  England  ancestry,  and  his  forebears  in  many  instances 
had  distinguished  themselves,  both  in  their  private  activities  and  in 
public  life.  His  parents  were  David  and  Susannah  (Spaulding)  Warren. 
David  Warren  enlisted  at  Rutland,  Vermont.  November  3,  1813,  in  Cap- 
tain Thornton's  Company,  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg 
on  Lake  Champlain,  September  11,  1814.  Susannah  Spaulding's  father, 
Samson  Spaulding,  also  of  A^ermont,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
the  American  Revolution.  Susannah  Spaulding  was  also  a  niece  of  both 
Dr.  Samuel  Nott,  who  was  a  minister  of  a  church  in  Franklin,  Connec- 
ticut, for  sixty-one  years,  and  of  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  for  fifty  years 
president  of  Union  College,  New  York. 

The  boyhood  of  Samuel  Nott  Warren  was  not  materially  different 
from  other  boys  reared  in  the  rural  district  of  the  Green  Mountain 
State.  When  twelve  years  of  age,  he  left  home  to  live  with  an  uncle, 
worked  on  a  farm,  attended  school  when  permitted  to  do  so,  and  studied 
eagerly  whatever  books  he  could  obtain,  and  finally  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  a  few  terms  in  Shoreham  Academy.  He  was  fond  of  boyish 
sports,  and  at  '"general  training''  was  always  conspicuous  in  the  game. 


2244  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

While  in  his  teens  he  moved  to  New  York  State  where  he  lived  with 
relatives  for  some  years,  and  in  1832  came  to  Michigan,  being  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  Oakland  county.  His  first  settlement,  however,  was  in 
Wayne  county,  and  during  the  following  winter  he  taught  the  district 
school  in  Redford  Center.  His  summers  were  devoted  to  farm  work, 
and  his  winters  to  teaching  until  1835,  when  he  had  by  industry  and 
frugality  saved  enough  to  purchase  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Southheld, 
Oakland  county. 

On  December  31,  1834,  Samuel  Nott  Warren  married  one  of  his 
pupils,  Anna  Keeler  West,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Young- 
love)  West.  She  was  bom  in  the  town  of  Hebron.  Washington  county. 
New  Y'ork,  August  17,  181 7,  and  died  at  Ann  Arbor,  I\Iichigan,  January 
16,  1907,  in  her  ninetieth  year.  On  her  mother's  side  her  ancestry  went 
back  to  Samuel  Y'ounglove,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1606,  and  in 
September,  1635,  emigrated  from  London  on  the  ship  Hopewell,  settling 
in  Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  and  died  in  1668.  Anna  Keeler  West  was  a 
descendant  of  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army  and  from  1904  until 
her  death  was  a  member  of  the  Ann  Frisbee  Fitzhugh  Chapter  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  The  West  family  were  Quakers, 
and  some  of  them  lived  in  Dutchess  county,  New  Y'ork.  ~ 

On  the  land  bought  by  Mr.  Warren  in  Oakland  county,  he  lived  only 
a  few  months,  and  then  determined  to  push  out  into  the  then  wilderness 
of  Shiwassee  county,  which  at  that  time  was  attracting  the  attention  of 
settlers.  He  sold  his  farm  in  Southfield,  and  after  an  eventful  ride,  in 
which  he  was  successful  over  several  competitors,  reached  the  land  office 
in  Detroit,  and  secured  the  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  he 
had  "looked"  in  Caledonia  township.  The  laggards  who  were  after  the 
same  half  section,  and  who  left  the  county  in  advance  of  him,  were  aston- 
ished when  they  reached  the  land  office  to  find  that  the  land  had  been  taken 
by  the  boy  on  horseback  who  had  passed  them.  An  acquaintance  with 
Indian  traits,  and  his  characteristic  push  had  been  of  service  to  him. 
The  following  fall.  1836,  found  him  comfortably  located  on  his  new 
purchase.  The  country  was  without  roads,  with  few  clearings  and 
sparsely  settled ;  but  with  the  heroism  of  the  pioneers  of  those  days 
he  began  work,  and  prospered  in  proportion  to  his  enterprise.  On  a 
portion  of  his  land  he  erected  a  frame  and  log  house  and  a  frame 
barn.  The  bam  and  a  part  of  the  house  were  still  in  use  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  During  these  years  he  located  large  quantities  of  land 
for  other  people.  This  gave  him  the  means  to  employ  labor,  and  he 
soon  had  sixty  acres  of  the  farm  under  cultivation. 

In  the  spring  of  1842,  Mr.  Warren  sold  his  farm  and  bought  a  resi- 
dence, store  building  and  stock  of  goods  in  Owosso  where  he  conducted 
a  general  store  for  several  months.  Among  the  early  settlers  of  Shiawas- 
see county,  yir.  Warren's  ability  was  soon  recognized  and  he  became 
one  of  the  leaders  in  affairs.  At  the  spring  election  of  1842,  he  was 
elected  supervisor  for  Owosso,  and  also  a  justice  of  the  peace.  The 
first  case  brought  before  him  as  a  justice  was  by  Judge  Sanford  M. 
Green,  seeking  to  remove  the  county  records  from  Shiawassee  township 
to  the  village  of  Coranna.  the  new  county  seat.  Col.  E.  H.  Thompson 
of  Flint  appeared  as  attorney  for  Shiawassee.  The  case  as  presented 
by  Mr.  Green  met  Mr.  Warren's  views,  and  the  decision  was  in  his 
favor.  The  case  was  reviewed  by  Judge  Whipple,  and  Justice  Warren's 
decision  was  sustained  and  Corunna  has  ever  since  held  the  county 
records. 

Mr.  Warren  in  the  fall  of  1842  sold  out  his  business  and  real  estate 
in  Owosso,  and  purchased  a  residence  and  store  building  in  Fenton, 
where  he  conducted  a  general  store  until  1851.     During  those  years  he 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2245 

operated  a  grist  mill  at  Linden,  in  partnership  with  Seth  C.  Saddler,  and 
a  general  store  with  Claudius  T.  Thompson.  He  also  operated  a  grist 
mill  at  Fenton.  He  owned  and  managed  a  large  farm  adjoining  the 
village,  where  he  resided.  During  his  residence  in  Fenton,  Mr.  Warren 
was  postmaster  and  also  a  supervisor  and  justice  of  the  peace,  besides 
other  public  honors  which  came  to  him.  Gradually  the  increasing  re- 
sponsibilities and  other  causes  resulted  in  Mr.  Warren  changing  his 
place  of  residence  to  Flint,  where  in  the  fall  of  185 1  he  opened  a  general 
store,  and  the  following  year  erected  a  building  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Saginaw  and  Water  Streets,  that  being  the  first  three-story  brick 
buildmg  in  the  town,  and  it  was  a  landmark  there  until  after  the  death 
of  its  builder  and  is  at  this  date  still  standing.  In  1857  Mr.  Warren 
was  succeeded  in  business  in  that  site  by  his  son,  Byron  E.  In  1854, 
he  bought  an  interest  in  a  foundry,  which  was  conducted  in  partnership 
with  Henrj'  W.  Wood  for  two  years.  During  those  years  he  sold  out 
from  time  to  time  all  his  interests  in  Linden  and  Fenton,  and  reinvested 
in  Flint  property. 

In  1862  Mr.  Warren  was  appointed  internal  revenue  collector  for 
the  Sixth  District  of  Michigan  by  President  Lincoln  and  filled  the  office 
throughout  the  latter's  administration.  This  district  embraced  all  the 
upper  Peninsular  and  tlie  eastern  half  of  the  lower,  north  of  Oakland, 
Livingston,  and  Ingham  counties.  Mr.  Warren  was  also  a  receiver  of 
the  commutation  money,  paid  by  those  who  preferred  putting  up  three 
lumdred  dollars  to  serving  in  the  army  during  the  Rebellion.  This 
money  came  so  rapidly  at  one  time  that  the  deputy  was  required  to  carry 
upwards  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  currency  in  his  satchel  to  be  placed 
in  the  United  States  Depositarj*  at  Detroit. 

Following  his  retirement  as  collector  in  1866,  Mr.  Warren  embarked 
in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business,  at  which  he  continued  two 
years.  Then  closing  out  his  interest  in  Flint  he  moved  to  Holly,  where 
he  bought  a  sixty-acre  farm  just  outside  the  village  and  remained  there 
about  two  years.  When  he  sold  that  farm  he  went  into  the  mercantile 
business  at  Hartford,  Van  Buren  comity,  in  partnership  with  three  of 
his  younger  sons,  but  soon  retired  from  business  activity.  After  a  few 
years  he  moved  to  Albion,  which  was  his  home  until  1890,  and  from 
that  year  until  1896  he  lived  with  his  son  Byron  in  Bay  City.  After 
that  his  home  was  with  his  son  Robert,  first  at  Lansing,  then  in  Charlotte, 
and  from  1903  until  his  death  at  Ann  Arbor. 

Samuel  Nott  Warren  in  early  life  was  a  whig,  and  in  the  early  fifties 
became  a  republican  and  attended  the  organization  of  that  party  "under 
the  oaks"  at  Jackson.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  legislature,  held  at 
Lansing,  in  1848,  representing  the  Flint  District.  He  was  supervisor 
of  the  Second  Ward  of  Flint  for  seventeen  years,  and  was  many  times 
chosen  chairman  of  the  Board,  being  chairman  of  the  building  committee 
which  had  in  charge  the  building  of  the  first  brick  courthouse.  Fra- 
ternally he  belonged  to  the  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows.  A  devoted  and 
influential  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  his  liberality  and  efforts 
were  responsible  for  the  erection  of  many  new  churches  by  that  denomina- 
tion. In  the  days  of  the  pioneer  preachers,  who  rode  on  horseback 
from  one  neighborhood  to  another,  to  the  years  when  conferences  were 
held  in  Flint,  he  constantly  entertained  with  his  bountiful  hospitality 
the  ministers  and  members  of  the  faith. 

The  children  of  Samuel  Nott  Warren  and  wife  are  briefly  given, 
record  as  follows ;  On  the  farm  in  Oakland  county,  which  he  bought  in 
1835,  the  first  child,  Byron  E.  Warren,  was  born  February  23,  1836; 
Mary  Elizabeth  was  born  in  Shiawassee  county  January  9.  1838,  and 
died  at  Fenton  July  16,  185 1.     Robert  Lyon,  for  many  years  identified 


2246  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

with  newspaper  history  in  Alichigan,  was  born  on  the  Shiawassee  county 
farm  January  2,  1S42.  Levi  Spaulding  was  born  March  5,  1844,  at 
Fentonville,  and  subsequently  became  a  United  State  Special  Pension 
Examiner.  Samuel  Roscoe  was  born  at  Fenton  March  27,  1848,  aiid 
died  October  21,  1903,  in  Grand  Rapids.  Albert  Eugene  was  born  at 
Fenton  January  6,  1851,  and  died  Alay  30,  1851.  Anna  was  born  July  i, 
1852,  at  Flint,  where  she  died  June  16,  1854.  \'olney  G.,  the  youngest 
of  the  family,  was  born  at  Flint  February  12,  1854,  and  his  death  at 
Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  December  31,  1902,  was  the  first  break  in  the 
family  circle  for  nearly  fifty  years.  Robert  Lyon  and  Levi  Spaulding 
\\'arren  both  served  in  the  United  States  Army  in  the  \V'ar  of  the  Re- 
bellion. 

Byron  E.  W.arrex.  The  name  of  Byron  Elbridge  Warren  has  been 
written  into  Bay  City  business  history,  in  connection  with  banking,  nu- 
merous mercantile  and  industrial  enterprises,  through  every  year  since 
he  first  came  to  that  then  new  city  on  September  15,  i866.  For  nearly 
half  a  century,  his  influence  has  directed,  upheld,  strengthened  and  pro- 
tected the  sound  and  permanent  commercial  integrity  of  a  great  indus- 
trial community.  Business  has  been  only  one  side  of  Mr.  Warren's 
life.  Bay  City  takes  commendable  pride,  not  only  in  banks  and  factories, 
but  in  institutions  and  those  organizations  which  best  express  civic 
and  social  energy.  In  that  field  Mr.  Warren  has  for  years  been  foremost 
in  planning  and  execution,  in  the  generous  use  of  his  means,  and  in  a 
wise  and  disinterested  helpfulness.  Mr.  Warren  is  still  active  in  afl:'airs, 
and  was  president  and  incorporator  of  the  Bay  City  Insurance  .Agency 
in  191 1,  that  agency  succeeding  the  previous  firms  of  Warren  and  War- 
ren, Evan  Tuyl  &  Company,  Ribble  &  Murphy,  and  C.  S.  Skibbe. 

A  son  of  Samuel  Nott  and  Anna  Keeler  (West)  Warren,  Byron  E. 
Warren  was  born  at  Southfield,  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  February'  23, 
1836.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Fenton, 
with  a  few  terms  at  a  private  school,  and  later  by  attendance  for  four 
years  in  the  Flint  high  school,  Albion  College  three  terms,  and  one 
year  at  Dr.  Hoyt's  School  at  Niagara  Falls.  On  returning  to 
Michigan,  he  finished  with  a  course  in  Mayhew's  Business  College  at 
Detroit.  The  practical  training  for  a  business  life  was  secured  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store  at  Flint,  and  he  was  assistant  to  the  elder  Warren 
during  all  his  school  years.  In  1855,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  became 
more  closely  associated  with  his  father,  and  during  that  year  they  both 
went  to  Boston  to  make  purchases  of  new  stock,  and  after  that  he  became 
the  regular  buyer  for  the  store.  In  1857  t'^^  ^o"  succeeded  his  father 
in  business  in  Flint.  In  1858  Mr.  Warren  was  caught  by  the  gold  excite- 
ment which  periodically  flashed  over  the  country,  and  selling  out  his 
store  went  around  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  ,and  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, September  28.  Mining  lost  its  chanus  when  the  promised  land 
was  reached,  and  instead  he  took  a  clerkshij)  in  a  drygoods  store.  In 
the  spring  of  1859,  Mr.  Warren  set  out  on  his  return  to  his  native  state. 
Some  of  the  details  of  that  journey  are  of  interest.  He  came  by  the 
Tehauntajiec  route.  The  steamer  anchored  in  the  bay  of  that  name  on 
the  west  coast  of  Me.xico,  and  the  passengers  and  baggage  were  landed 
in  small  boats.  He  crossed  the  continent,  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  twelve  miles  on  horseback,  arriving  at  the  Coatzaqualce  River  after 
a  three  days'  journey.  In  a  small  steamer  he  passed  down  the  river  to 
its  mouth  in  the  Bay  of  Yucatan,  where  he  boarded  an  ocean  liner  and 
sailed  for  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River,  arriving  in  New  Orleans 
three  days  later.  New  Orleans  still  had  no  transcontinental  railway 
connections,  and  the  Mississippi  was  the  main  artery  of  travel.    Six  days 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2247 

were  consumed  in  the  steamer's  journey  to  St.  Louis,  and  he  then  came 
on  to  Chicago  by  rail,  and  ended  his  trip  by  a  stage  ride  from  Holly  to 
Flint. 

On  returning  to  Flint,  Mr.  Warren  resumed  merchandising  and 
so  continued  until  1862.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed  deputy 
collector  under  his  father,  for  the  sixth  revenue  district  of  Michigan. 
In  that  work  he  had  the  practical  charge  of  the  entire  business,  and  over 
the  vast  territory  previously  described.  He  devised  a  new  system  for 
keeping  track  of  the  work,  and  remained  in  the  office  for  four  years,  his 
efficiency  attracting  the  attention  of  bankers,  with  whom  he  daily  came 
in  contact.  In  September,  1866,  at  the  suggestion  of  Col.  W.  L.  P. 
Little,  a  prominent  banker  of  East  Saginaw,  he  moved  to  Bay  City,  and 
established  a  banking  office  in  that  city  in  a  part  of  the  Fraser  House. 
In  order  to  secure  a  lease  of  the  office,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  buy 
out  a  drug  store,  as  buildings  were  very  scarce  at  that  time.  Thus  his 
first  participation  in  business  affairs  at  Bay  City  was  as  a  private  banker, 
and  also  a  druggist.  January  i,  1867,  Hon.  N.  B.  Bradley  became  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  the  banking  business,  and  on  February  i,  1868,  their 
business  was  merged  with  that  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  which  Mr. 
Warren  became  cashier.  James  Shearer  was  president  of  the  reorganized 
institution,  and  later  on  his  resignation  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Warren, 
who  continued  as  president,  and  through  his  talents  for  finance  contributed 
greatly  to  the  enduring  prosperity  of  an  institution  which  always  stood 
unscathed  by  the  financial  storms  through  which  it  passed.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  the  original  charter  of  the  First  National  Bank  in  1883,  a 
reorganization  was  effected,  and  the  title  changed  to  the  Bay  City  Na- 
tional Bank,  Mr.  Warren  being  elected  first  president  of  that  institution. 

In  addition  to  the  banking  business,  Air.  Warren  was  a  dealer  in  tim- 
ber lands,  and  from  1876  to  1882,  in  connection  with  the  late  Hon.  N.  B. 
Bradley  and  the  late  W.  C.  Yawkey,  he  carried  on  large  operations  in 
lands,  logs  and  lumber.  Mr.  Warren  attended  to  all  the  details  of  the 
business  and  turned  over  enormous  profits  to  his  partners.  His  connec- 
tion with  that  btisiness  continued  with  various  partners  and  varying  re- 
sults until  1898.  In  1899,  he  and  his  son,  Henry  L.,  established  an  insur- 
ance and  real  estate  business  under  the  style  of  Warren  &  Warren,  a 
business  which  was  reorganized  in  191 1  at  the  incorporation  of  the  Bay 
City  Insurance  Agency  of  which  Mr.  Warren  has  since  been  president. 

Mr.  B.  E.  Warren  has  done  as  much  if  not  more  than  any  other  Bay 
City  citizen  to  improve  the  general  industrial  status  of  his  community. 
The  Bousfield  Plant  was  secured  for  Bay  City  by  his  own  personal  efforts. 
He  was  largely  interested  in  forming  the  Ross,  Bradley  &  Company  cor- 
poration for  assorting  lumber  for  the  car  trade,  and  was  also  instru- 
mental in  the  reorganization  of  the  Michigan  Pipe  Company.  He  secured 
the  franchise  from  the  Bay  City  Electric  Light  Company,  of  which  he 
was  the  principal  promoter,  treasurer,  and  a  director.  The  establishment 
at  Bay  City  of  Washington  Theatre,  first  known  as  Woods'  Opera  House, 
was  an  achievement  the  success  of  which  must  be  largely  credited  to  Mr. 
Warren.  His  brother,  Robert  L.  Warren,  was  long  identified  with  news- 
paper history  in  Bay  City,  and  Mr.  B.  E.  Warren  was  the  chief  promoter 
and  backer  of  the  Bay  City  Tribvme,  founded  in  1873.  He  serv^ed  as  first 
vice  president  of  the  Bay  City  Chamber  of  Commerce,  organized  in  1882. 

To  Mr.  Warren,  more  than  to  any  other  individual,  was  due  the 
development  of  the  Bay  City  Public  Library  in  its  present  prosperous 
condition.  He  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the  Bay  City  Library 
Association  in  1S70,  and  later  was  a  member  of  the  committee  drafting 
the  bill  establishing  the  Bay  City  Public  Library,  of  which  he  has  long 
served  as  a  trustee.     After  the  organization  of  the  public  library,  Mr. 


2248  HISTORY  OF  .MICHIGAN 

Warren  advocated  donating  to  it  the  five  thousand  volumes  belonging 
to  the  Libraiy  Association,  and  that  formed  the  beginning  of  the  ex- 
tensive collection  now  embraced  and  contained  on  the  shelves  of  the 
library.  \'er)'  soon  after  taking  up  his  residence  in  Bay  City,  Mr.  Warren 
became  a  communicant  of  the  Trinity  Episcopal  church,  and  has  been 
one  of  the  most  active  workers  in  that  congregation.  He  was  chairman 
of  the  building  committee  that  constructed  the  present  beautiful  stone 
church,  and  contributed  very  materially  to  the  erection  and  furnishing. 
In  1861  Mr.  Warren  married  Jennie  Elsa  Ives,  a  daughter  of  Amasa 
Ives  of  Oakland  county,  who  died  in  this  city  Alay  12,  1907.  The  Ives 
family  also  came  from  X'ermont.  Five  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren 
grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Stuart,  of  Ogemaw  county ;  Anna  Elizabeth, 
now  deceased,  former  wife  of  W.  O.  Lewis;  Jennie  Blanche,  who  be- 
came the  second  wife  of  W.  O.  Lewis ;  Frederick  I. ;  and  Henry  L.,  who 
is  an  associate  of  his  father  in  the  insurance  business  at  Bay  City. 

Hex.  Julius  C.  Burrows.  The  student  of  American  history  and 
biography  can  find  no  richer  or  more  interesting  fields  for  his  study  and 
inspiration  than  those  presented  in  the  three  limited  areas  known  as 
"the  lake  corner  of  Pennsylvania."  the  "Western  Reserve"  of  Ohio,  and 
the  "Kalamazoo  valley"  of  Alichigan.  What  a  train  of  illustrious  names 
comes  into  view  at  their  mere  mention !  It  is  a  strange  coincidence  that 
tlie  pioneer  stock  of  these  somewhat  widely  divergent  localities  was,  for 
the  most  part,  practically  the  same.  It  was  of  the  rugged,  deeply  religious, 
indomitable,  uncompromising,  and  ever-loyal  New  England  variety.  The 
life  of  J.  C.  Burrows  touches  all  three  of  these  conspicuously  notable 
communities.  He  was  born  in  the  first  named,  was  schooled  in  tlie  second, 
and  has  rounded  out  a  splendid  career  while  a  citizen  of  the  third.  Thus 
was  he  nurtured  in  a  cradle  of  patriotism,  instructed  in  a  locality  famed 
for  its  patriots,  and  matured  in  a  valley  historically  prominent  for  its 
staunch,  enlightened,  liberty-loving  citizenship,  as  well  as  for  the  unus- 
ually large  number  of  truly  great  men  it  has  contributed  to  the  defense 
of  the  Union  and  to  high  public  station. 

His  father  was  William  Burrows  and  his  mother  was  Maria  B.  Smith, 
both  natives  of  Connecticut,  and  of  fine  lineage.  Like  many  of  the  ardent 
pioneers  of  their  time  they  sought  broader  opportuities  and  more  fertile 
acres  upon  which  to  rear,  and  possibly  locate,  an  interesting  and  growing 
family.  They  moved  first  to  western  Xew  York  and  shortly  after  to 
Northeast,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  here,  on  January  9,  1837, 
their  seventh  son,  Julius  C,  was  born.  It  was  at  an  interesting  period 
in  American  historj',  when  great  questions  of  National  import  were 
agitated  and  discussed  in  frontier  homes,  town  meetings,  school  houses, 
churches,  and  popular  outdoor  gatherings.  The  senior  Burrows,  a  pro- 
nounced and  uncompromising  abolitionist,  took  an  active  part  in  these 
debates.  It  is  little  wonder  his  sons  early  became  imbued  with  similar 
ideals  and  that  a  majority  of  their  number  chose  for  themselves  profes- 
sional and  public  careers ;  that  one  became  an  eloquent  and  forceful 
minister  of  the  gospel,  another  an  eminent  physician,  and  two  dis- 
tinguished lawyers :  that  one  of  the  latter.  Jerome  B.,  gained  high  place 
upon  the  bench  of  Ohio,  and  the  other — the  subject  of  this  sketch — a 
prominent  position  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 

The  Burrows  family  moved  to  Geneva.  Ashtabula  County.  Ohio, 
when  Julius  was  a  mere  lad.  and  where  he  early  determined  to  obtain 
an  education  and  follow  the  legal  profession.  He  attended  district  school. 
Kingsville  Academy,  and  Grand  River  Institute,  Austinburg,  Ohio,  and 
engaged  thereafter  in  teaching;  was  principal  of  the  union  school  in 
Jefferson,  Ohio,  for  some  time  and  later  principal  of  Madison  .Seminary, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2249 

Madison,  Ohio.  Wliile  thus  employed  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and, 
that  he  might  give  his  entire  attention  to  this  ambition,  entered  a  law 
office  in  Jetferson,  Ashtabula  County,  and  here  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar. 

In  a  locality  made  famous  for  its  orators  and  statesmen — the  home 
of  Elisha  Whittlesee,  Joshua  K.  Giddings,  Ben  Wade,  William  Dean 
Howells  and  a  dozen  more  of  like  stamp — there  is  no  wonder  that  the 
young  lawyer  early  entered  the  political  arena  and  won  laurels  as  a  force- 
ful and  eloquent  orator.  He  had  scarcely  attained  his  majority  when 
he  took  the  stump  for  Fremont  and  Dayton,  the  nominees  of  the  then 
new  republican  party,  whose  principles  and  policies  he  accepted  and 
advocated  as  readily  and  as  staunchly  as  his  father  had  fearlessly  stood 
for  the  abolition  of  human  slavery.  It  can  truthfully  be  said  that  repub- 
licanism and  J.  C.  Burrows  commenced  life  together,  and  that  their 
histories  have  been  somewhat  closely  interwoven.  Certainly  it  is  true 
that  since  that  campaign  of  1856  until  the  present  day  few,  if  any,  Ameri- 
can statesmen  have  rendered  more  continuous,  arduotis,  or  effective  party 
service  as  a  campaign  speaker  and  in  the  halls  of  the  national  congress. 
The  services  of  none  have  been  more  eagerly  or  more  frequently  sought 
and,  to  the  fullest  extent  of  his  ability,  ]Mr.  Burrows  has  responded. 
These  demands  have  taken  him  into  nearly  every  state  in  the  Union 
and  into  nearly  every  congressional  district  in  the  states  of  the  northern 
and  middle  west. 

In  i8(x)  he  located  in  Richland,  Kalmazoo  County,  Michigan,  and 
was  principal  of  Gull  Prairie  Seminary  for  one  year.  In  1861  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Kalamazoo.  During  these  years,  when  the 
issues  of  the  Civil  War  were  made  up,  he  used  every  opportunity  and 
accepted  every  responsibility  to  advance  the  cause  of  the  Union.  His 
eloquent  and  inspiring  voice  was  heard  in  many  communities  advocating 
the  election  of  .Abraham  Lincoln,  the  upholding  of  his  hands,  and  urging 
enlistments  when  his  call  came  for  troops.  He  personally  raised  a  com- 
pany for  the  17th  Alichigan  infantry  and  went  to  the  front  as  its  captain, 
participating  with  it  in  the  engagements  at  South  Mountain,  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  \"icksburg,  and  elsewhere. 

Few  regiments  in  the  volunteer  service  won  greater  distinction  than 
"the  stonewall  regiment"  commanded  by  Col.  W.  H.  Withington. 

The  long  and  fatal  illness  of  his  wife,  who  was  formerly  Jennie  S. 
Hibbard  and  to  whom  he  was  wedded  in  Harpersfield,  Ohio,  January 
29,  1856,  caused  him  to  resign  from  service  in  the  fall  of  1863,  when 
he  returned  to  Kalamazoo  and  re-engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He 
was  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  of  Kalamazoo  County  in  1864 
and  prosecuting  attorney  in  iSbb,  and  served  in  the  last-named  office  four 
years.  During  this  period  he  prosecuted  and  won  several  important 
cases  that  brought  him  into  prominence  as  a  legal  advocate.  In  1869  he 
declined  the  office  of  supervisor  of  internal  revenue  for  the  states  of 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  tendered  him  by  President  Grant,  and  in  1884 
declined  the  appointment  of  solicitor  of  the  treasury  tendered  by  Presi- 
dent .\rthur. 

In  1872  he  was  elected  as  a  republican  to  the  Forty-third  Congress 
and  entered  upon  a  long  and  almost  continuous  congressional  career, 
such  as  has  been  enjoyed  by  no  other  citizen  of  Michigan  and  in  length 
of  service  surpassed  by  few  men  in  national  life.  Covering  nearly  two- 
fifths  of  a  century,  the  record  made  up  is  one  of  successful  and  praise- 
worthy achievement.  To  recount  it  here  would  be  superfluous.  Through- 
out all  the  years  that  followed  Congressman  and  Senator  Burrows  was 
universally  known  as  a  legislative  and  political  leader — steadfast,  faith- 
ful, and  unswen-ing  in  service  for  his  immediate  constituents  and  in 
his  adherence  to  the  principles  of  the  republican  party. 


2250  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

He  was  rc-clcctcd  to  the  I'orty-sixth  and  Forty-seventh  Congresses 
(March  4,  1879 — March  3,  1883);  was  re-elected  to  the  Forty-ninth, 
and  to  the  five  succeeding  Congresses,  and  served  from  March  4,  1885, 
until  January  2^,  1895,  when  he  resigned  to  take  a  place  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  He  was  twice  elected  speaker  pro  temjwre  of  the  national 
house  of  representatives,  served  several  years  as  the  ranking  member  of 
the  great  committee  on  Ways  and  Means,  of  which  William  McKinley 
was  chairman,  and  was  entrusted  withtwo  of  the  most  imjjortant  sched- 
ules of  the  tariff  act  bearing  the  name' of  the  illustrious  Ohioan.  While 
a  member  of  the  lower  house  he  was  frequently  named  for  the  presidency. 

During  this  service  Congressman  Burrows  made  many  notable 
speeches  that  attracted  national  attention  and  that  unquestionably  had 
great  influence  in  shaping  important  national  legislation.  They  were  upon 
widely  divergent  questions  and  exemjjlify  his  breadth  of  learning  and 
statesmanship.  They  also  stamped  him  as  an  orator  of  extraordinary 
power  and  forensic  eloquence. 

When  a  vacancy  was  caused  in  the  United  States  Senate  by  the  death 
of  his  fellow-townsman,  Francis  B.  Stockbridge,  in  1894.  there  was  an 
overwhelming  demand  that  Congressman  Burrows  should  become  his 
successor.  He  was  elected  to  the  Senate  in  the  following  January  and 
took  his  seat  on  the  23d  of  that  month.  The  republican  party  was  given 
control  of  the  body  in  March,  1895,  ujxDn  the  advent  of  William  McKinley 
to  the  presidency.  In  its  organization  the  cajjacity,  ability,  and  long 
service  of  Mr.  Burrows  in  the  lower  house  were  fittingly  recognized  by 
his  assignment  to  several  important  committees,  including  Privileges  and 
Elections,  Post  Offices  and  Post  Roads,  Claims,  and  Pensions.  He  was 
also  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Revision  of  the  Laws  of  the 
United  States,  a  position  formerly  held  by  Roscoe  Conklin,  of  New 
York;  George  S.  Boutwell,  of  Massachusetts;  Isaac  P.  Christiancy  and 
Omar  D.  Conger,  of  Michigan,  and  other  senators  of  prominence.  This 
chairmanship  he  retained  until  the  beginning  of  the  Fifty-seventh  Con- 
gress, when  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  more  important  committee  on 
Privileges  and  Elections.  In  the  latter  position  he  presided  and  was  a 
political  factor  in  the  examination  and  decision  of  several  of  the  most 
important  contesteil  election  cases  that  ever  came  before  the  committee 
and  the  Senate,  including  those  of  Lee  Mantle,  of  Montana;  Henry  A. 
du  Pont,  of  Delaware;  Matt  Quay,  of  PennsyKania ;  Reed  Smoot,  of 
Utah,  and  William  Lorimer,  of  Illinois. 

Senator  Burrows  was  overwhelmingly  re-elected  to  the  Senate  in 
1899,  and  was  again  elected  without  opposition  in  1905,  and  thus  served 
in  the  higher  body  from  January  23,  1895.  until  March  3,  191 1.  .At  the 
beginning  of  the  first  (special)  session  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress  he  was 
ap]K)intcd  a  member  of  the  committee  on  Finance,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  and  took  a  promi- 
nent ])art  in  the  discussion  and  framing  of  the  Dingley  tarifl'  bill.  In 
the  I-ifty-sixth  Congress  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
Military  Aft'airs,  which  he  resigned  in  favor  of  his  colleague,  (]eneral 
Alger,  when  the  latter  entered  the  Senate. 

Mr.  Burrows  was  made  a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  Philippines 
u])on  its  organization  in  the  Fifty-seventh  Congress,  and  the  succeeding 
congress  was  appointed  to  the  committee  on  Naval  Affairs.  For  some 
years  he  was  ranking  member  and  vice-chairman  of  the  great  committee 
on  Finance.  In  these  ])Ositions  he  rendered  distinct  service  to  his  con- 
stituency and  the  country,  and  as  a  senator  held  a  high  place  among  the 
acknowle<lged  leaders.  He  discharged  his  duties  in  the  senate  with  the 
same  zeal,  wisdom,  industry  and  success  that  marked  his  career  in  the 
house,  but  the  record  is  too  long  to  be  recited  here.  It  has  been  made 
up.    Its  completeness  and  value  is  recognized  of  all  men. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2251 

Outside  the  legislative  halls  Senator  Burrows  has  acted  an  important 
part  in  the  history  of  his  party  and  the  country.  He  has  several  times 
represented  his  congressional  district  and  the  state  at  large  in  republican 
national  conventions,  and  was  temporary  chairman  of  the  Chicago  con- 
vention of  1908,  that  nominated  W'm.  H.  Taft  for  the  presidency. 

He  was  second  member  and  vice-chairman  of  the  National  Monetary 
Commission  during  its  existence  from  May  30,  igo8,  to  March  31,  1912. 
Following  this  service  he  again  returned  to  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 

Mr.  Burrows  was  twice  married,  the  second  time.  December  25,  1865, 
to  Frances  S.  Peck,  daughter  of  Horace  AI.  Peck,  of  Richland,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Michigan  who  has  been,  in  e\ery  exacting  demand  incident 
to  public  and  official  life,  an  equal  partner,  and  splendid  helpmate.  Her 
untiring  devotion,  constant  assistance  and  brilliant  companionship  have 
unquestionably  had  much  to  do  with  the  success  and  value  of  her  hus- 
band's service.  She  is  possessed  of  fine  literary  tastes  and  abilities  and 
has  been  a  leader  in  and  officer  of  numerous  local,  state,  and  national 
organizations  of  women ;  has  been  foremost  in  social,  charitable,  and 
educational  work  of  her  sex  and  is,  at  the  time  this  sketch  is  written, 
(1915)  the  corresponding  secretary  general  of  the  National  Society  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Mrs.  Burrows  is  a  woman  of  rare  natural  abilities,  exceptional  attain- 
ments, of  charming  and  graceful  presence,  and  has  made  for  herself  a 
lasting  place  in  the  social  history  of  the  Nation's  capital. 

William  C.  Klumpp.  A  Saginaw  attorney,  well  known  over  the 
state  for  his  public  activities,  ^^'illiam  C.  Klumpp  represents  an  old 
family  of  Saginaw.  For  the  past  twenty  years  most  of  his  time  has  been 
required  in  official  duties,  and  since  1903  he  has  served  as  Secretary, 
Treasurer  and  Business  Manager  for  the  Saginaw-East  Side,  Michigan, 
Board  of  Education. 

William  Christian  Andreas  Klumpp  was  born  March  26,  1869,  at 
East  Saginaw,  now  part  of  Saginaw,  ^lichigan,  a  son  of  Johann  Gott- 
lieb and  Caroline  E.  ( Felger )  Klumpp.  Both  parents  were  born  in 
Besigheim,  near  Stuttgart,  in  the  Kingdom  of  \Wiertemberg,  Germany. 
The  families  had  extensive  interests  in  the  vineyards  and  wine  production 
for  which  Wuertemberg  is  famous.  Johann  G.  Kltnnpp  was  educated  at 
Heidelberg  University,  and  because  of  his  free  expression  of  opinions 
found  it  uncomfortable  to  continue  to  live  in  the  old  country,  and  accord- 
ingly emigrated  to  America.  His  first  place  of  settlement  was  at  Welland, 
Canada,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  drover  and  in  the  meat  business. 
There  after  a  time  he  was  joined  by  his  affianced.  Miss  Felger,  and  they 
were  married.  About  1855  '^^ey  moved  from  Canada  to  East  Saginaw. 
In  1874  the  parents  and  four  children,  of  whom  William  was  next 
to  the  youngest,  moved  to  Ludington,  Michigan,  where  the  father  died 
in  1879.  The  mother  and  her  children  then  moved  to  Bay  City,  to  join 
the  oldest  son  and  daughters  living  there,  and  in  that  city  she  remained 
until  her  death  in  1894.    There  were  eight  children  in  all. 

The  primary  education  of  William  C.  Klumpp  was  received  at  Lud- 
ington, and  he  also  attended  the  Public  Schools  of  Bay  City.  He  took  the 
law  and  commercial  courses  at  Devlin's  College  in  Bay  City,  where  he 
received  his  diploma  May  5,  1885.  Later,  while  engaged  in  the  duties  of 
public  office,  he  again  took  up  the  study  of  law,  successfully  passed  the 
examination  before  the  ^Michigan  State  Board  of  Law  Examiners  at 
Lansing,  and  on  IMay  10,  1901,  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Michigan. 

On  leaving  school  at  Bay  City  he  learned  the  trade  of  Bookbinder,  and 
after  his  course  in  Devlin's  College  worked  for  a  time  as  Bookkeeper  in 


2252  IIISI'ORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Bay  City  and  Detroit.  In  1887  he  returned  to  Sagjinaw  to  work  at  his 
trade  as  hookljinder  for  the  Courier  Printing;;  &  Puljlishinj^  Company, 
and  was  with  that  eompany  until  Deceniher  31,  i8oj,  hcinu;  the  greater 
part  of  the  lime  foreman  of  the  Ijookhinding  deiiartment.  lie  was  then 
with  the  Saginaw  Printing  &  Publishing  Company  until  July,  1893. 

July  7,  1893,  he  was  apiwinted  by  Judge  of  Police  Court  Otto  Slempel 
and  confirmed  by  the  City  Council  as  Clerk  of  Police  Court  of  Saginaw, 
and  while  in  that  office  again  resumed  the  study  of  law.  December  31, 
1894,  he  resigned  to  accept  appointment  as  Dejiuty  Register  of  Deeds  of 
Saginaw  county,  beginning  his  duties  January  1,  1895,  and  serxing  until 
February  28,  1897.  He  then  became  clerk  in  the  legal  and  tax  abstract 
department  of  the  Auditor  General's  office  in  Lansing,  and  while  there 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  July  i,  1901,  he  was  appointed  an  Assistant 
in  the  office  of  the  Attorney  General  of  Michigan,  resigned  the  office 
December  31,  1901.  and  returned  to  Saginaw  to  take  up  his  duties  as 
Circuit  Court  Commissioner,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  the  preceding 
November.  This  office.  Air.  Klumpp  resigned  August  20,  1903,  to  become 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  and  Business  Manager  for  the  Board  of  Fduca- 
tion  of  the  City  of  Saginaw,  East  Side.  By  regular  annual  elections  he 
has  served  in  these  important  public  offices  ever  since,  his  ])resent  term 
expiring  July  i<).  IU13.  ( )n  account  of  the  duties  of  these  public  offices, 
his  law  jjractice  is  limited  to  office  consultation,  probate,  real  estate  and 
insurance  law,  and  he  does  not  attein])t  court  practice.  He  spends  most 
of  his  day  in  the  Inisiness  offices  of  the  School  Hoard  in  the  l!earinger 
building. 

Mr.  Kluni])])  has  some  financial  interests  in  a  number  of  Saginaw 
local  corporations  and  business  concerns.  He  was  formerly  active  in  the 
National  Guard,  lieing  connected  for  six  and  a  half  years  with  Company 
E  of  the  Third  Infantry,  Michigan  State  Troops.  He  w-as  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  and  also  held  such  civil  offices  as  Secretary  and 
Purchasing  .Agent,  Clerk  of  the  Military  Board.  r)n  leaving  the  company 
he  was  elected  an  honorary  member  for  life.  Mr.  Klumpp  is  a  strong 
Republican,  has  been  Chairman  of  the  Ward  Committee  continuously  for 
twenty  years,  and  for  six  years  was  Secretary  of  the  Eighth  District  Con- 
gressional Committee.  Since  old  enough  to  vote  he  has  had  some-  active 
part  in  every  campaign,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  many  city,  county  and 
state  conventions.  In  fraternal  and  social  organizations  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  B'ue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Knight  Templar  and  Mystic  .^hrine 
branches  of  Masonry,  is  a  charter  member  of  the  .\rab  P.itrol  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  a  Past  Chancellor  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He  belongs  to  the  Germania 
Society  and  other  local  clubs,  and  his  church  is  the  Evangelical  Lutheran. 
July  28.  1892,  at  .Saginaw,  Mr.  K!um])p  married  Caroline  E.  Storch, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Caroline  iW'irsing)  .Storch.  Iler  ])arents 
WL'ra  among  the  Pioneers  of  Saginaw  city.  .Mrs.  Klumpp  is  the  oldest  of 
four  children,  and  lur  father  an<l  family  moved  to  Buffalo,  New 
York,  where  her  f;itlK'r  died  in  iiim,  and  where  the  rest  of  the  family 
still  reside.  Mr.  Klum|i])  an<l  wife  ha\e  two  children:  b'rnia  A.  ;ind 
\Mlli;im  !•.  J,.  Jr. 

F.DW.Aun  N.  B.\RN.\RD.  One  of  the  ablest  young  attorneys  in  western 
Michigan  is  Edward  N.  Barnard,  who  is  regarded  among  his  associates 
as  ]50ssessing  the  largest  criminal  practice  in  Kent  county,  and  at  the 
same  time  enjoys  a  large  practice  in  civil  cases.  His  ability  as  an  orator 
has  been  recognized  ever  since  his  college  career,  and  he  has  been  promi- 
nent both  in  jiolitics  and  as  a  trial  lawyer.  He  has  been  retained  as  counsel 
in  .1  nuniln.r  of  important  criminal  cases  in  Grand  Rapids,  including  the 


Bi^ 


10^ 


^Slwt*"^*^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2253 

clearing  of  Webber,  on  trial  for  the  shooting  of  his  wife,  and  the  Chicago 
papers  in  commenting  on  that  case  said  it  was  one  of  the  hardest  fought 
trials  ever  on  a  court  docket.  One  of  Mr.  Barnard's  latest  successes  is  the 
clearing  of  I-^wrence  Blackburn  of  the  jewelry  robbery  at  Grand  Rapids, 
and  he  is  now  defending  Quick.  He  has  won  most  of  his  legal  battles, 
and  is  still  practically  at  the  beginning  of  his  career. 

Edward  N.  Barnard  comes  of  good  old  New  England  stock,  and  is  a 
son  of  Bertram  \V.  and  Mary  A.  (Higgenbottom)  Barnard.  Both  par- 
ents were  natives  of  Boston.  Alassachusetts,  and  came  to  Grand  Rapids 
in  1878.  The  father  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  real  estate  bus- 
iness, was  successful,  and  his  operations  did  a  great  deal  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  west  side  of  Grand  Rapids.  He  is  now  living  retired  in 
Grand  Rapids,  and  the  five  children  are  also  still  living.  The  father  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  at  one  time  took  an  active  part  in  city  affairs, 
being  a  candidate  for  mayor  on  that  ticket.  During  the  Civil  war  he  en- 
listed from  Massachusetts  in  the  I-'ifth  regiment  of  that  state,  and  made 
an  excellent  record  as  a- soldier.  The  children  are:  Jennie,  wife  of 
Robert  P.  Blake,  an  official  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and  lo- 
cated at  Eargo,  North  Dakota ;  Ethel  Eugene,  who  married  Willard  S. 
Conger,  the  proprietor  of  a  newspaper  at  San  Bernardino,  California; 
Bertram  J.,  connected  with  the  Central  Michigan  Paper  Company; 
Edward  N.;  and  Gladys  S.,  at  home.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church. 

Edward  N.  Barnard,  who  was  borii  in  Grand  Rapids,  was  the  young- 
est member  of  the  graduating  class  of  1902  in  t^lie  Grand  Rapids  high 
school.  Three  years  later,  in  1,905,  he  was  one  of  the  youngest  to  take  the 
degree  in  law  in  the  University  of  Michigan.  He  was  not  yet  of  age  and 
coidd  not  get  a  license  to  practice  until  he  had.  passed  his  majority.  After 
his  admission  to  the  bar  he  located  in  Grand  Rapids,  and  has  since  built 
up  one  of  the  largest  and  most  profitable  practices  in  the  city.  He  was 
associated  as  a  partner  with  E.  A.  Alaher  and  later  with  I.  H.  Smith,  Init 
now  has  offices  of  his  own  in  the  Norris  building.  While  in  university 
Mr.  Barnard  took  part  in  all  the  oratorical  debates  and  was  one  of  the 
keenest  speakers  and  debaters  in  the  university  at  that  time.  Fraternally 
he  is  affiliated  with  York  Lodge,  A.  E.  &  A.  M.,  and  with  the  Eastern 
Star.  He  lives  at  home  with  his  parents.  He  served  as  president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Club  in  191 1,  and  during  the  same  year  was 
chairman  of  the  Speakers'  Bureau  for  the  Republican  party  in  Kent 
county.  During  the  last  political  campaign  he  made  more  than  one  hun- 
dred speeches,  and  his  work  as  an  orator,  his  comprehensi^•e  knowledge 
of  jjolitical  and  economic  questions,  and  his  genial  personality  gives  prom- 
ise of  a  career  of  usefulness  and  prominence  in  public  afl:airs. 

J-\MES  Russell.  For  nearly  thirty-five  years  James  Russell  has  been 
a  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michigan,  primarily 
as  an  editor  and  publisher,  and  also  as  a  holder  of  a  number  of  responsible 
positions  in  the  public  service  both  in  his  home  city  of  Marquette  and 
under  the  state  government.  For  the  past  twelve  years  Mr.  Russell  has 
been  warden  of  the  State  House  of  Correction  and  Branch  of  the  State 
Prison  at  Marquette. 

James  Russell  was  born  January  23,  1848,  at  Hartford,  \\'isconsin,  a 
son  of  Francis  Tracy  and  Nancy  (Bohan)  Russell.  He  is  of  pure  Irish 
ancestry  on  his  mother's  side,  and  partly  English  on  that  of  his  father.  He 
comes  of  sturdy  rebel  stock  mainly,  his  people  having  originally  left  Ire- 
land because  of  the  heavy  political  and  economic  burdens  which  were 
imposed  upon  that  country,  and  which  they  found  unbearable. 

Tames  Russell  received  a  common  school  education  and   for  a  time 

Vol.  l"V— 3  2 


2254  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

was  a  student  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  He  had  entered  the  uni- 
versity after  such  preparation  as  was  obtainable  in  the  schools  of  that 
day  and  from  special  studies  in  night  schools  and  under  private  tutors 
with  the  intention  of  fitting  himself  for  the  practice  of  law,  for  which 
profession  he  believed  he  had  some  aptitude.  He  was  diverted  from  that 
purpose  and  cut  short  his  college  course  through  an  alluring  chance  to  get 
into  the  newspaper  business,  for  which  he  had  developed  a  leaning, 
through  an  off^r  made  by  an  uncle,  who  had  become  part  owner  of  the 
Fond  du  Lac  Journal.  Thus  he  became  established  in  that  \\'isconsin  city 
as  part  owner  and  editor  of  a  paper  with  which  he  was  connected  for 
eight  years,  from  1872  to  i(S8o.  Having  sold  his  interests  in  the  Fond  du 
Lac  paper  in  1880  Mr.  Russell  established  the  North  Star  at  Marinette, 
Wisconsin,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  but  in  the  spring  of  1881  left 
Marinette  to  take  an  interest  in  the  Mining  Journal  at  Marquette,  Mich- 
igan, then  a  weekly  paper.  He  assumed  the  editorial  management  of  the 
Journal  as  an  associate  of  A.  P.  Swineford,  who  later  under  the  admin- 
istration of  President  Cle\eland  was  appointed  governor  of  Alaska.  In 
1884  Mr.  Russell,  Mr.  Swineford  and  A.  Hornstein  began  the  publication 
of  the  Daily  Mining  Journal,  the  first  daily  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  to  take 
the  Associated  Press  report.  Since  that  time  for  a  period  of  fully  thirty 
years,  Mr.  Russell  has  been  actively  connected  with  the  Mining  Journal, 
either  as  managing  editor  or  in  a  managerial  capacity. 

His  career  as  a  newspaper  man  has  been  pimctuated  frequently  by  pub- 
lic service.  In  1876  he  was  elected  clerk  of  Circuit  Court  in  Fond  du  Lac 
county,  Wisconsin,  four  years  after  his  removal  to  that  city.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  r)Oard  of  Supervisors  of  Marquette  county  from  the  city  of 
Marquette,  having  been  elected  to  that  office  in  the  sjiring  of  i88j,  and  sub- 
sequently for  several  years  served  on  the  \\'ater  Board  and  as  Light  and 
Power  Commission  of  the  city.  LInder  appointment  from  President 
Cleveland  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Marquette  from  1885  to  i88q.  Gov- 
ernor Pingree  made  him  state  commissioner  of  mineral  statistics  from 
1898  to  1900.  In  the  spring  of  1902  Mr.  Russell  was  elected  mayor  of 
the  city  of  Marquette,  and  during  the  sairje  year  on  September  26th  was 
appointed  warden  of  State  House  of  Correction  and  Branch  of  State 
Prison  at  Marciuette.  the  position  which  he  has  since  retained.  During  his 
residence  at  Marquette  since  i88t  he  has  also  held  several  minor  municipal 
and  other  offices.  Mr.  Russell  started  in  political  life  as  a  Democrat,  but 
left  the  party  when  Bryan  became  its  dominating  influence,  and  was 
affiliated  with  the  Republicans  up  to  1912.  In  the  campaign  of  that  year 
he  supported  Mr.  Roosevelt,  but  is  now  inclined  to  allegiance  with  the 
Republican  party,  though  on  an  independent  basis,  since  he  is  not  fully 
satisfied  with  many  of  the  leaders  and  with  some  of  the  party's  avowed 
policies. 

Mr.  Russell  at  ditterent  times  has  had  acti\e  affiliation  with  fraternal 
societies,  and  for  several  years  was  exalted  ruler  of  the  Marquette  Lodge 
of  F.Iks.  He  has  since  given  u])  his  active  membershi]i  in  all  these  orders. 
Mr.  Russell  is  a  member  of  the  Mar(|uette  Club,  lioth  his  parents  were 
stanch  Catholics,  he  was  reared  in  that  faith  himself,  and  has  never  seen 
a  reason  to  change  it.  On  December  25,  1878,  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wiscon- 
sin, Mr.  Russell  married  Katherine  Riley,  daughter  of  Malachi  and  Eliza- 
beth Riley.  Her  father  was  a  Wisconsin  farmer,  and  during  the  war 
enlisted  and  served  throughout  the  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union.  Mr.  Russell  has  the  following  children  :  Frank  }.,  who  was  mar- 
ried October  3,  1908,  to  Irene  Haines  Foster  of  Utica,  New  York; 
Frances  E.  Russell;  Edith  Russell,  who  married  June  30,  191 1,  D.  E. 
Charlton  of  Marquette;  Mary  Mabel  Russell,  who  was  married  August 
31,  1912,  to  Percy  D.  Nagel  of  New  York. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2255 

Charles  William  Garfield  is  one  of  the  men  who,  through  the 
great  resources  at  his  command  as  a  banker  and  man  of  affairs,  has  given 
effective  vitaHty  to  the  general  community  hfe  and  progress  of  his  home 
city  of  Grand  Rapids.  Probably  no  citizen  has  a  wider  range  of  useful 
interest  and  has  touched  the  life  of  the  city  and  state  at  more  points  and 
with  more  practical  results. 

Charles  William  Garfield  was  born  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  March 
14,  1848,  a  son  of  Samuel  Marshall  and  Harriet  Eliza  (Brown)  Garfield. 
Alost  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  Michigan,  and  in  1870  he  graduated 
Bachelor  of  Science  from  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  and 
received  the  degree  Master  of  Science  from  the  same  institution  in  1873. 
During  1873-77  he  remained  as  a  teacher  in  the  faculty  of  that  college, 
and  since  that  time  for  nearly  forty  years  has  been  a  farmer,  teacher 
of  agriculture,  horticulture  and  forestry  and  a  business  man.  He  is 
chairman  of  the  board  directors  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Savings  Bank, 
president  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Stationery  Company,  director  of  the 
Grand  Rapids  Dry  Goods  Company,  of  the  Worden  Grocer  Company,  of 
the  Grand  Rapids  Park  and  Boulevard  Association  and  of  the  Preferred 
Life  Insurance  Company. 

During  1881-82  Mr.  Garfield  was  a  member  of  the  Michigan  House 
of  Representatives.  For  twelve  years  he  was  on  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture and  for  nine  years  was  president  of  the  Michigan  Forestry  Com- 
mission. He  was  for  ten  years  secretary  of  the  Michigan  Horticultural 
Society.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  presi- 
dent of  the  Michigan  Forestry  Association  and  of  the  Grand  Rapids 
Playground  Association,  is  treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Civil  Ser^-ice 
League  and  a  member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Rapids  Association  of  Commerce.  Mr.  Garfield  has  written 
extensively  on  commercial  pomology,  gardening  and  farming.  As  secre- 
tary of  the  Horticultural  Society  he  issued  ten  volumes,  and  as  president 
of  the  forestry  commission  published  four  volumes,  and  is  also  author 
of  many  pamphlets.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  His  office  is  at  64  Monroe  Avenue  and  his  home  at  200 
Burton  Street  in  Grand  Rapids.  He  was  married  at  Grand  Rapids 
November  24,  1907,  to  Jessie  Robertson  Smith,  of  Scotland. 

William  Allan  Cameron.  A  Michigan  man  who  has  become 
prominent  in  manufacturing  and  business  circles  of  Chicago  is  \\'illiam 
Allan  Cameron,  now  at  the  head  of  the  Cameron-Schroth-Cameron  Com- 
pany, manufacturers  of  a  well  known  standard  line  of  heating  and  steam- 
fitting  supplies.  Mr.  Cameron  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  and  was  trained 
in  his  present  business  at  Detroit. 

\\'illiam  Allan  Cameron  was  born  at  Detroit  August  9,  1876,  a  son 
of  Alexander  and  Sarah  Kathleen  (Saunders)  Cameron.  His  father  was 
born  at  F'icton,  Xova  Scotia,  in  1834,  and  is  still  living  at  the  venerable 
age  of  fourscore  years.  The  mother  was  born  in  New  Brunswick  in  1834 
and  died  in  1884.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  and  William  A.  is  the  third.  Alexander  Cameron  established 
his  home  in  Detroit  in  1874,  and  was  there  engaged  in  ship  building  until 
his  retirement  twenty  years  later.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  from 
the  time  he  became  an  American  citizen. 

W'illiam  A.  Cameron  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city  and  subsequently  became  a  student  of  St.  Paul's 
school  at  Detroit.  After  completing  a  course  at  this  institution  he  started 
in  business  in  1894  with  the  Kellogg-Mackay-Cameron  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  boilers,  steam  radiators,  and  jobbers  of  heating  and  steam 
fittings  and  supplies.    In  this  general  department  of  business  he  has  made 


2256  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

his  success,  and  with  the  firm  above  named  he  was  advanced  from  one 
place  of  responsibihty  to  another  and  for  several  years  served  as  treas- 
urer. In  1902,  having  given  up  his  position  with  the  intention  of  entering 
business  on  his  own  account,  he  organized  the  Canieron-Schroth-Cameron 
Company  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Cameron  has  since  been  its  president,  and  the 
other  officers  are  A.  H.  Schroth,  vice  president,  and  .\.  .S.  Cameron,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  The  general  othces  and  factory  are  located  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Cameron  is  also  a  member  of  the  ISoard  of  Directors  of  the  Federal 
Boiler  and  Supply  Company  and  the  Union  Town  Acme  Radiator  Com- 
pany. Active  and  efficient  in  everything  he  undertakes,  he  possesses  the 
entire  confidence  of  his  associates  and  of  a  wide  circle  of  patrons  and 
friends  tliroughout  the  country'.  By  reason  of  his  accomplishments  and 
associations  in  the  business  world  he  ranks  as  a  representative  business 
man. 

Mr.  Cameron  was  married  April  26,  1905,  to  Edith  Person,  who  was 
born  in  Xew  York  City.  They  are  the  jiarents  of  three  children :  John 
Allan.  Robert  \"an  Xess  and  Mary  Louise.  Mr.  Cameron  is  well  known 
in  Masonic  circles  in  Chicago,  being  affiliated  with  Park  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  Park  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Columbia  Commandery,  K.  T. :  Medinah 
Temple  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  Oriental  Consistory  of  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  Scottish  Rite.  He  is  a  past  president  of  the  Chi- 
cago Athletic  Club,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Yacht  Club,  the 
E.xmoor  Country  Club,  the  Fox  Lake  Yacht  Club  and  the  Midlothian 
Club.  In  ])olitics  he  has  always  identified  himself  with  the  Republican 
organization,  and  believes  that  the  princi])les  of  protection  and  centraliza- 
tion of  authority  are  the  best  for  our  national  welfare.  His  home  is  at 
3914  Sheridan  Road.  I\Ir.  Cameron  is  a  member  and  has  served  as 
director  one  term  in  the  Michigan  Society  of  Chicago. 

i>  Micii.\EL  T-  Doyle.  The  bar  of  the  L'pper  Peninsula  has  an  able  and 
popular  representative  in  the  person  of  Michael  T.  Doyle,  who  is  engaged 
in  active  general  practice  in  the  City  of  ^Menominee,  and  who  has  attained 
a  high  reputation  as  a  trial  lawyer,  besides  which  he  is  known  as  a  well 
fortified  coimselor.  He  has  been  prominent  in  connection  with  political 
affairs  in  Michigan  and  has  been  a  recognized  leader  in  the  councils  of 
the  Democratic  \mrty  in  this  state.  He  served  one  term  in  the  legislature 
of  Michigan  and  was  prosecuting  attorney  of  Menominee  county  for  two 
terms  (from  1906  until  1910). 

Michael  J.  Doyle  was  born  in  the  City  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  on  the 
1st  of  October,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Bridget  fO'Hearn) 
Doyle,  both  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  The  father  was  born  in  the 
County  of  Wicklow  and  was  thirty-two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Toronto,  Ontario.  The  mother  was  born  in  the 
County  of  Tipperary,  and  she  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  when  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  Their  marriage  was  solemnized  in  the  city  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  their  only  child  is  he  whose  name  initiates  this  sketch. 
The  father  was  reared  and  educated  in  his -native  land,  where  he  remained 
until  1847.  when  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  the  City  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  whence  he  later  removed  to  Memphis.  Tennessee.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife  he  removed  to  the  northern  part  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
and  at  the  lime  of  his  death  he  was  a  successful  contractor  in  the  City  of 
Toronto. 

Michael  J.  Doyle  was  afforded  e.xcellent  educational  advantages,  as 
he  was  enabled  to  prosecute  his  studies  in  De  La  Salle  Institute  and 
Osgoode  Hall,  two  excellent  institutions  in  the  City  of  Toronto,  Canada. 
In  the  law  department  of  the  latter  he  was  graduated  as  a  member  of 
the  class  of   1879.     Soon  afterward  he  located  in  the  City  of  Detroit. 


^  'K  cx-^^Q-J  ^     A~Vy^ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2257 

Michigan,  where  he  was  identified  with  manufacturing  interests  until 
1887,  when  lie  removed  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Michigan,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  ])rofession.  In  i8go  he  was  appointed  city  attornej 
by  the  Common  Council  and  in  the  fall  of  1891  he  was  elected  a  repre 
sentative  of  Chippewa  county  in  the  state  legislature.  In  August  of 
1891  he  removed  from  Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  Iron  Mountain,  Michigan, 
where  he  served  one  term  as  city  attorney  and  where  he  followed  the  work 
of  his  profession  until  the  autumn  of  1894,  when  he  removed  to  Menomi- 
nee and  was  engaged  in  practice  there  until  1897.  He  then  removed  to 
Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  engaged  in  professional  work  until 
1903,  when  he  returned  to  Menominee,  ]\Iichigan,  which  city  has  been  the 
scene  of  his  successful  endeavors  as  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law. 
In  1906  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Menominee  county,  and 
his  able  service  as  a  public  prosecutor  resulted  in  his  being  chosen  as  his 
own  successor  in  1908.  His  second  term  expired  in  1910,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  given  his  undivided  attention  to  the  private  practice  of  his 
profession,  in  connection  with  which  he  retains  a  large  and  representative 
clientele,  taking,  however,  a  deep  interest  in  local  educational  matters  and 
serving  as  president  of  the  Menominee  Board  of  Education  for  three 
years.  IMr.  Doyle  has  marked  talent  along  literary  lines  and  the  appre- 
ciative wit  and  humor  characteristic  of  the  race  from  which  he  is  sprung. 
He  has  written  two  books  that  have  met  with  a  most  pleasing  popular 
reception — "Swan  Swanson,"  published  in  1895,  and  "John  Poorfellow," 
published  in  1898.  He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  has  never  deviated  therefrom,  being  now  a  communicant  of  St. 
Albertus  Parish  in  his  home  city.  In  politics.  Mr.  Doyle  is  a  stalwart  in 
the  camp  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  under  its  banner  he  has  rendered 
most  efficient  service.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Con- 
vention, held  in  the  city  of  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1908,  and  at  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention,  held  in  the  "City  of  Lansing,  Alichigan.  In 
March,  1909,  he  was  chosen  chairman,  proving  himself  an  able  and  dis- 
criminating presiding  officer.  In  191 5  he  was  elected  by  the  people  of  his 
home  city  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to  prepare  a  revised  city  charter 
for  Menominee.  He  is  at  present  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in 
Menominee  county  and  as  a  citizen  he  takes  a  loyal  interest  in  all  that 
tends  to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  He  is  a  man 
of  genial  nature  and  has  marked  facility  in  gaining  and  retaining  inviolate 
friendships. 

On  the  loth  of  July,  1880,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Doyle 
to  Miss  Marie  Fitzpatrick,  who  was  born  in  the  City  of  Hamilton, 
Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Kenny  Fitzpatrick,  a 
well-known  citizen  of  that  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Doyle  have  seven  chil- 
dren, namely :  Helen,  wife  of  John  O'Hara,  present  city  attorney  of 
Menominee ;  Gerald,  Gladys,  Kenneth,  Thurman,  Wilford  and  Meredith. 

Andrew  Gram.  One  of  the  substantial  business  enterprises  of  the 
City  of  Menominee  is  that  conducted  by  this  sterling  business  man  and 
honored  citizen,  who  is  a  dealer  in  second-hand  engines,  boilers  and  pumps 
and  who  also  handles  saw  and  shingle  mill  machinery.  His  shops  and 
warehouse  are  located  at  the  juncture  of  Saxton  Avenue  and  the  lines  of 
the  C.  &  N.  W.  Railroad.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  Scandi- 
navian element  that  has  contributed  so  much  to  the  development  of  this 
section  of  the  state  and  is  a  native  of  Demnark,  where  he  was  born  on 
the  9th  of  January,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  Christian  P.  and  Karem  (  Paul- 
sen)  Gram,  both  of  whom  passed  their  entire  lives  in  Denmark,  where 
the  father  followed  the  vocation  of  farmer.  Of  their  twelve  children  only 
four  are  now  living  and  of  the  number  three  are  residents  of  the  United 


2258  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

States.  The  father  followed  a  seafaring  life  in  his  younger  days  and 
later  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  in  connection  with  which 
he  achieved  a  due  measure  of  success.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Andrew  Gram  secured  his  early  educational  training  in  the  excellent 
schools  of  his  native  land  and  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he 
severed  home  ties  and  courageously  set  forth  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  on 
his  own  responsibility  and  as  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  At  the  age 
mentioned  he  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel  for  America  and  thirty-five 
days  elapsed  before  he  disembarked  in  the  Port  of  New  York  City  in 
1855.  He  remained  but  a  short  time  in  the  national  metropolis,  whence  he 
came  westward  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  he  entered  upon  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  a  machine  shop.  He  became  a  skilled  workman  and 
after  the  completion  of  his  apprenticeship  worked  at  his  trade  until  1861, 
when  he  gave  signal  manifestation  of  his  loyalty  to  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion by  tendering  his  services  in  defense  of  the  Union  whose  integrity 
was  menaced  by  armed  rebellion.  In  response  to  President  Lincoln's 
first  call,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  H,  Twelfth  Wisconsin  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  he  was  mustered  into  service  on  the  5th  of  November, 
1861,  at  Madison,  the  capital  of  that  state.  Soon  afterward  he  proceeded 
with  his  regiment  to  the  front,  having  been  in  service  at  Fort  Scott  and 
Fort  Leavenworth  and  then  proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  onward 
into  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  where  his  command  participated  in  numer- 
ous engagements.  He  was  with  Grant's  army  in  Mississippi  and  took 
part  in  the  Pittsburg  campaign.  He  was  a  participator  in  all  the  battles 
and  skirmishes  in  which  his  regiment  was  involved  and  made  a  gallant 
record  as  a  valiant  and  loyal  soldier  of  the  republic.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1864,  duly 
receiving  his  honorable  discharge.  After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  he  returned 
to  Wisconsin  and  some  time  afterward  secured  a  position  as  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  Ludington  &  Wells  Company  at  Menominee,  Michigan. 
With  this  well-known  concern,  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  connection 
with  the  great  lumber  industry  of  this  section,  he  continued  to  be  employed 
for  a  period  of  thirty-seven  years,  severing  his  connection  only  when  he 
established  his  present  business  enterprise.  He  has  built  up  a  very  suc- 
cessful business  and  his  reputation  as  a  reliable  and  conservative  business 
man  is  unassailable.  A  skilled  artisan  and  thoroughly  familiar  with  all 
the  details  of  the  mechanical  industry  with  which  he  is  thus  associated,  his 
well-equipped  establishment  has  facilities  for  the  turning  out  of  the  best 
kind  of  work  and  the  repair  department  is  one  that  has  a  large  support. 
His  two  sons,  Ralph  S.  and  James,  are  associated  with  him  in  business 
and  are  numbered  among  the  representative  young  business  men  of 
Menominee. 

Mr.  Gram  enjoys  unalloyed  popularity  in  the  city  that  has  so  long  rep- 
resented his  home  and  he  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  oftices  of  dis- 
tinctive public  trust.  He  was  a  member  of  the  City  Council  for  one  term 
and  for  three  terms  was  supervisor  of  the  township.  In  politics  he 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party.  Both  he  and  his  two  sons 
are  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  affiliated  with  Menominee 
Lodge,  No.  269,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in  which  he  served  as  master 
for  three  terms.  He  is  also  identified  with  ^ilenominee  Chapter,  No.  107, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Menominee  Commandery,  No.  35,  Knights 
Templar. 

In  1866  was  solemnized  tlie  marriage  of  Mr.  Gram  to  ]\Iiss  Annie 
Campbell  and  her  death  occurred  in  1869.  The  two  children  of  this  union 
are  both  deceased.  In  1874  Mr.  Gram  wedded  Miss  Annie  Evans,  who 
was  born  in  Wales  and  who  was  summoned  to  the  life  eternal  in  1904. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2259 

Of  the  seven  children  the  follownig  brief  record  is  given:  CHnton  W.. 
assistant  cashier  First  National  Bank  ;  Louis  M.,  professor  of  construction 
engineering  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan:  M.  Jane;  Chester  E.,  deceased; 
Ralph  S. :  Fannie  E. ;  and  James.  M.  Jane  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  G. 
Woodford,  of  Dunbar,  and  Chester  E.  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
Mr.  Gram  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  were  also  his  first 
and  second  wives. 

Wolfgang  Reindl.  One  of  the  substantial  and  important  industrial 
enterprises  of  the  city  of  Menominee  is  that  conducted  by  the  Menominee 
River  Brewing  Company,  of  which  he  is  president  and  general  manager. 
He  is  one  of  those  worthy  and  progressive  business  men  who  have 
achieved  personal  success  through  well  directed  effort,  and  he  has  been 
in  a  significant  sense  the  artificer  of  his  own  fortunes,  having  come  from 
a  foreign  land  to  America  as  a  young  man  and  having  pressed  steadily 
forward  to  the  goal  of  definite  prosperity  and  independence.  He  is  to  be 
considered  as  one  of  the  pioneer  business  men  of  Menominee,  where  his 
course  in  all  relations  of  life  has  been  so  ordered  as  to  gain  and  retain  to 
him  inviolable  popular  confidence  and  esteem.  ]\Ir.  Reindl  was  born  at 
Neumarck,  Austria,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1851.  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Theresa  (Scharm)  Reindl,  both  of  whom  passed  their  entire  lives  in  that 
country,  where  the  father's  vocation  was  that  of  hardware  dealer.  In  his 
fatherland  Mr.  Reindl  served  a  thorough  apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of 
shoemaker,  in  connection  with  which  he  became  a  skilled  workman.  In 
1868,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  severed  the  ties  that  bound  him 
to  home  and  fatherland  and  set  forth  to  win  for  himself  a  position  of 
independence  in  America,  which  country  he  felt  oft'ered  better  opportuni- 
ties for  the  achievement  of  success  through  personal  effort  than  did  his 
native  land.  He  landed  in  New  York  city  and  forthwith  made  his  way 
to  Wisconsin,  a  state  to  whose  development  and  upbuilding  those -of  his 
native  land  have  contributed  in  most  generous  measure,  and  he  located  in 
Manitowoc,  where  he  found  employment  at  his  trade  for  the  ensuing 
two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this  period  he  removed  to  Menominee, 
where  he  continued  to  follow  his  trade  until  1887.  He  then  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Menominee  River  Brewing  Company,  and  through  his 
careful  business  policy  and  marked  administrative  ability  this  concern 
has  become  one  of  the  most  important  of  its  kind  in  the  whole  "upper 
country."  He  has  been  president  and  general  manager  of  the  company 
since  1891,  and  Frank  Erdlitz  is  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  plant  is  a 
large  one  and  is  thoroughly  modern  in  all  its  facilities  and  equipments. 
Its  products  stand  upon  their  merit  and  their  superiority  is  fully  indicated 
in  the  large  volume  of  trade  controlled  by  the  corporation. 

Mr.  Reindl  has  ever  upheld  the  reputation  of  a  loyal  and  useful  citizen, 
and  he  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  enjoys  noteworthy  popularity  in 
both  business  and  social  circles  in  the  city  that  has  so  long  represented 
his  home.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  Menominee  Turn  \'erein, 
of  which  he  is  still  an  active  member,  and  has  been  a  member  of  St.  John's 
Society,  besides  which  he  is  actively  affiliated  with  the  Sons  of  Hermann. 

Mr.  Reindl  has  been  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  cause  of  the  Democratic 
party  from  the  time  of  attaining  the  right  of  franchise  in  his  adopted 
country.  He  is  well  fortified  in  his  views  as  to  matters  of  all  measures 
tending  to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  His  eligibility 
for  offices  of  public  trust  and  responsibility  has  been  recognized  by  the 
people  of  Menominee.  In  1885  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of 
aldermen  and  of  this  municipal  body  he  continued  to  be  a  valued  and  loyal 
member  until  1894,  his  continuous  retention  of  the  office  showifig  the 
esteem  placed  upon  his  services  by  the  voters  of  the  city.     He  was  chair- 


2260  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

man  of  the  committee  on  sewers  and  was  assigned  to  membership  on  other 
important  committees  of  the  city  council.  He  has  served  since  1902  as 
supervisor  of  the  Fifth  ward.  ^Ir.  Reindl  had  received  good  educational 
advantages  in  his  native  land,  but  was  entirely  unfamiliar  with  the  English 
language  at  the  time  of  his  emigration  to  America.  Not  content  to  gain 
such  knowledge  by  gradual  absorption,  he  attended  evening  schools,  giving 
as  much  time  as  possible  to  private  study,  and  for  some  time  received  in- 
struction from  Professor  John  W.  Bird,  of  ^Menominee. 

He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic  church  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  communicants  of  the  same. 

In  the  year  1872  Mr.  Reindl  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Theresa 
Erdlitz,  who  is  a  sister  of  Frank  and  Joseph  Erdlitz,  representative  busi- 
ness men  of  ^Menominee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reindl  became  the  parents  of 
fifteen  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living,  namely:  John  G.,  Carrie 
Anna,  Alfred,  Mary,  Frank,  Clara  and  Drusilla.  John  G.  Reindl,  the 
eldest  of  the  children,  married  Miss  Pauline  Posscpny;  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  John  G.  Kess. 

Charles  I.  Cook.  In  this  age  of  colossal  enterprise  and  marked  intel- 
lectual energy  the  prominent  and  successful  men  are  those  whose  abilities 
lead  them  into  large  undertakings  and  to  assume  the  responsibilities  and 
labors  of  leaders  in  their  respective  fields  of  endeavor.  Success  is  method- 
ical and  conservative  and  however  much  we  may  indulge  in  fantastic 
theorization  as  to  the  elements  and  causation  in  any  isolated  instance,  in 
the  light  of  sober  investigation  we  shall  find  such  success  to  be  the  result 
of  the  determined  application  of  one's  abilities  and  powers  along  the 
rigidly  defined  lines  of  labor — whether  mental  or  manual.  He  whose 
name  introduces  this  article  has  undoubtedly  done  more  than  any  other 
man  to  further  the  industrial  and  commercial  prestige,  as  well  as  the 
material  attractiveness,  of  the  city  of  Menominee,  where  his  hand  has 
guided,  with  all  of  discrimination  and  admirable  initiative  and  adminis- 
trative power,  industrial  enterprises  of  great  scope  and  magnitude.  \VhiIe 
this  brief  sketch,  whose  limitations  are  necessarily  circumscribed,  cannot 
enter  into  details  as  to  the  various  stages  of  his  career,  it  is  incumbent  that 
there  be  incorporated  within  the  pages  of  the  publication  at  hand  at  least 
a  short  resume  of  his  life  and  labors.  He  is  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizens  that  the  Upper  Peninsula  can  claim  and  his 
name  represents  a  power  in  connection  with  business  and  civic  affairs, 
besides  which  he  has  so  ordered  his  course  as  to  command  at  all  times  the 
unqualified  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-men. 

Charles  I.  Cook  finds  no  small  meed  of  satisfaction  in  reverting  to 
the  great  western  metropolis  of  Chicago  as  the  place  of  his  nativity.  There 
he  was  born  on  the  21st  of  August,  1862,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Charles  W. 
and  Sarah  A.  (Coonley)  Cook.  Charles  Willard  Cook  was  born  at  Had- 
dam,  Connecticut,  in  1834,  and  was  a  scion  of  the  sterling  family  founded 
in  New  England  in  the  Colonial  epoch  of  our  national  history.  He  passed 
the  closing  years  of  his  life  at  Odebolt,  Sac  county,  Iowa,  dying  in  1902, 
at  which  time  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  The  cherished  and  devoted 
wife  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York,  in  which  city  their  marriage  was 
solemnized,  and  she  was  thirty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
demise.  Of  the  five  children  of  this  union,  three  are  now  living,  of  whom 
the  oldest  is  Charles  I.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review;  Albert  E. 
is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  at  Odebolt.  Iowa,  and  there  conducts 
an  extensive  enterprise  in  the  handling  of  farm  lands,  besides  which  he 
has  the  distinction  of  owning  and  operating  the  largest  farm  in  that  state ; 
Emma  C.  is  the  wife  of  F.  I.  Carpenter,  who  resides  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Charles  Willard  Cook,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  son 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2261 

of  Willard  and  Abigail  Cook,  and  was  thirteen  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  the  family  removal  from  Connecticut  to  the  west  in  1847.  They  first 
located  at  Libertyville,  Illinois,  and  about  three  years  later  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  Willard  Cook  erected  the  first  brick  house  on  what  is  now 
the  West  side  of  the  great  metropolis.  He  became  a  citizen  of  much  prom- 
inence and  influence  and  was  one  of  the  representative  pioneer  business 
men  of  Chicago.  His  son,  Charles  Willard  Cook,  received  his  educational 
training  in  the  schools  of  Chicago  and  as  a  young  man  identified  himself 
closely  with  business  interests  in  that  city.  He  was  the  first  to  establish 
there  a  real-estate  loan  business  and  also  conducted  large  operations  in 
the  handling  of  city  and  farm  property,  becoming  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant factors  in  connection  with  these  lines  of  enterprise,  through  which 
he  gained  a  substantial  fortune.  He  retired  from  active  business  in  the 
early  seventies  and  thereafter  gave  his  attention  principally  to  the  super- 
vision of  his  extensive  capitalistic  interests.  Pie  identified  himself  with 
the  Republican  party  at  the  time  of  its  organization  but  was  never  an 
aspirant  for  a  public  office  of  any  order.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  devoted 
members  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Charles  I.  Cook  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of  Chicago  for  his 
early  educational  discipline,  which  included  a  course  in  the  high  school, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went  to  Iowa,  where  his  father  had 
secured  large  tracts  of  land,  and  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, finding  due  measure  of  satisfaction  in  the  radical  change  from  met- 
ropolitan to  rural  life.  Later  he  became  an  extensive  dealer  in  farm  lands, 
and  in  this  connection  handled  properties  in  all  sections  of  the  state  of 
Iowa,  meanwhile  maintaining  his  home  in  Odebolt,  Sac  county,  where 
occurred  the  death  of  his  father,  as  already  noted  in  this  context.  While 
a  resident  of  the  Hawkeye  state  Mr.  Cook  gained  the  same  worthy  prece- 
dence now  enjoyed  by  his  brother  in  that  he  owned  and  conducted  the 
largest  farm  in  the  state,  devoting  same  to  diversified  agriculture  and  the 
breeding  of  high  grade  stock.  There  he  continued  to  be  actively  and  suc- 
cessfully identified  with  these  lines  of  enterprise  until  1891,  when  he 
removed  to  Menominee,  Michigan,  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Somerville,  Penberthy  &  Cook,  which 
later  became  Penberthy  &  Cook.  Finally  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  title  of  the  Carpenter-Cook  Company  and  of  the  same  Mr. 
Cook  has  been  the  executive  head,  besides  which  he  practically  owns  the 
controlling  stock.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  concerns 
of  the  Upper  Peninsula  and  its  facilities  and  equipment  are  of  the  best 
metropolitan  type.  The  company  controls  an  extensive  trade  throughout 
northern  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  and  its  annual  transactions  represent 
a  large  aggregate.  In  1906  Mr.  Cook  eft'ected  the  organization  and  incor- 
poration of  the  Michigan  Refining  &  Preserving  Company,  of  which  he  is 
president  and  the  virtual  owner  of  all  the  stock.  This  company  has  devel- 
oped its  business  to  a  point  which  makes  it  one  of  the  leading  industries 
of  Menominee  and  one  that  has  a  most  beneficent  influence  in  conserving 
the  prosperity  of  the  community,  owing  alike  to  the  large  number  of 
employes  retained  and  to  the  large  amount  of  cash  paid  out  to  farmers. 
The  factory  has  unexcelled  facilities  for  the  preserving  and  canning  of 
fruits  and  vegetables  and  its  products  have  been  introduced  and  found 
ready  demand  in  the  most  diverse  sections  of  the  Union.  The  concern 
controls  an  especially  large  trade  throughout  the  northwest  and  its  busi- 
ness permeates  through  the  Pacific  coast  states.  The  initiative  power 
and  enterprising  spirit  of  Mr.  Cook  have  led  him  to  identify  himself  with 
many  industrial  undertakings  in  Menominee  and  his  interposition  has 
invariably  begotten  definite  success.  Thus  it  may  be  noted  thaf  he  is 
president  of  the  Menominee  River  Sugar  Company,  engaged  in  the  manu- 


2262  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

facture  of  beet  sugar  upon  an  extensive  scale;  that  he  is  president  of  the 
Menominee  Pickle  Company  and  that  he  is  also  the  executive  head  of  the 
Menominee  Land  &  Iron  Company,  an  organization  which  controls  much 
holdings  of  real  estate  and  vast  tracts  of  mineral  and  agricultural  land  in 
the  Upper  Peninsula.  Mr.  Cook  is  also  owner  of  the  Alenominee  Opera 
House,  a  fine  place  of  entertainment,  and  through  his  personal  efforts  have 
been  secured  many  of  the  best  attractions  that  customarily  are  to  be  seen 
only  in  metropolitan  centers.  He  is  a  member  of  the  directorate  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Menominee  and  he  is  owner  of  the  Pine  Hill  farm, 
one  of  the  best  improved  and  most  valuable  landed  estates  of  the  kind  in 
this  section  of  Michigan.  On  this  place,  which  is  about  three  miles  distant 
from  Menominee,  he  has  a  most  attractive  summer  home  which,  like  his 
city  residence,  is  the  center  of  gracious  hospitality.  He  also  owns  what 
is  known  as  the  Nine-mile  farm  and  he  finds  much  of  pleasure  and  satis- 
faction in  supervising  this  fine  landed  estate,  w^hich  has  an  aggregate  area 
of  fully  thirty-five  hundred  acres.  This  property  he  purchased  of  the 
late  Samuel  M.  Stephenson.  On  his  farms  he  devotes  special  attention 
to  the  raising  of  peas  and  beans,  which  are  utilized  in  the  plant  of  the 
Michigan  Refining  &  Preserving  Company,  of  which  he  is  president. 

In  jiolitics  ^Ir.  Cook  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  generic  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  although  in  local  affairs  he  maintains  an  independent 
attitude  and  gives  his  support  to  men  and  measures  meeting  the  approval 
of  judgment,  irrespective  of  partisan  lines.  His  political  independence 
was  further  shown  in  the  fact  that  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
the  Honorable  Grover  Cleveland,  of  whom  he  was  a  great  admirer. 

On  the  i6th  of  May.  1890,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Cook 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Patterson  Carpenter,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Pike,  Wyoming  county.  New  York,  and  who  was  an  infant  at  the  time 
of  her  mother's  death.  She  was  adopted  by  the  late  William  O.  Carpenter, 
who  became  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Chicago  and  later  of 
Menominee,  and  who  was  extensively  concerned  in  the  great  lumber  in- 
dustry in  northern  ^Michigan  for  many  years.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  born 
in  the  old  Empire  state  of  the  Union,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated, 
and  as  a  young  man  he  located  in  Chicago,  whence  he  later  removed  to 
Menominee,  where  he  had  large  real-estate  and  capitalistic  interests  and 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  Mrs.  Cook  is  a  popular  fig- 
ure in  connection  with  the  best  social  activities  of  her  home  city  and  is  a 
woman  of  most  gracious  personality.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  two  fine 
sons — Charles  I.,  Junior,  who  was  born  on  the  30th  of  November,  1892, 
and  William  Carjjenter,  who  was  born  on  the  loth  of  December,  1896. 
In  conclusion  of  the  sketch  is  consistently  entered  the  following  appre- 
ciative estimate  that  appeared  in  the  Daily  Hcrald-Lcader  of  Menominee 
and  which  affords  an  idea  of  the  status  which  Mr.  Cook  holds  in  the  city 
to  whose  advancement  he  has  contributed  in  a  liberal  measure. 

Mr.  Cook  has  certainly  been  the  largest  individual  factor  in  the  crea- 
tion of  new  enterprises  for  the  city  of  Menominee  and  vicinity.  It  is 
said  that  the  factories  and  other  industries  under  his  supervision  have  a 
weekly  pay  roll  of  at  least  fifteen  hundred  names.  Besides  those  em- 
ployed at  the  wholesale  house,  his  factories  and  his  farms,  Mr.  Cook  has 
in  his  employ,  year  in  and  year  out,  regular  crews  of  carpenters,  paper- 
hangers,  painters,  plumbers  and  other  workmen. 

Personally  Mr.  Cook  is  a  man  whom  it  is  at  all  times  a  pleasure  to 
meet,  broad  in  his  ideas,  conservative  in  his  views,  and  public-spirited 
in  the  largest  sense  of  the  word.  His  business  genius  has  been  a  per- 
sistent factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  Menominee  and  the  Upper  Peninsula, 
and  the  hundreds  of  men  and  women  who  have  been  given  their  first 
chance  in  the  splendid  concerns  with  which  he  is  identified  have  been  able 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2263 

to  start  in  the  right  way  and  have  acquired  experience  in  business  and 
industrial  pursuits  which  will  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  them  and  assures 
them  of  successful  careers. 

The  influence  of  Mr.  Cook  is  conspicuous  in  Alenominee  not  only  in 
business  and  industrial  circles  but  also  from  social  and  artistic  stand- 
points. He  occupies  one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  in  Menominee  and 
is  a  man  of  large  hearted  but  most  unostentatious  charity.  The  Menomi- 
nee Opera  House  is  his  personal  property,  and  under  his  direction  many 
of  America's  most  eminent  actors  are  secured  for  this  city. 

Whenever  there  is  an  enterprise  on  foot  which  has  as  its  object  the 
benefit  of  this  city,  Charles  I.  Cook  is  sure  to  be  counted  among  those 
present,  and,  more  than  this,  he  is  one  of  the  men  who  will  stay  with  it, 
and  whose  ability  and  shrewdness  will  contribute  in  no  small  degree  to 
making  it  a  success. 

Louis  J.  Leisex.  To  be  noted  as  one  of  the  distinctive  "captains  of 
industry"  in  the  city  of  Menominee,  and  also  as  a  member  of  one  of  the 
honored  pioneer  families  of  this  city,  which  has  been  his  home  from 
his  boyhood  days  to  the  present,  Louis  J.  Leisen  merits  special  recogni- 
tion in  this  publication  as  one  of  the  representative  business  men  of 
Michigan.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Captain  Jacob  Leisen,  to  whom  a 
memoir  is  dedicated  on  other  pages  of  this  work,  so  that  further  review 
of  the  family  history  is  not  demanded  in  the  sketch  at  hand. 

Louis  J.  Leisen  was  born  at  Centerville,  Manitowoc  county,  Wis- 
consin, on  the  I2th  of  March,  1862,  and  thus  he  was  about  eleven  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  the  family  removal  to  Menominee,  Michigan,  in 
1873.  He  gained  his  rudimentary  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  village  and  thereafter  continued  his  studies  in  the  Menominee 
schools,  in  which  he  partially  completed  the  curriculum  of  the  high  school. 
As  a  youth  he  became  associated  with  his  father's  business  enterprises, 
especially  the  brewing  business  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Leisen 
and  Henes.  Finally  a  stock  company  was  organized  and  incorporated, 
under  the  title  of  the  Leisen  &  Flenes  Brewing  Company,  and  of  the 
same  Louis  J-  Leisen  became  vice-president.  Of  this  office  he  continued 
incumbent  until  the  death  of  his  honored  father,  in  1900,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded the  latter  in  the  presidency  of  this  company,  which  chief  execu- 
tive position  he  still  retains.  Concerning  the  large  and  prosperous 
enterprise  conducted  by  this  company  the  following  pertinent  statements 
have  been  made:  "One  of  the  important  elements  of  industrial  and  com- 
mercial activity  in  Menominee  is  that  represented  in  the  well  conducted 
business  of  the  Leisen  &  Henes  Brewing  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  important  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the  L'pper  Peninsula.  This 
extensive  brewery  was  established  in  1872  and  passed  from  the  first 
ownership  into  other  hands  ere  it  came  into  possession  of  the  present 
company.  In  February,  1876,  the  firm  of  Leisen  &  Henes  assumed  con- 
trol of  the  enterprise  and  in  July,  1891,  to  meet  the  ever  increasing  de- 
mands placed  upon  the  establishment,  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  ^^lichigan,  with  a  paid-up  capital  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  with  Jacob  Leisen  as  president ;  Louis 
J.  Leisen  as  vice-president;  and  John  Henes  as  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  brewery  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1877,  was  promptly  rebuilt,  and 
again  on  the  24th  of  June,  1890,  the  plant  was  practically  obliterated  by 
fire.  With  characteristic  energy  and  progressiveness  the  interested  prin- 
cipals again  erected  a  larger  and  more  substantial  plant,  and  the  sam' 
has  the  best  of  equipment  throughout,  while  the  careful  attention  paid  to 
all  details  of  the  manufacturing  insures  the  highest  grade  of  product, 
so  that  the  brewery  has  at  all  times  controlled  a  large  and  substantial 


2264  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

trade,  it  has  now  a  capacity  of  fifty  thousand  barrels  annually,  and  tiie 
large  volume  of  business  controlled  represents  the  direct  result  of  the 
energy  and  careful  methods  brought  to  bear  by  those  concerned  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  enterprise."  The  officers  of  this  company  at  the  \>rcs- 
ent  time  are  as  here  noted  :  Louis  J.  Leisen,  president ;  Joseph  W.  Leisen. 
vice-president ;  and  John  lienes.  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  subject  of  this  review  has  also  shown  his  enterprising  spirit  and 
initiative  powers- through  his  association  with  other  local  business  con- 
cerns of  important  order.  The  most  noteworthy  of  these  is  the  Menominee 
Stained  Glass  Works  which  represents  one  of  the  most  important  in- 
dustrial enterprises  of  Menominee  and  one  of  the  leading  manufactur- 
ing concerns  of  the  entire  Upper  Peninsula.  Of  this  corporation  Mr. 
Leisen  is  general  manager.  In  the  large  and  well  equipped  plant  of  the 
company  is  manufactured  a  large  and  artistic  line  of  stained  and  mosaic 
glass  for  churches,  residences,  public  buildings,  steamboats,  etc.  A  specialty 
is  made  of  high  artistic  group  and  figured  windows,  and  original  designs 
are  furnished  in  this  and  other  departments  when  desired.  The  com- 
pany also  handle,  both  at  wholesale  and  retail,  window  glass  and  all 
kinds  of  plate  glass,  besides  other  specialties  in  the  glass  line. 

Mr.  Leisen  has  ever  maintained  the  attitude  of  progressiveness  ana 
public  spirit,  and  in  his  home  city  his  influence  and  co-operation  have 
been  given  to  the  furthering  of  all  measures  for  the  general  welfare  of 
the  community.  He  is  held  in  unequivocal  esteem  as  a  citizen  and  busi- 
ness man  and  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  positions  of  public  trust. 
In  1900  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  Third  ward,  and  in  1902  he  was 
chosen  as  his  own  successor  in  this  important  office,  of  which  he  thus 
continued  incumbent  for  a  period  of  four  years.  In  1904  he  was  elected 
city  assessor,  for  a  term  of  three  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which,  in 
1907,  he  was  elected  for  a  second  term  of  the  same  duration.  This 
term  expires  January  i,  191 1.  In  politics  he  accords  a  stalwart  allegiance 
to  the  Democratic  party  and  he  is  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic  church, 
in  whose  faith  he  was  reared. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1905,  Mr.  Leisen  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Hattie  C.  Rruce,  who  was  born  in  Sweden,  and  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Xelson  and  Charlotte  Bruce,  who  came  to  America  when  she  was  a 
child.  The  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  vocation,  took  up 
his  residence  in  Menominee  in  1880.  He  died  in  Menominee,  Michigan,  in 
1906,  and  the  mother  November  7,  1912.  Mrs.  Leisen  is  the  youngest  in 
a  family  of  five  children,  all  of  whotn  are  living.  Mr.  and  ]VIrs.  Leisen 
have  five  children, — \'erena  Charlotte.  Dorothy  Beatrice,  Jacob  Louis, 
Louis  Joseph.  Jr.,  and  Harriette  Charlotte. 

Gf.orge  a.  Woodford.  At  612  ]\Iain  street  in  the  city  of  Menominee 
is  located  the  well  equipped  and  essentially  metropolitan  business  estab- 
lishment of  the  Woodford  iS:  Bill  Piano  Company,  of  which  the  subject 
of  this  review  is  the  able  and  popular  president.  A  man  of  liberal  and 
progressive  ideas  and  of  impregnable  integrity,  he  has  gained  precedence 
and  definite  success  as  one  of  the  representative  business  men  of  Menom- 
inee, where  he  commands  miecpiivocal  jiopular  esteem,  and  he  is  well  en- 
titled to  consideration  in  this  publication. 

George  Alonzo  ^^'oodford  was  born  at  West  Avon,  Hartford  county, 
Connecticut,  on  the  iith  of  I'ebruary,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Alonzo  and 
Harriet  N.  (Thompson)  Woodford,  both  of  whom  are  likewise  nati^•es 
of  West  Avon,  where  the  former  was  born  in  1S12  and  the  latter  in  181 5. 
The  Woodford  family  is  one  whose  name  has  been  long  identified  with 
the  annals  of  Connecticut,  and  the  lineage  is  traced  back  to  .Stephen 
Woodford,  who  came  to  this  country  and  establislied  his  residence  in  Con- 


-m;  :^u^^i^^^>*-\ 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2265 

necticut  in  1637.  It  is  claimed  that  every  Woodford  in  this  or  any  other 
country  can  be  traced  back  to  Stejihen  Woodford,  but  his  ancestry  can- 
not be  found.  Giles  Woodford,  grandfather  of  him  whose  name 
initiates  this  article,  passed  his  entire  life  in  Hartford  county,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  was  a  representative  farmer  and  honored  and  influen- 
tial citizen.  Alonzo  Woodford  was  reared  to  the  sturdy  discipline  of  the. 
New  England  farm  and  throughout  his  entire  active  career  he  never 
severed  his  allegiance  to  the  great  basic  industry  of  agriculture,  with 
which  he  continued  to  be  identified,  in  Hartford  county,  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1858.  His  devoted  wife,  who  likewise  was 
a  member  of  one  of  the  old  and  honored  families  of  Xew  England,  was 
summoned  to  the  life  eternal  in  t86i.  They  became  the  parents  of  two 
sons  and  five  daughters,  and  of  the  number  four  are  now  living,  namely  : 
Adelaide,  who  is  unmarried  and  resides  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut ;  Har- 
riet, who  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  A.  Wesley  Bill,  treasurer  of  the  Woodford 
&  Bill  Piano  Company  of  Menominee,  Michigan,  where  he  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  for  sixteen  years ;  and  Howard  A.,  who 
is  now  a  resident  of  Tacoma,  Wash.  The  father  identified  himself  with 
the  Republican  party  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  and  died  one  year 
after  the  election  of  Lincoln.  He  was  a  member' of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

George  A.  Woodford  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  on  the  old  home- 
stead farm  that  was  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  he  is  indebted  to  the  com- 
mon schools  of  West  Avon,  Connecticut,  for  his  early  educational  train- 
ing. He  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  his  early  experiences  in  connection  with  the  practical  affairs 
of  life  were  those  gained  on  the  farm  and  in  a  wood-working  shop  in  his 
native  county.  In  1865  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  decided  to  seek 
•a  new  field  of  endeavor  in  the  west.  He  accordingly  joined  his  uncle,  the 
late  Rockwell  AI.  Thompson,  at  Kilboqrn  City,  \\'isconsin,  where  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  business  operations  of  his  uncle,  who  was  a 
buyer  and  shipper  of  grain.  He  soon  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
this  line  of  enterprise,  and  his  early  experiences  in  connection  with  fa:m 
work  made  him  a  good  judge  of  the  products  handled.  Fie  was  finally 
admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  of  which  he  had  the  entire 
charge  for  sometime.  Through  this  medium  he  gained  his  initial  success 
as  a  business  man,  and  he  recalls  with  a  feeling  of  just  pride  that  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  won  the  firm  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars 
in  a  period  of  six  months  as  a  buyer  and  shipper  of  grain.  Later  he  was 
employed  for  a  short  ])eriod  in  the  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  of  the 
firm  of  York,  Munger  &  Company,  of  Kilbourn  City,  Wisconsin,  and  he 
then,  in  the  winter  of  1866,  removed  to  Grand  Rapids,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  learned  the  jewelry  trade,  finally  purchasing  the  jewelry  store  of  Jacob 
Norton  of  that  place.  In  the  autumn  of  1869  he  sold  the  business  and  on 
the  following  Christmas  day  he  established  his  permanent  home  in 
Menominee,  where  he  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business,  to  which  he  con- 
tintied  to  devote  his  attention  until  1894.  In  this  long  intervening  period 
of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  gained  prestige  as  one  of  the 
reliable,  enterprising  and  substantial  liusiness  men  of  the  city,  and  thus 
he  was  well  fortified  in  popular  confidence  and  esteem  when,  in  the  year 
mentioned,  he  disposed  of  his  large  and  prosperous  jewelry  business  to 
turn  his  attention  to  his  present  line  of  enterprise,  in  which  his  success 
has  been  of  the  most  gratifying  order.  He  began  operations  in  the 
handling  of  pianos,  organs  and  musical  merchandise  in  an  individual  way, 
and  the  business  finally  attained  such  large  proportions  that  he  found  it 
expedient  to  fortify  the  same  in  a  commercial  way  by  the  organization  and 
incorporation  of  a  stock  company.    This  was  done  on  the  ist  of  January, 


2266  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

I (,109,  when  the  \\'oodford  &  Bill  Piano  Company  was  organized,  being 
duly  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
forty-four  thousand  dollars.  The  company  occupy  a  two-story  building 
at  61 J  Main  street,  and  here  are  to  be  found  the  best  lines  of  standard 
j)ianos  and  organs,  minor  musical  instruments  and  musical  merchandise. 
Tiie  concern  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  this  section  and  its  trade  extends 
throughout  the  territory  normally  tributary  to  Menominee  and  has  now 
reached  a  large  volume.  As  already  indicated  .Mr.  Woodford  is  presi- 
dent of  the  company  and  his  brother-in-law.  Rev.  .\.  Wesley  Bill,  is  treas- 
urer; the  other  member  of  the  executive  corps  is  William  H.  Ounsworth, 
secretary  and  sales  manager.  Mr.  Woodford  himself  is  a  talented  musi- 
cian, and  for  many  years  he  has  been  a  valued  and  popular  figure  in  con- 
nection with  the  musical  life  of  Menominee,  where  he  has  been  director 
of  the  leading  musical  societies  and  where  he  organized  the  Menominee 
brass  band,  of  which  he  was  leader  for  sixteen  years.  This  band  be- 
came under  his  leadership  one  of  the  best  organizations  of  its  kind  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  its  services  were  much  in  demand  in  connection 
with  public  observances  and  social  functions  in  Menominee  and  in  many 
other  cities  and  towns  of  northern  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Wood- 
ford is  one  of  the  pioneer  business  men  of  Menominee,  and  he  has  ever 
evinced  the  most  loyal  interest  in  all  that  has  tended  to  advance  its  civic 
and  business  prosperity.  He  is  a  stanch  adherent  to  the  Republican  party 
but  has  never  found  public  office  to  be  in  the  least  alluring.  The  only 
civic  office  in  which  he  has  consented  to  serve  is  that  of  member  of  the 
Menominee  Board  of  Education,  with  which  he  was  identified  for  two 
years.  Mr.  Woodford  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church. 

Mr.  Woodford  has  been  an  appreciative  member  of  the  Masonic 
Fraternity  for  more  than  forty  years,  having  been  made  a  Master  Mason 
in  the  Blue  Lodge  at  Grand  Rapids,  Wisconsin,  in  1868,  and  he  joined 
Menominee  Lodge  in  1870,  while  it  was  working  under  dis])ensation. 
His  original  capitular  affiliation  was  with  the  Chai)ter  of  Royal  .Arch 
Masons  in  Marquette,  Michigan.  Lie  is  a  member  of  Alenominee  Lodge, 
No.  269,  Free  tV  Accepted  Alasons,  of  which  he  has  served  as  worship- 
ful.master,  and  he  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Menominee  Chapter.  Xo. 
107,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of  which  he  was  principal  sojourner  for 
many  years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Menominee  Commandery, 
No.  35.  Knights  Templars,  and  served  as  its  eminent  commander  for  one 
year.  In  the  city  of  Marquette,  he  is  affiliated  with  Ahmed  Temple 
Ancient  .Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  he  also 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Circle  of  Confidence  Alasters,  and  is 
Master  at  the  present  time,  having  held  the  office  since  one  year  after 
its  organization. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1871,  Mr.  Woodford  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Freeman,  who  was  born  in  Waterville.  Maine,  and  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  W.  and  l>ethia  (  Williams )  Freeman,  both  of 
whom  were  likewise  born  in  the  old  Pine  Tree  state.  Mr.  Freeman  was 
a  hotel  keeper  in  his  native  state,  wheiice  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Grand  Ra])ids,  Wisconsin,  about  1866.  There  he  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodford  had 
three  children,  namely:  Grace,  the  wife  of  William  J.  Frost  of  Portland, 
( )reg()n,  and  they  have  two  children ;  Edward,  who  is  engaged  with  the 
Girard  Lumber  Company,  at  Dunbar,  Wisconsin,  married  Miss  Jane 
Gram,  and  they  have  one  child :  and  Chester,  who  resides  in  International 
I'^dls,  Minnesota,  married  Miss  llervl  \'aughn. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2267 

Emmett  L.  Beach.  President  of  the  German-American  Bank,  and 
for  thirty  years  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Saginaw,  Mr.  Beach  has 
long  been  a  factor  in  the  larger  commercial  and  industrial  activities  of 
his  home  city,  and  is  as  well  known  in  business  as  in  professional  circles. 
Some  3'ears  ago  he  served  his  district  one  term  as  circuit  judge.  He 
represents  a  family  of  pioneers  in  Saginaw  county,  and  the  name  has 
been  well  known  in  this  section  of  Michigan  for  nearly  three-quarters 
of  a  century. 

Emmett  L.  Beach  was  born  at  Bridgeport  in  Saginaw  county,  March 
31,  1S57.  His  parents  were  Noah  and  Mary  J.  (Hodgmanj  Beach. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Lewiston,  Niagara  county,  New  York,  was 
brought  when  a  child  to  Michigan  in  1837,  his  parents  living  one  year 
in  Oakland  county,  and  then  settling  in  Saginaw  county  at  a  time  when 
all  that  part  of  Alichigan  was  still  in  the  domain  of  the  wilderness. 
Noah  S.  Beach  died  in  1909  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and  all  his 
career  had  been  spent  as  a  farmer.  The  mother  was  born  in  Vermont, 
and  her  parents  settled  near  Bridgeport,  in  Saginaw  county,  at  an  early 
day.  Noah  Beach  and  wife  were  both  reared  and  educated  in  Saginaw 
county,  and  the  wife  died  in  June,  1881,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  Besides 
Judge  Beach  there  were  two  other  children :  Charles  S.,  a  farmer  in 
Saginaw  county,  born  in  1854;  and  Gardner  W.,  who  died  at  Portland, 
Oregon,  in  19 12. 

Judge  Beach,  the  second  in  age  of  the  children,  during  his  boyhood 
was  sent  to  school  in  Wisconsin,  and  for  two  terms  attended  the  Fox 
Lake  Seminary.  His  law  studies  were  begun  in  the  office  of  B.  W. 
Perkins  at  Saginaw,  and  on  May  4,  18S2,  came  his  admission  to  the 
bar.  Though  his  business  and  public  interests  have  often  interrupted 
his  practice  as  a  lawyer,  it  has  been  continuous  for  all  the  period  since 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1882  Mr.  Beach  was  elected  circuit  court 
commissioner,  serving  four  years ;  in  1896  was  elected  city  attorney  for 
the  term  of  three  years,  and  while  in  that  office  was  elected  circuit  judge 
for  the  regular  si.x-year  term.  Since  leaving  the  bench,  he  has  refused 
all  other  political  honors,  though  still  a  leader  and  vigorous  worker  for 
the  Democratic  party.  Judge  Beach  belongs  to  the  County  and  State 
Bar  Association. 

In  191 1  Judge  Beach  took  a  leading  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
German-American  Bank  of  Saginaw,  and  has  since  served  as  Its  presi- 
dent. This  institution,  though  comparatively  young,  is  one  of  the  very 
substantial  banks  of  Saginaw,  has  a  capital  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  surplus.  Judge  Beach  is  president 
of  the  Point  Lookout  Navigation  Company,  running  a  steamer  between 
Saginaw  and  Point  Lookout ;  is  a  director  in  the  Automatic  Light  & 
Spigot  Company  of  Saginaw ;  the  director  of  the  Saginaw  Publishing 
Company,  and  treasurer  of  the  Gladwin  Light  &  Power  Co.  Fraternally 
his  relations  are  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  in  which  he  is  exalted  ruler,  and  also  with  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Judge  Beach  lives  in  one  of  the  fine  homes 
of   Saginaw. 

On  July  22,  1 888,  he  married  Miss  Leah  Dudgeon,  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  Dudgeon,  long  a  well-known  citizen  of  Saginaw.  Mrs.  Beach 
before  her  marriage  was  a  popular  teacher.  Their  two  children  are : 
Emmett  L.  Beach,  Jr.,  born  June  i,  1891,  at  Saginaw,  and  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  LIniversity  with  the  class  of  1913:  and  Robert  Stanley  Beach, 
born  July  22,  1895,  at  Saginaw,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  and 
now  a  student  in  the  University  of  Michigan. 

Geoege  E.  Nichols.  For  more  than  thirty  years  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Ionia,  Mr.   Nichols'  career  has  been  characterized  bv  the 


2268  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

usual  accomplishments  and  rewards  (if  the  successful  lawyer,  and  at  the 
same  time  by  \arious  distinctive  ser\ice  such  as  only  a  leader  at  the  bar 
can  perform  for  his  community  or  state.  As  a  matter  of  current  history 
it  may  be  noted  that  Mr.  Nichols  was  selected  as  special  prosecutor  for 
the  state  during  the  great  cop])er  strike  in  the  Calumet  district. 

A  member  of  a  family  which  has  been  identified  with  .Michigan  since 
territorial  days  and  for  eighty  years,  CJeorge  E.  Nichols  was  born  at 
Oneida,  in  Eatcfn  county,  August  8,  1861,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Sarah 
O.  (Preston)  Nichols.  The  founder  of  the  family  in  this  state,  but  then 
a  territory,  was  grandfather  Truman  Nichols,  who  emigrated  from 
Canada  and,  settling  in  Eaton  county  in  1834,  took  up  land  from  the 
Government,  and  was  one  of  the  men  who  pushed  back  the  forces  of  the 
wilderness  from  that  vicinity.  George  W.  Nichols  was  born  in  Eaton 
county,  and  was  married  in  Oneida  township  of  that  county.  He  spent 
sixty-five  years  as  an  active  farmer,  and  was  more  than  ordinarily  suc- 
cessful. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  His  death  occurred  in  1902, 
while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1907.  There  were  seven  children,  and  be- 
sides the  Ionia  lawver,  the  others  are:  Mrs.  A.  Ellis:  Mrs.  X.  II.  Lazie ; 
Leon:  T.  P.;  \.  A.,  and  C'.  W. 

George  E.  Nichols  graduated  from  the  Grand  Lake  high  school  in 
1880,  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18S3,  and  at  once  took  up 
the  profession  at  Ionia,  where  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  profitable 
practice  ever  since,  A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr,  Nichols  has  lieen 
active  in  afifairs,  and  was  honored  in  1900  by  election  to  the  state  Senate, 
He  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  and  has  held  the  post  of  chancellor  commander  for 
the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  October  10,  18S8.  Mr.  Nichols  married  Harriet  Kennedv,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  Ionia  high  school  and  from  the  University  at  .\nn 
Arbor  in  1888.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  James  K,  Nichols,  who 
is  now  a  law  student  in  the  L'niversitv  at  .\nn  .\rbor. 

l.d^'.M.  EnwiN  Knwppkn.  For  nearly  ten  years  Judge  Knappen  has 
been  on  (he  Federal  bench  in  Michigan,  antl  his  active  career  as  a  lawyer 
and  in  pulilic  affairs  covers  fully  forty  years.  He  is  now  judge  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court  and  lives  at  Grand  Rapids, 

Judge  Knappen  was  born  at  Hastings,  Michigan,  January  2'.  1854, 
a  son  of  Edwin  and  .Sarah  M,  (Nevins)  Knappen,  In  1S73.  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  he  graduated  B.  A.  from  the  University  of  Alichigan,  and 
was  subsequently  honored  with  the  Master's  degree  in  1876,  and  in  11)13 
the  honorary  title  LL,  D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  university. 
.\dmitted  to  the  bar  in  1875,  Judge  Knappen  began  practice  at  Hastings, 
where  he  lived  from  1875  to  1888,  and  in  the  meantime  served  as  prose- 
cuting attorney  of  I'arry  County  from  1879  to  1883.  He  was  TJnited 
States  commissioner  from  i88n  to  1888.  Judge  Knappen  began  practice 
at  Grand  I\a].)ids  in  1888,  and  has  since  lixed  in  that  city,  and  was  an 
active  meni])er  of  tiie  bar  until  1906.  He  became  jtidge  of  the  Western 
District  of  Michigan,  United  States  District  Court,  in  1906,  and  in 
I'elirnary,  n)i().  w.hs  made  I'nited  .States  circuit  judge  of  the  Sixth  Cir- 
cuit. 

During  11)05-0(1  Judge  Knappen  was  president  of  the  Grand  Ra^iids 
Bar  Association.  Pie  was  regent  of  the  University  of  Michigan  from 
1904  to  191 1,  and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Board  of  Education 
from  t8q8  to  rgno.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Peninsular  and  the  Kent 
Country  clubs.  <  )ct(iber  2}^,  1876,  he  married  Amelia  Isabelle  Kenyon, 
of  I  lastiuiis. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2269 

Francis  Devereux  Clarke.  Few  men  brought  greater  distinctions 
to  the  educational  Hfe  of  Michigan  during  the  last  thirty  years  than  the 
late  Francis  D.  Clarke,  who  died  at  Flint  on  September  7,  1913,  after 
many  years  of  work  as  superintendent  of  the  State  School  for  the  Deaf. 
It  would  be  a  difficult  task  to  mention  however  briefly  the  many  tributes 
paid  to  his  life  at  home  and  abroad,  by  former  pupils  and  professional 
colleagues  and  by  great  men  of  many  states.  This  article  must  be  con- 
tent with  a  summary  of  the  facts  and  statements  that  appeared  in  the 
memorial  number  of  the  ^Michigan  Mirror,  the  official  publication  of  the 
Michigan  School  for  the  Deaf. 

A  broad  summary  of  what  Dr.  Clarke  represented  to  the  state  at 
large  is  contained  in  a  tribute  from  Gov.  Woodbridge  N.  Ferris: — "In 
the  death  of  Francis  D.  Clarke,  not  only  Michigan  suffers  an  irreparable 
loss  but  the  whole  United  States  loses  a  remarkable  teacher  of  the  deaf. 
He  has  devoted  forty-four  of  his  best  years  to  his  specialty.  He  has 
served  most  efficiently  the  State  of  Michigan  as  superintendent  of  the 
State  School  for  the  Deaf  twenty-one  years.  Thousands  of  students 
will  mourn  his  death.  To  many  of  these  students  he  was  more  than 
father  and  mother,  because,  through  his  superior  ability  and  abiding 
love  for  humanity  he  opened  to  them  a  new  world  and  sent  them  into 
the  vineyard  capable,  happy  men  and  women.  Doctor  Clarke  was  look- 
ing forward  to  greater  achievements.  With  a  new  building  in  process 
of  construction,  and  with  the  loyal  support  of  his  board  and  his  many 
friends,  was  happy  in  the  thought  of  rendering  splendid  service  to  the 
unfortunate.  His  countless  acts  of  kindness,  his  superior  wisdom,  his 
loyalty  to  the  deaf,  his  self-sacrificing  spirit,  his  tireless  eft'orts  to  serve 
humanity,  will  ever  live  in  the  hearts  of  his  students  and  his  friends. 
Doctor  Clarke  lives  though  dead." 

The  story  of  Doctor  Clarke's  life  was  told  by  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
Mirror,  A.  J.  Eickhoff.  Francis  Devereux  Clarke  was  born  in  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  January  31,  1849,  the  eldest  of  four  children,  of  whom 
two  survive  liim.  His  brother  William  met  a  tragic  fate  in  1901,  being 
drowned,  together  with  two  of  his  children,  by  the  overturning  of  a 
pleasure  boat.  His  sister  Mary,  Mrs.  George  E.  Moulton,  resides  at 
Newberne,  North  Carolina.  The  youngest  brother,  Thomas  Pollok 
Clarke,  is  superintendent  of  the  Washington  State  School  for  the  Deaf  at 
Vancouver. 

Through  his  mother,  Mary  Bayard  Devereux,  Doctor  Clarke  had  most 
distinguished  ancestry.  Through  Thomas  Pollok  his  lineage  goes  back 
in  an  unbroken  line  to  Robert  Bruce.  Thomas  Pollok  was  a  Scottish 
gentleman  who  came  to  the  Carolinas  in  1683  and  was  granted  extensive 
lands  on  the  Roanoke  by  King  Charles  II.  A  grandson  of  this  pioneer, 
Thomas  Pollok,  married  Eunice  Edwards,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Edwards, 
the  great  Presbyterian  divine.  Of  their  union  Frances  Pollok  married 
John  Devereux,  son  of  an  Irish  gentleman  of  Huguenot  blood.  Thomas 
Pollok  Devereux,  a  son  of  this  pair,  married  Katherine  Anne  Bayard, 
great-granddaughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  first  president  of  King's  Col- 
lege, now  Columbia  University,  New  York.  One  of  the  children  of  this 
union  was  Doctor  Clarke's  mother.  Doctor  Clarke's  great-grandmother, 
Frances  Pollok.  was  a  young  girl  living  in  New  Jersey  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  and  had  an  interesting  experience  with  Hessian  soldiers  of  the 
British  army  when  they  passed  through  her  home  town. 

Doctor  Clarke's  father  was  William  J.  Clarke,  a  fine  type  of  the  old 
Southern  gentleman.  He  served  through  the  Mexican  war,  first  as  cap- 
tain, and  later  promoted  to  major  for  gallantry.  Soon  after  the  war  he 
married  the  sweetheart  of  his  youth  at  Leighton,  North  Carolina.  Then 
returning  to  Raleigh,  Major  Clarke  resumed  law  practice,  served  for  a 
time  as  state  auditor,  and  subsequently  lived  for  some  years  in  the  State  of 

Vol.  IV— 33 


2270  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

Texas  where  he  was  president  of  the  San  Antonio  &  Mexican  Gulf  Rail- 
road. At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  entered  the  service  of  the  South 
as  colonel  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  Infantry,  and 
was  captured  shortly  before  its  last  battle  in  which  the  regiment  was  cut 
to  pieces.  For  several  years  after  the  war  he  held  the  office  of  district 
judge,  and  altogether  his  was  an  eminent  and  honorable  career.  Doctor 
Clarke's  mother  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  lived  with  her  aunt,  the  wife 
of  Rt.  Rev.  and  later  Gen.  Leonidas  Polk,  Bishop  of  Louisiana.  Mrs. 
Clarke  was  a  woman  of  superior  talents,  wrote  charming  verse  and  had 
many  other  accomplishments.  She  was  also  one  of  the  noble  Southern 
women  who  bore  with  resignation  and  even  with  cheerfulness  the  limita- 
tions placed  upon  her  genius  by  ill  health,  household  cares,  straitened 
circumstances,  and  the  poverty  of  her  publishers  and  the  reading  public 
of  the  Southland  after  the  war.  During  1854-55.  for  reasons  of  health, 
she  lived  in  Havana,  and  there  her  social  qualities  and  charm  won  many 
tributes  from  the  highest  members  of  society.  In  1856  she  removed  with 
her  husband  to  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and  lived  there  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  war.  After  the  war  she  did  editorial  and  literary  work  for  different 
Southern  periodicals,  contributing  many  articles  and  poems,  translating 
French  fiction  and  conducting  an  extensive  correspondence.  This  work 
was  in  response  to  the  spur  of  necessity,  to  assist  in  meeting  household 
expenses.  She  died  March  30,  1886,  her  husband  having  passed  away  two 
months  before. 

In  bringing  to  light  the  high  points  in  the  lives  and  characters  of  his 
parents  there  is  but  given  the  keynote  of  Doctor  Clarke's  own  life  and 
career.  It  is  not  strange  that  with  such  birth  and  upbringing  he  proved 
what  he  was;  it  would  have  been  much  stranger  if  with  such  a  mother  he 
had  not  so  developed.  While  the  family  was  living  at  San  Antonio,  the 
children  were  in  charge  of  a  private  tutor.  Mr.  Oliver  D.  Cooke,  who  had 
been  for  several  years  a  teacher  in  the  American  School  for  the  Deaf, 
as  it  is  now  called,  at  Hartford.  This  relationship  had  an  important  bear- 
ing on  Doctor  Clarke's  future  career,  as  will  be  shown  later.  After  the 
return  to  North  Carolina  he  spent  two  years  at  Davidson  College,  then, 
when  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  entered  the  Confederate  Navy  as  a 
midshipman.  Those  were  times  when  boys  early  became  men,  and  when 
mere  boys  volunteered  and  were  accepted  as  a  matter  of  sheer  necessity. 
He  served  on  various  ships,  including  the  Patrick  Henry,  the  great  iron- 
clad Tennessee  at  Mobile  I3ay,  the  Chicora,  Rawley,  Richmond  and  torpedo 
boat  No.  9.  The  close  of  the  war  found  him  holding  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
though  only  a  lad  of  sixteen,  an  evidence  of  remarkable  ability  and  dis- 
tinguished service.  Unlike  many,  perhaps  most  veterans.  Doctor  Clarke 
was  never  known  to  indulge  in  stories  of  his  service.  After  the  war  an 
agent  of  the  ^lexican  Patriot  party  in  the  struggle  with  Maximilian  and 
his  French  supporters  offered  Lieutenant  Clarke  a  position  in  the  ^Mexican 
army  at  $200  a  month.  The  offer  was  civilly  but  unhesitatingly  declined, 
as  he  had  no  taste  for  the  life  of  a  soldier  of  fortune.  For  a  time  he  and 
his  brother  William  were  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  lumber  business. 
This  was  not  congenial  to  men  of  their  breeding  and  taste,  and  Doctor 
Clarke  soon  afterwards  left  for  New  York  with  the  intention  of  seeking  a 
berth  in  the  merchant  marine,  China  trade,  a  position  for  which  his  naval 
training  had  well  qualified  him. 

Arriving  in  New  York,  he  went  to  call  on  his  old  friend  and  tutor  Mr. 
Cooke,  then  teaching  at  Fanwood.  This  visit  led  to  a  complete  change  in 
his  plans.  ^Ir.  Cooke  urged  him  to  enter  the  profession  of  teaching  the 
deaf,  and  it  readily  appealed  to  his  inclinations.  Doctor  Peet,  the  prin- 
cipal, was  most  favorably  impressed  by  his  appearance  and  evident  fitness 
in  mind  and  temperament  for  the  work,  and  offered  him  a  position  on  his 
Ktaff.    In  response  to  Doctor  Peet's  offer  he  made  a  whimiscal  suggestion, 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2271 

but  of  a  piece  with  his  modesty  and  original  way  of  thinking  and  acting. 
It  was,  that  Doctor  Peet  really  knew  next  to  nothing  of  him  or  his  fitness 
for  the  position,  and  he  himself  nothing  of  his  fitness  or  liking  for  the 
work ;  and  so,  that  the  appointment  might  be  terminated  at  any  time  at  a 
week's  notice  from  either  party.  As  that  was  the  beginning  of  forty-three 
years  of  labor  in  the  cause  of  the  deaf,  it  is  evident  that  he  found  the  work 
good  and  made  good,  even  in  his  own  modest  estimation.  He  proved  him- 
self in  fact  one  to  the  profession  born,  with  a  quick  conception  and  mastery 
of  its  special  and  intricate  problems,  an  accurate  psychological  insight,  and 
a  spirit  and  sympathy  that  drew  forth  all  that  was  best  in  his  pupils.  He 
was  especially  successful  in  the  teaching  of  mathematics. 

As  his  work  in  the  schoolroom  at  Fanwood  occupied  only  part  of  the 
time,  he  used  his  afternoons  by  taking  the  literary  and  engineering  courses 
at  Columbia  College,  from  which  he  received  his  Master  of  Arts  degree  in 
1873.  In  that  year,  on  September  24th,  he  was  married  at  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  to  Miss  Celia  I  aura  Ransom,  who  for  forty  years  was  his 
beloved  helpmeet.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Alexis  Ransom  of  Kalamazoo, 
Michigan,  and  a  niece  of  Epaphroditus  Ransom,  governor  of  Michigan 
in  1848-50.  It  was  Governor  Ransom  who  signed  the  bill  for  establishing 
the  School  for  the  Deaf  of  which  later  Doctor  Clarke  became  superintend- 
ent. Only  a  short  time  before  her  marriage  she  had  also  accepted  a  posi- 
tion on  the  teaching  staff  at  Fanwood,  but  her  professional  career  was 
brief  and  terminated  soon  after  she  met  Doctor  Clarke. 

The  two  years  succeeding  his  graduation  from  Columbia  Doctor  Clarke 
spent  in  engineering  work  on  a  railway  in  his  native  state,  and  received  his 
degree  in  civil  engineering  in  1875.  He  apparently  had  planned  to  make 
this  profession  his  life  work,  but  evidently  found  the  arduous  but  noble 
work  of  instructing  the  deaf  more  to  his  inclinations  or  perhaps  more  in 
line  with  duty,  a  call,  as  it  were,  and  so  in  the  fall  of  1875  he  was  in 
his  former  position  at  Fanwood,  where  he  continued  for  the  following 
decade.  During  his  fourteen  years  as  teacher  in  the  Fanwood  School  he 
was  associated  with  many  then  great  educators,  who  later,  like  himself, 
gained  still  higher  distinctions.  Among  them  was  Enoch  H.  Currier,  now 
principal  of  the  Fanwood  School :  Dr.  Warring  Wilkinson,  long  principal 
of  the  California  School;  Dr.  Zenas  F.  Westervelt,  superintendent  of  the 
Western  New  York  School  at  Rochester;  and  a  number  of  others. 

In  1885  the  Arkansas  School  was  searching  the  country  over  for  a 
successor  to  its  late  head,  and  the  choice  fell  on  Doctor  Clarke.  He  re- 
mained at  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  School  for  seven  years,  and  was  then 
called  to  a  greater  field,  the  Michigan  School,  as  successor  to  Mr.  Thomas 
Monroe,  deceased.  He  remained  in  charge  from  his  coming,  December 
I,  1892,  until  his  death  September  7,  1913,  a  period  of  nearly  twenty-one 
years,  longer  than  that  of  any  of  his  predecessors.  In  both  the  Arkansas 
and  the  Michigan  schools  Doctor  Clarke's  work  and  achievements  were 
along  nearly  identical  lines,  and  marked  him  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
administrators  in  the  profession.  They  may  be  briefly  summarized  as, 
great  material  improvement,  in  new  and  needed  buildings,  appearance  of 
grounds,  and  the  like  ;  a  high  educational  standard,  with  improvements  in 
course  of  study  and  methods  of  instruction ;  and  a  rule  of  love  and  kind- 
ness, effective  with  even  the  most  refractory.  For  some  years  he  con- 
ducted a  normal  class  in  primary  work,  training  many  fine  teachers,  often 
only  to  lose  them  later  through  ofifers  of  better  paying  positions  in  other 
schools.  He  later  brought  together  these  suggestions  and  instructions  in 
normal  work  and  published  them  in  book  form,  under  the  modest  title  of 
''Michigan  Methods."  This  valuable  book  has  been  quite  extensively 
adopted  in  the  profession,  and  for  his  service  to  the  cause  in  publishing  it 
he  was  given  the  doctor's  degree  in  Humane  Letters  by  Gallaudet  College 
in  igo8. 


2272  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

He  was  looked  upon  liy  the  deaf  of  the  country  as  one  of  their  best 
friends,  whose  efforts  and  influence  could  always  be  counted  upon  to 
advance  their  best  interests.  In  the  profession  he  was  looked  up  to  as  one 
of  the  leaders,  and  whenever  he  had  anything  to  say,  in  conventions  or  in 
his  writings,  he  was  given  careful  attention. 

Of  Doctor  Clarke  as  an  educator  Miss  Carrie  Billings,  principal  of  the 
Michigan  School  for  the  Deaf,  said:  "Doctor  Clarke,  as  an  educator  of 
the  deaf,  was  as  many  sided  as  you,  his  friends,  found  him  as  a  man,  as  a 
citizen  and  as  a  Mason.  His  wonderful  insight  and  wisdom  in  directing 
the  development  of  the  deaf  child:  his  constant  solicitude  for  the  welfare 
of  the  adult  deaf  of  the  city  and  of  the  state ;  his  attitude  of  understanding 
and  sympathy  to  his  officers,  teachers,  and  other  employes :  his  wise  coun- 
sels and  the  permanent  work  that  he  gave  to  the  profession  of  the  entire 
country,  was  plainly  manifest.  Doctor  Clarke  appealed  to  the  affections, 
to  the  sympathies,  to  the  ideal,  and  to  the  soul-side  of  those  about  him. 
His  character,  his  life,  his  learning,  commanded  respect  and  inspired  serv- 
ice in  others.  These  things  made  him  a  real  teacher,  a  real  superintendent, 
a  real  educator.    He  touched  the  hand,  the  heart,  the  mind,  the  soul. 

"Doctor  Clarke  eliminated  almost  wholly  from  our  institution  that 
blighting  atmosphere  of  "institutionalism.'  and  made  it  a  home — a  true 
home — to  which  our  pupils  longed  to  return  each  autumn,  and  which  our 
alumni  held  in  deep  affection.  .  .  .  Doctor  Clarke  governed,  not  by 
elaborate  sets  of  rules,  with  their  swift  punishment,  but  by  a  wonderful 
bond  of  respect  and  love  that  insjjired  willing  and  efficient  service.  Not 
a  pupil,  officer,  teacher,  or  employe,  but  who  gladly  and  proudly  put  forth 
great  etiforts  to  do  any  task  that  Doctor  Clarke  had  expressed,  not  a  com- 
mand to  do,  but  merely  a  desire  for.  .  .  .  The  relations  between 
Doctor  Clarke  and  his  teachers  were  ideal.  He  was  always  approachable 
and  responsive,  he  was  a  friend  first  of  all,  ready  with  help,  advice  or 
sympathy  in  their  personal  needs  of  the  hour,  their  labors,  their  pleasures, 
their  sorrows." 

Ouite  late  in  life  Doctor  Clarke  took  up  Free  Masonry.  His  advance- 
ment through  the  different  degrees  and  orders  was  remarkably  rapid,  and 
his  wonderfully  quick  and  retentive  mind  is  shown  by  the  ease  with  which 
he  conducted  the  most  elaborate  of  Masonic  rites  entirely  from  memory, 
with  no  sign  of  hesitation.  In  1907  he  was  Flint's  candidate  for  Grand 
Lodge  honors,  and  was  elected  grand  marshal  over  six  other  candidates. 
From  this  he  rose  step  by  step  to  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  juris-' 
diction,  that  of  grand  master,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  Alay,  1913.  One 
of  the  most  remarkable  occurrences  in  the  history  of  Michigan  Masonry 
was  his  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  main  building  for  the  Michi- 
gan -School  for  the  Deaf  on  August  12,  1913,  as,  at  one  and  the  same  time, 
grand  master  and  superintendent  of  the  school.  His  Masonic  duties  and 
the  exceptionally  heavy  tasks  connected  with  the  administration  of  the 
school  bore  heavily  upon  him.  In  spite  of  failing  vigor,  he  kept  up  the 
fight  to  the  end,  and  died,  as  he  would  have  wished,  in  battle  harness. 

Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  element  in  his  life  was  the  sweetness  and 
tenderness  of  his  home  life,  especially  the  devoted  love  between  him  and 
the  widow  now  left  desolate. 

Caklos  Clevel.^nd  OulNL.^N.  A  member  of  the  firm  of  Thomas 
Ouinlan  &  Sons,  of  Petoskey,  Carlos  C.  Quinlan  is  well  known  both  in 
Petoskey  and  Detroit.  Carlos  Cleveland  Ouinlan  was  born  at  Petoskey 
October  29,  1884,  was  educated  in  the  parochial  and  public  schools,  grad- 
uated from  Petoskey  Normal  College  in  1904,  but  instead  of  continuing 
his  education   through  the   University  of   Michigan  as  he  had  planned. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2273 

turned  aside  to  engage  in  business.  Mr.  Ouinlan  at  an  early  age  showed 
some  remarkable  ability  in  the  insurance  field,  and  at  the  present  time 
is  one  of  the  leading  insurance  men  of  Michigan. 

In  191 1  Mr.  Quinlan  completed  the  organization  of  the  Detroit  Under- 
writers Company,  of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Atlanta  Heights  Realty  Company  of  Florida :  vice  chairman  of  the  Thomas 
Quinlan  &  Sons  Company  of  Petoskey ;  representative  of  Otis  &  Com- 
pany, investment  bankers  of  Cleveland :  fiscal  agent  of  the  Detroit 
National  Fire  Insurance  Company ;  a  stockholder  in  the  Third  National 
Bank  of  Buffalo,  New  York ;  and  vice  president  of  the  Petoskey  and 
Emmet  County  Improvement  Association.  His  Detroit  offices  are  in  the 
Majestic  Building.  Mr.  Quinlan  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Associa- 
tion of  Fire  Insurance  Agents  and  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce. 

In  club  life  he  belongs  to  the  Detroit  Athletic,  the  Detroit  Motor  Boat 
and  the  Detroit  Adcraft  clubs,  is  a  member  of  the  Buffalo  Club  of  New 
York,  and  affiliates  with  the  Phi  Delta  Beta  college  fraternity,  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

William  T.  Quinlan.  Another  member  of  the  firm  of  Thomas 
Quinlan  &  Sons,  William  T.  Quinlan  was  born  at  Petoskey  November  15, 
i8<S2.  His  education  came  from  the  public  schools,  the  Petoskey  Normal 
School  and  Business  College  and  the  Ferris  Institute  at  Big  Rapids.  In 
igo2  he  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  business  at  Petoskey,  continued  in 
that  line  until  1910  at  Petoskey,  and  since  then  has  been  identified  with 
the  insurance  field  at  Detroit.  He  is  treasurer  in  the  Thomas  Quinlan  & 
Sons  Company,  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  Underwriters  Company,  and 
treasurer  of  the  Detroit  National  General  Agency.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  the  American  Economic  Association, 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Elks  and  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  At 
Petoskey  during  1902-03  he  served  as  city  treasurer.  Mr.  Quinlan  was 
married  May  12,  1909,  to  Miss  Florence  Estelle  Peck,  of  Chicago. 

John  W.  Wells.  The  statement  of  Macaulay  that  "A  people  that 
take  no  pride  in  noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  will  never  achieve 
anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by  remote  generations" 
has  emphatic  verification  in  each  age  and  generation  and  he  is  indeed 
fortunate  who  can  revert  to  ancestry  whose  record  bears  indication  of 
worthy  lives  and  worthy  deeds.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  case  of  John 
W.  Wells  who  is  a  scion  of  the  family  whose  name  has  been  identified 
with  the  annals  of  American  historj'  since  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  In  New  England,  that  cradle  of  so  much  of  our  histor}-,  the 
family'  name  has  long  been  one  of  distinctive  prominence  and  from  that 
section  have  gone  forth  sterling  representatives  to  aid  in  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  many  other  parts  of  the  Union.  He  whose  name  ini- 
tiates this  review  came  to  Menominee,  ^Michigan,  as  a  young  man  and  he 
has  been  most  prominently  identified  with  the  great  lumber  industry  of 
Wisconsin  and  Northern  llichigan,  while  as  a  citizen  he  has  exemplified 
the  utmost  loyalty  and  public  spirit,  contributing  generously  to  the  sup- 
port of  those  measures  and  enterprises  that  have  conserved  the  progress 
and  substantial  upbuilding  of  this  favored  section  of  the  Wolverine  State. 
Fle  is  one  of  the  essentially  representative  business  men  and  most  honored 
citizens  of  Menominee,  where  he  has  long  maintained  his  home  and  where 
his  interests  are  large  and  important. 

John  \\'.  Wells  was  born  near  the  City  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1848,  and  as  this  date  indicates  he  is  a  member  of  one 


2274  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  the  Hawkeye  commonwealth.  As  already 
stated,  the  Wells  family,  which  is  of  stanch  English  origin  (the  town  of 
Wells,  England,  being  founded  by  the  Wells  family)  was  founded  in 
America  in  the  Colonial  epoch,  the  original  progenitors  in  the  new  world 
having  come  hither  as  early  as  1635.  Alembers  of  this  family  were  num- 
bered among  the  first  settlers  of  the  state  of  Maine,  and  the  town  of 
Wells,  York  County,  that  state,  was  named  in  its  honor.  Capt.  Richard 
Wells,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  followed  a  seafaring  life 
for  many  years  and  was  captain  and  owner  of  a  merchant  vessel.  He  was 
born  in  Alaine  and  passed  his  entire  life  in  that  state.  His  son  Alexander, 
father  of  John  W.  Wells,  was  born  in  the  old  Pine  Tree  State  in  the  year 
1818.  and  there  he  was  reared  to  maturity.  He  was  accorded  excellent 
educational  advantages  and  was  educated  at  Bowdoin  College.  In  1837 
he  came  to  the  West  and  settled  in  Scott  County,  Iowa,  then  a  territory, 
wdiere  he  took  up  a  farm.  He  was  one  of  the  sterling  pioneers  of  that 
section  and  he  continued  his  residence  in  Iowa  until  after  the  Civil  war, 
his  marriage  having  been  solemnized  after  he  had  there  established  a 
home.  When  the  integrity  of  the  Union  was  thrown  into  jeopardy 
through  armed  rebellion,  he  tendered  his  services  in  its  defense  by  en- 
listing in  a  regiment  of  Iowa  volunteer  infantry  and  attained  the  rank 
of  lieutenant.  He  ]iractically  sacrificed  his  life  in  the  cause  of  his  coun- 
try, as  he  died  from  the  effect  of  disease  contracted  while  in  the  service, 
having  passed  away  at  St.  Louis,  in  the  year  1863.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Julia  A.  Carter,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  the  year  1820 
and  her  death  occurred  at  Menominee  in  1900.  Her  father  and  mother 
were  natives  of  \'irginia  and  representatives  of  old  and  prominent  fam- 
ilies of  the  historic  Old  Dominion.  He  served  with  distinction  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war,  in  wdiich  he  held  the  rank  of  captain.  He  was 
numbered  among  the  very  early  settlers  of  Iowa  and  was  a  member  of 
its  legislature  in  the  territorial  days.  Alexander  Wells  and  his  wife  were 
both  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  for- 
mer's political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  republican  party  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  until  his  death,  only  a  few  years  later.  He  and  his  wife 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  following  are  now 
living:  Mary  is  the  widow  of  William  Hollenbeck,  who  served  four 
years  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Twentieth  Iowa ;  Alfred  C, 
who  served  during  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer  of  the  Second  Iowa  Cavalry,  is  now  a  resident  of  Iowa ;  Tohn  A\''. 
is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  Sarah  A.  is  the  widow  of  William 
Lamphere  of  Rapid  City.  South  Dakota ;  James  L.  maintains  his  home 
in  Seattle,  Washington.  The  father  served  for  many  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace  and  as  postmaster.  He  was  a  man  of  distinctive  prominence 
and  influence  in  his  community  and  his  name  has  an  endearing  place  on 
the  roster  of  the  honored  families  of  the  fine  Hawkeye  commonwealth. 
John  W.  Wells  was  reared  to  the  sturdy  discipline  of  the  old  home- 
stead farm  in  Iowa  and  his  early  educational  training  was  that  afforded 
by  the  public  schools  of  that  locality.  Later  he  completed  a  course  in  the 
business  college  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  About  the  time  he  attained  to  his 
legal  majority  he  came  to  Menominee,  Michigan,  where  he  was  employed 
for  two  years  as  a  bookkeeper.  He  next  became  interested  as  a  partner 
in  a  lumlier  business  with  headquarters  at  Oconto,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
maintained  his  home  until  1875,  when  he  removed  his  plant  and  business 
to  Menominee,  which  city  has  since  represented  his  home  and  to  the 
upbuilding  of  which  he  has  contributed  in  a  large  measure.  Here  he  has 
been  continuously  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  in  the  long  inter- 
vening years  his  operations  have  been  of  extensive  order.  He  is  vice 
president  of  the  Girard  Lumber  Company  and  is  general  manager  of  its 
business.    The  company  lias  a  well  equipped  saw  mill  at  Dunbar,  \\'iscon- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2275 

sin.  Mr.  Wells  was  also  one  of  the  principal  owners  of  the  Bird-Wells 
Lumber  Company  of  Wausaukee,  Wisconsin,  the  mill  of  which  corpora- 
tion turned  out  about  20,000,000  feet  of  lumber  annually  for  many  years. 
Of  this  company  he  was  president  until  it  was  consolidated  into  J.  W. 
Wells  Lumber  Company  in  191 1.  ]\Ir.  Wells  organized  the  J.  W.  Wells 
Lumber  Company  of  Menominee,  of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  Xorthen  Hardware  and  Supply  Company,  wholesalers 
of  lumbermen's  and  miners'  supplies  and  general  hardware.  Mr.  Wells 
is  also  president  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Northern  Railway,  and  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Dunbar  &  Wausaukee  Railway,  which  roads  supply  the  Dun- 
bar and  Wausaukee  mills  with  logs  and  also  do  a  regular  railroad  business 
in  connection  with  the  Chicago,  .Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  the  Soo 
Line  and  the  Wisconsin  and  Alichigan  Railway. 

In  i8q8  Mr.  Wells  bought  an  interest  in  the  I.  Stephenson  Company  at 
Wells,  ^lichigan.  He  reorganized  the  company,  rebuilt  the  old  mill, 
built  a  large  modern  hardwood  sawmill  and  hardwood  flooring  factor^', 
negotiated  the  purchase  of  the  Ford  River  Lumber  Company  consisting  of 
a  large  sawmill,  the  Milage  of  Ford  River,  110,000  acres  of  land  and 
logging  equipment,  etc.  To  supply  Ford  River  and  L  Stephenson  Com- 
pany mills  with  about  85,000,000  feet  of  logs  per  year,  he  built  the  Esca- 
naba  and  Lake  Superior  Railway,  consisting  of  about  140  miles  of  track, 
with  first  class  rolling  stock  and  equipment.  He  has  recently  sold  his 
interest  in  the  Ford  River,  I.  Stephenson  and  Escanaba  &  Lake  Superior 
Railway  companies  at  a  handsome  profit  and  will  confine  himself  closer 
to  personal  operations.  He  has  built  a  verv-  large  steel  and  concrete 
hardwood  flooring  and  manufacturing  plant  and  sawmill  at  Menominee 
to  more  closely  utilize  the  lumber  from  his  W'ausaukee  and  Dunbar  mills. 
~SIt.  Wells  believes  in  employing  his  sons  in  the  active  operations  of 
his  enterprises  and  they  all  own  substantial  interest  and  fill  responsible 
positions  in  the  business. 

Mr.  Wells  is  one  of  the  substantial  capitalists  of  the  Upper  Peninsula, 
and  his  entire  course  as  a  business  man  and  citizen  has  been  guided  and 
governed  by  the  highest  principles  of  integrity  and  honor  so  that  he  has 
ever  been  the  recipient  of  the  fullest  measure  of  popular  confidence  and 
esteem.  In  politics  Mr.  Wells  gives  unqualified  allegiance  to  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  he  has  rendered  efiicient  co-operation  in  the  promotion 
.  of  its  interests  in  a  local  way.  He  served  for  two  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  ]\Ienominee  County,  was  for  two  terms  a 
member  of  the  city  council  and  for  three  terms  also  he  had  the  distinction 
of  holding  the  office  of  mayor  of  Menominee,  having  first  been  elected  on 
the  first  of  April,  1893,  and  having  been  chosen  as  his  own  successor  in 
the  election  of  1895-96.  His  administration  is  on  record  as  one  of  the 
best  ever  given  to  the  municipal  government  of  ^Menominee.  In  the 
Masonic  fraternity  Mr.  Wells  is  affiliated  with  Menominee  Lodge,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  Alenominee  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons.  Menomi- 
nee Commandery.  Knights  Templars  and  Ahmed  Temple  of  the  Xobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  the  city  of  Alarquette,  Michigan. 

In  December,  1873,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wells  to 
Miss  Isabella  Crawford,  who  was  born  in  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, Canada,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel  Crawford,  a 
native  of  Scotland.  Mrs.  Wells  died  July  23,  1910,  after  an  illness  of 
several  years.  Mrs.  Wells  had  long  been  a  prominent  and  loved  figure  in 
the  social  life  of  Menominee  and  she  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  this  city.  Mr.  and  ;\Irs.  Wells  have  had  six  children, 
namely:  Florence  A.  Law,  a  resident  of  ]\Ienominee ;  Daniel,  formerly 
first  lieutenant.  Thirtieth  U.  S.  \'olunteers  and  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish 
war  who  resides  in  Detroit ;  Artemus  C.  who  resides  in  Alenominee  and  is 
manager  of  the  J.  W.  Wells  Lumber  Company;  Edna  B.  Walsh,  who 


2276  HISTORY  OF  iMICHIGAN 

resides  in  Houghton,  Michigan;  Alfred  T.  who  was  drowned  in  August, 
1900,  and  Ralph  W.,  who  is  superintendent  of  White  Pine  Lumber  Com- 
pany, operating  at  Blind  River,  Canada. 

in  January,  1912,  Air.  Wells  and  Aliss  Katherine  Jameson,  a  native 
of  New  Bruswick,  were  married  and  soon  after  sailed  for  the  Orient 
on  a  trip  of  several  months'  duration. 

In  1910  Mr.  Wells  became  interested  with  ^larshall  B.  Lloyd  in  a 
patent  automatic 'machine  for  the  manufacture  of  steel  tubing  by  an  en- 
tirely new  process  that  promises  a  revolution  in  the  art  of  making  tubing 
of  lighter  weights.  In  June,  1914,  they  sold  their  rights  in  the  United 
States  to  the  Elyria  Iron  and  Steel  Company  of  Elyria,  Ohio,  who 
are  now  erecting  a  new  plant  to  install  the  Wells-Lloyd  machinery 
to  manufacture  tubing  on  a  large  scale  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  During  the 
winter  and  spring  of  191 5  Mr.  Wells  again  visited  the  Orient  and  sold 
the  W'ells  Lloyd  patents  to  Japanese  manufacturers  who  will  manu- 
facture for  the  Japanese  and  Chinese  markets.  ^Ir.  Wells  has  traveled 
extensively  in  South  America,  Mexico,  West  Indies,  Mediterranean 
ports,  Philippines,  China  and  Japan. 

Ch.arles  Austin  Blair.  From  1904  until  his  death  on  August  30, 
1912,  the  late  Judge  Blair  was  one  of  the  associate  justices  of  the  Michi- 
gan Supreme  Court.  For  nearly  thirty-five  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  bar  at  Jackson. 

Judge  Blair  was  born  at  Jackson,  Michigan,  April  10,  1854,  a  son 
of  Austin  Blair,  the  great  war  governor  of  ^lichigan,  and  Sarah  Louise 
(Horton)  Blair.  Judge  Blair  was  graduated  A.  B.  from  the  University 
of  Michigan  in  1876,  and  the  distinguished  services  of  his  later 
career  brought  him  the  degree  LL.  D.  in  1909.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1878,  and  for  many  years  practiced  law  and  attended  to  the 
duties  of  various  public  offices  at  Jackson.  He  served  as  city  attorney 
of  Jackson  in  1882  and  during  1895-96  was  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Jackson  County.  He  was  a  member  of  the  city  school  board  from 
1902  to  1904.  Just  prior  to  his  elevation  to  the  bench  Judge  Blair  served 
as  attorney  general  of  Michigan  during  1903-04,  and  became  an  asso- 
ciate justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1904.  Judge  Blair  married  October  ' 
8,   1879,  Effie  Caroline  North,  of  Jackson. 

Rt.  Rev.  Charles  David  Williams,  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Alichigan,  with  Detroit  as  his  cathedral  city,  is  one  of 
the  distinguished  divines  of  his  church  in  America. 

He  was  born  at  Bellevue,  Ohio,  July  30,  i860,  a  son  of  David  and 
Eliza  (Dickson)  Williams.  Bishop  Williams  acquired  his  literary  and 
theological  education  at  Kenyon  College  in  Ohio.  He  was  given  the 
degree  A.  B.  in  1880,  that  of  A.  M.  in  1893,  D.  D.  in  1894,  and  L.  H.  D. 
in  1906.    Hobart  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  LL.  D.  in  1907. 

Ordained  a  deacon  in  1883  and  a  priest  in  1884,  he  was  rector  of 
Fernbank  and  Riverside,  Ohio,  from  1884  to  1889,  of  St  Paul's  at  Steu- 
benville,  Ohio,  from  1889  to  1S93,  ^"d  from  1893  t^  1906  was  dean  of 
the  Trinity  Cathedral  at  Cleveland.  He  was  elected  November  16,  1905, 
and  consecrated  February  7,  1906,  as  bishop  of  Michigan.  During  his 
residence  in  Ohio  Bisho])  Williams  ser\ed  as  chaplain  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard  from  1893  to  1896,  was  president  of  the  Cleveland  Library 
Board  two  terms,  and  a  member  of  the  standing  committee  of  the  Diocese 
of  Ohio.  He  has  been  a  regular  delegate  to  the  general  conventions  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  since  1895. 

Bishop   Williams   is   author   of   "A   Valid   Christianity   for  Today," 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2277 

and  various  reviews  and  addresses.  He  is  a  member  of  the  City  Club  of 
New  York,  the  Detroit  Club  of  Detroit,  the  Cobden  Club  of  London.  His 
home  is  32  Stimson  Place,  Detroit. 

Russell  Cowles  Ostrander.  For  ten  years  an  associate  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  Judge  Ostrander  is  a  native  of 
the  state,  an  alumnus  of  the  university,  and  has  spent  more  than  thirty- 
five  vears  in  his  work  as  a  lawyer  and  jurist. 

Judge  Ostrander  was  born  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan.  September  i,  185 1, 
a  son  of  Simon  and  Ellen  Gardner  (Cowles)  Ostrander.  _  His  early 
education  came  from  the  public  schools  at  Lansing,  and  in  1876  he 
graduated  LL.  B.  from  the  University  of  Michigan.  He  has  been  in 
active  membership  in  the  ]\Iichigan  bar  since  January,  1877.  He  served 
as  Circuit  Court  commissioner  of  Ingham  County  during  1877-80,  and 
prosecuting  attorney  of  the  same  county  in  1881-82.  Judge  Ostrander 
was  mayor  of  Lansing  in  1896-97,  was  a  member  of  the  state  board  of 
law  examiners  from  1895  to  I904'  and  was  president  of  the  Michigan 
State  Bar  Association  in  1903-04. 

Since  January  i,  1905,  he  has  been  one  of  the  members  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  "the  state.  Judge  Ostrander  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  His  home  is  at  Lansing.  On  May  8,  1878,  he 
married  Dora  Porter,  of  Jackson,  and  following  her  death  on  October 
12,  1892,  married  Lou  S.  Davis,  of  Lansing. 

A.-\RON  \'.\NCE  McAlvay,  a  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michi- 
gan, and  with  residence  at  Lansing,  was  for  a  long  period  of  years  in 
practice  at  Manistee  and  gained  a  high  standing  as  a  lawyer  and  citizen 
in  Northern  Michigan  before  his  elevation  to  the  bench. 

He  was  bom  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  July  19,  1847,  a  son  of  Pat- 
rick Hamilton  and  Sarah  (Drake)  McAlvay.  In  1868  he  graduated 
A.  B.  from  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  took  his  law  degree  from 
the  same  institution  in  1869.  In  1910  the  University  of  Michigan  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  LL.  D.  From  1871  to  1905  Judge  McAlvay 
was  in  active  practice  at  Manistee.  In  the  meantime  during  1878-79 
he  served  as  judge  of  the  Nineteenth  Judicial  Circuit,  and  again  sat  on 
the  same  bench  from  1901  to  1905.  On  January  i,  1905,  he  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
office  in  1907. 

Judge  ]\IcAlvay  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  of  the  Zeta  Psi  College  fraternity.  On  December  9.  1872, 
he  married  Barbara  Baessler,  of  Ann  Arbor.  His  home  is  at  620  Capitol 
Avenue,   South  Lansing. 

John  T.  Rich.  One  of  the  best  known  names  in  the  public  life  of 
Michigan  is  that  of  John  T.  Rich,  former  governor,  and  for  forty  years 
almost  continuously  honored  with  one  or  another  important  responsibility 
in  the  public  affairs  of  Michigan. 

John  T.  Rich  was  bom  at  Conneautville,  Pennsylvania,  April  23, 
1841.  In  1848  his  parents,  John  W.  and  Jerusha  (Treadway)  Rich, 
moved  to  Michigan  and  located  at  Elba  in  Lapeer  County,  at  which  place 
Governor  Rich  still  has  his  home. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Michigan, 
and  since  boyhood  has  been  identified  with  farming,  and  has  long  been 
an  authority  on  agricultural  matters  and  in  many  ways  during  his  public 
service  has  represented  the  farmer  interests. 

His  larger  public  service  began  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  House 
of  Representatives,  in  which  he  served  from  1873  to  1880  and  was 
speaker  of  the  house  from   1876  to   1880.     He  was  a  member  of  the 


2278  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

State  Senate  in  1 880-81,  and  represented  his  district  in  the  Forty-Seventh 
Congress  during  1881-83.  Governor  Rich  was  one  of  the  early  com- 
missioners of  railroads  in  Michigan,  an  office  he  held  from  1887  to  1891. 
In  1892  he  was  elected  governor,  and  was  the  chief  executive  of  the 
state  during  1893-96.  In  1898  Mr.  Rich  became  collector  of  customs 
at  the  Port  of  Detroit,  and  in  1906  was  transferred  to  similar  duties  at 
Port  Huron,  where  he  continued  as  collector  until  1913.  Governor  Rich 
was  married  M.irch  12,  1863,  to  Lucretia  M.  Winship,  of  Flint,  Michigan. 

\\'oopi;RiDGE  Nath.\n  Ferris.  The  present  governor  of  the  State 
of  Michigan,  now  serving  in  his  second  term,  has  long  been  prominent 
as  a  business  man  and  educator  at  Big  Rapids,  and  in  his  administration 
as  governor  as  elsewhere  has  distinguished  himself  by  his  wisdom  and 
sound  discretion.  He  is  a  strong  Wilson  Progressive  Democrat,  and  has 
shown  in  his  general  attitude  toward  public  affairs  such  a  spirit  of 
insight,  of  co-operation,  of  tactful  good  nature  and  of  progressiveness 
that  he  enjoys  to  a  remarkable  degree  the  confidence  of  the  people  of 
Alichigan  as  a  whole  and  it  is  said  that  in  the  campaign  of  1914  he 
received  at  least  60,000  normally  Republican  votes.  In  many  ways  Gov- 
ernor Ferris  has  helped  to  lead  the  progressive  and  well  considered  pro- 
gram of  legislation  undertaken  in  the  state  during  the  last  three  years, 
and  special  praise  has  been  given  to  his  admirable'handling  of  the  strike 
in  the  Michigan  copper  regions  during  1913-14.  In  sending  the  entire 
National  Guard  of  Michigan  to  the  scene,  he  showed  a  vigor  and  prompt- 
ness and  determination  which  at  once  overawed  the  forces  of  lawless- 
ness, and  handled  the  various  problems  which  subsequently  arose  so 
diplomatically  that  not  a  single  life  was  sacrificed  through  any  fault 
of  the  militia.  Since  the  peaceful  solution  of  those  difficulties,  practically 
all  parties  have  united  in  admiring  the  impartial  and  straightforward 
stand  taken  by  the  governor. 

Woodbridge  Xathan  Ferris  was  born  at  Spencer,  Xew  York,  January 
6,  1853,  a.  son  of  John  and  Estella  (Reed)  Ferris.  Following  liis  early 
training  in  schools  and  academies,  he  attended  during  1870-73  the  Oswego 
Normal  and  Training  School,  and  during  i873-74\vas  a  student  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  The  greater  part 
of  his  active  career  has  been  taken  up  with  educational  work.  He  was 
principal  of  a  business  college  and  academy  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  during 
1875-76,  and  in  the  following  year  was  an  instructor  in  the  Rock  River 
University  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  and  then  became  principal  of  the  Dixon 
Business  College  and  Academy  for  1878-79.  He  was  superintendent 
of  schools  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  from  1879  to  1884,  and  for  the  past 
thirty-one  years  has  been  identified  with  the  State  of  Michigan.  In 
1884  he  founded  and  has  since  been  president  of  the  Ferris  In.stitute  at 
Big  Rapids,  one  of  the  leading  schools  of  its  kind  in  the  state.  He  has 
also  served  as  president  of  the  Big  Rapids  Savings  Bank,  since  its 
organization. 

Governor  Ferris  in  1892  was  democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from 
his  district,  and  made  his  first  campaign  for  election  as  governor  in 
1904.  In  1912  he  was  elected  for  his  first  term  in  the  governor's  chair 
and  was  re-elected  in  1914.  Governor  Ferris  was  married  in  1874  to 
Helen  F.  Gillespie,  of  Fulton,  New  York. 

Geksho.m  Mott  \VI[.LI.\^rs.  Since  May  i,  1896,  Episcopal  Bishop  of 
Marquette,  Gershom  M.  \\"illianis  has  lived  in  Michigan  nearly  all  his 
active  career,  first  prepared  for  the  profession  of  the  lav,-,  but  for  thirty- 
five  years  has  been  identified  with  the  work  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2279 

Bishop  Williams  was  born  at  Fort  Hamilton,  New  York,  Februarj' 
II,  1857,  a  son  of  General  Thomas  and  Mary  N.  (Bailey)  Williams. 
He  graduated  from  the  Academy  at  Newburgh  on  the  Hudson  in  1S71, 
was  a  student  in  Cornell  University  during  1S75-77.  In  1879  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar,  but  soon  turned  to  theology  and  in  1880 
was  ordained  deacon  and  in  1882  priest  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  Bishop  Williams  has  the  honorary  degree  A.  M.  from  Hobart 
College  in  1889,  and  S.  T.  D.  from  the  same  college  in  1895.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  gave  him  the  degree  A.  M.  in  1904. 

He  served  as  assistant  rector  at  St.  John's,  Detroit,  during  1880-82, 
and  from  1882  to  1884  was  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah,  Detroit, 
and  was  rector  of  St.  George's  at  Detroit  until  1889.  During  1889-91 
he  was  dean  of  the  cathedral  at  Milwaukee,  and  became  archdeacon  of 
the  Diocese  of  Northern  Alichigan  in  1891.  From  that  position  he  was 
elevated  to  Bishop  of  Marquette  on  May  i,  1896.  Bishop  Williams  was 
married  February  20,  1879,  to  Eliza  Bradish,  a  daughter  of  William  Shep- 
ard  Biddle,  of  Grosse  Isle,  Michigan. 

Arthur  Carter  Denison.  United  States  circuit  judge  for  the  Sixth 
Circuit  of  Alichigan,  with  offices  in  the  Federal  Building  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Judge  Denison  has  been  for  more  than  thirty  years  engaged  in  the 
work  of  a  private  lawyer  or  as  a  judge  in  Western  Michigan. 

He  was  born  in  Grand  Rapids  November  10,  1861,  a  son  of  Julius 
Coe  and  Cornelia  (Carter)  Denison.  In  1878  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
graduated  from  the  Grand  Rapids  High  School,  and  soon  afterward 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he 
received  the  degree  LL.  B.  in  1883.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  latter 
year  he  rapidly  attained  prominence  as  a  lawyer  at  Grand  Rapids.  He 
served  as  president  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Bar  Association  in  1903  and  of 
the  Michigan  State  Bar  Association  from  1906  to  1907.  He  was  also 
president  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Board  of  Education  during  1904-05. 

Judge  Denison  was  appointed  United  States  district  judge  of  the 
Western  District  of  Michigan  February  2,  1910,  and  on  October  3,  191 1, 
became  United  States  circuit  judge  for  the  Sixth  Circuit.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Peninsular  and  the  Kent  Country  clubs. 
His  home  is  329  Lyon  Street,  Grand  Rapids.  In  1886  Judge  Denison 
married  Susie  L.  Goodrich,  of  Grand  Rapids,  who  died  in  1896.  In  1898 
he  married  Julia  B.  Barlow,  of  Grand  Rapids. 

Frank  Erdlitz  has  been  a  resident  of  Menominee  County  since  1874, 
with  the  exception  of  four  years  spent  in  his  old  home  at  Branch,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  he  has  gained  precedence  as  a  representative  business  man  and 
influential  citizen  of  the  City  of  Menominee,  where  he  is  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Menominee  River  Brewing  Company  and  where  he  holds 
a  commanding  place  in  popular  confidence  and  esteem.  He  served  three 
terms  as  mayor  of  the  city  and  is  now  president  of  the  city  cotincil. 

Mr.  Erdlitz  is  a  native  of  Austria,  where  he  was  born  on  the  14th 
of  January.  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Frances  (Munich)  Erdlitz, 
both  of  whom  were  likewise  natives  of  Austria,  where  the  former  was 
born  on  the  ist  of  April,  1823,  and  the  latter  on  the  nth  of  November, 
1828;  both  passed  the  closing  years  of  their  lives  in  Menominee,  where 
the  father  died  on  the  28th  of  March,  1907,  and  the  mother  on  the  5th 
of  January,  1906.  Of  their  eight  children  three  are  now  living:  Mary 
is  the  wife  of  F.  C.  Nowack,  of  ^lenominee ;  Joseph  is  at  present  travel- 
ing salesman  and  collector  of  Menominee  River  Brewing  Company,  and 
Frank,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest  of  the  number.  The 
father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  he  followed  this  work  in  his  native  land 
until    1866,   when   he   came   to   the   United    States   on   the   sailing   ship 


2280  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

America.  From  New  York  City  he  made  his  way  west  to  Manitowoc, 
Wisconsin.  In  1870,  he  sent  for  his  wife  and  children,  who  joined  him 
in  his  new  home.  He  was  ensjaged  in  the  merchant  tailorin£^  business 
at  Branch,  Wisconsin,  until  within  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

Frank  Erdlitz  was  six  years  of  age  at  the  time  when  he  came  with 
his  mother  and*  the  other  children  to  America,  and  he  was  reared  to 
maturity  in  the  village  of  Branch,  Manitowoc  County,  Wisconsin,  in 
whose  public  schools  he  Secured  his  early  educational  discipline.  There 
he  continued  his  residence  until  1879,  when  he  came  to  Menominee 
County,  Michigan,  and  secured  a  position  as  cook  in  the  lumber  camp 
of  K.  C.  Camp,  in  whose  employ  he  continued  until  188^1.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  retail  liquor  business  in  Menominee  and  later  he  pur- 
chased the  buildings  at  417-19  Kirby  Street  and  remodeled  them  into  a 
hotel  which  he  conducted  as  the  Erdlitz  House  from  iSrp  until  the  ist 
of  May,  1894,  when  he  disposed  of  the  property  and  erected  his  present 
attractive  residence  at  423  Kirby  Street.  Since  1894  he  has  been  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Menominee  River  Brewing  Company,  whose 
plant  is  of  large  capacity  and  has  the  most  improved  equipment  and 
whose  business  extends  throughout  a  wide  radius  of  country  tributary 
to  the  City  of   Menominee. 

Mr.  Erdlitz  is  a  man  of  alert  mentality  and  of  decided  views  in 
regard  to  matters  of  public  policy.  He  has  taken  a  zealous  interest  in 
local  political  affairs  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  ranks  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  ser\'ed  for  some  time  as 
chairman  of  the  Democratic  County  Committee  of  Menominee  County, 
and  he  also  served  as  secretary  of  this  body.  In  the  spring  of  1893  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  as  a  representative  of  the 
First  Ward  and  his  service  in  the  city  council  has  covered  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  Of  this  body  he  has  been  president  since  his  retirement 
from  the  office  of  mayor  until  he  resigned  as  alderman  from  the  Fifth 
Ward  in  1913  owing  to  ill  health.  He  was  first  elected  mayor  of  Meno- 
minee in  1900,  and  the  popular  esteem  of  his  services  as  head  of  the 
municipal  government  was  shown  in  his  having  been  twice  re-elected  to 
this  important  office  and  the  third  term  without  opposition.  His  admin- 
istration was  marked  by  thoroughly  business  policies  and  progressive 
ideas,  and  during  his  regime  many  noteworthy  public  improvements  were 
made  and  the  first  brick  iiavemcnt  was  laid  under  his  administration.  He 
and  his  wife  are  communicants  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  the  St.  John  Society,  of  which  he  has  served  as  treasurer.  He  has 
twice  served  as  delegate  from  this  organization  to  the  national  conven- 
tion, which  is  held  under  the  name  of  the  German-Catholic  Central 
Society.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  in  which 
he  has  held  the  office  of  chief  ranger  for  two  years.  He  was  worthy 
president  of  the  local  organization  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  in 
1909,  and  has  also  servecl  as  president  and  treasurer  of  the  ]\lenominee 
Turn  \'erein,  of  which  he  is  an  active  member.  He  is  a  stockholder  and 
director  of  the  Lumbermen's  National  Bank  of  ^lenominee.  On  the 
•5th  of  May,  1885,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Erdlitz  to  Miss 
Bertha  Fricdl,  who  was  born  in  Manitowoc,  \\'isconsin,  on  the  JOth  of 
December,  1864,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Friedl,  who  is  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  place  where  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  '40s.  He 
owned  the  first  ox  team  that  ever  entered  that  city  and  was  one  of  its 
honored  and  influential  business  men  for  many  years  before  his  death. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erdlitz  have  been  born  twelve  children  concerning 
whose  name  and  respective  dates  of  birth  are  here  indicated :  Frank 
Joseph,    April    27,    1887;    Charles    Wolfgang,    October    18,    1888;    Ella 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2281 

Sophia,  March  i~,  1890;  Clara  Barbara,  March  16,  1892;  Leo  Wilham, 
October  7,  1893;  Mary  Theresa,  October  8,  1895;  Charlotte  Elizabeth, 
June  20,  1897;  Arthur  Joseph,  October  8,  1899;  Edward  W.,  September 
21,  1901  ;  Marcella  Mary-,  December  26,  1903;  Irene  Pauline,  ^March 
10,  1906;  Helen  Clara,  March  22,  1909. 

Frank  G.  Fernstrum.  The  City  of  Menominee  originally  owed  its 
business  prestige  to  the  great  lumbering  industry  of  this  section  of  the 
state  but  in  later  years  it  has  forged  rapidly  to  the  front  as  a  manu- 
facturing and  distributing  headquarters,  and  among  those  who  have 
assisted  materially  in  conserving  its  precedence  along  these  lines  is  ]\Ir. 
Fernstrum,  who  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Menominee  Boiler  Works. 
Frank  G.  Fernstrum  is  one  of  the  sterling  citizens  contributed  to  the 
Upper  Peninsula  by  the  far  Norseland.  He  was  bom  in  Westergotland, 
Sweden,  on  the  nth  of  May,  1844.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his 
native  land,  where  he  received  good  educational  advantages  and  where 
he  learned  the  trade  of  boiler  maker.  His  parents  passed  their  entire 
lives  in  Sweden.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  became  an  employe  in 
the  machine  shop  and  ship  yard  in  which  were  built  steamships  and  rail- 
road engines.  In  this  connection  he  gained  valuable  experience..  In  1869 
he  emigrated  to  America,  making  the  early  stages  of  the  trip  by  way  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  arriving  in  New  York  City  on  the  3d  of  July  of 
that  year.  From  the  national  metropolis  he  made  his  way  westward,  and 
a  comparison  between  railroad  facilities  in  that  period  and  the  present 
may  be  offered  in  the  statement  that  the  train  on  which  he  took  passage 
utilized  four  nights  and  three  days  in  making  the  trip  from  New  York 
to  Chicago.  Mr.  Fernstrum  recalls  that  he  made  a  stop  of  one  hour  in 
the  City  of  Cleveland  on  the  Fourth  of  July  and  that  he  was  much  inter- 
ested by  the  sounds  of  the  national  celebration,  which  to  him  was  strange, 
as  he  did  not  know  the  occasion  and  was  unable  to  speak  the  English 
language  at  the  time.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  the  young  emigrant 
set  about  to  seek  employment,  but  he  found  himself  handicapped  by  his 
unfamiliarity  with  the  language  of  the  country,  so  that  he  was  unable  to 
find  employment.  In  the,  meanwhile  his  financial  resources  became 
reduced  to  a  disquieting  minimum  and  from  Chicago  he  finally  went  to 
Aurora,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time.  He  then  came  to 
the  north  country  and  in  Marinette,  Wisconsin,  the  twin  city  of  Menomi- 
nee, Michigan,  he  found  en^ployment  with  the  firm  of  Hamilton-Alerry- 
men  &  Company,  in  whose  sawmill  he  was  employed  for  one  month,  and 
from  then  until  March,  1873,  he  was  with  the  Menominee  River  Lum- 
ber Company.  In  1873  the  firm  of  Young  &  Burns  organized  the  Menomi- 
nee Boiler  Works  and  Mr.  Fernstrum  secured  employment  in  connection 
with  this  enterprise.  He  was  thus  enabled  to  demonstrate  his  technical 
skill  at.  his  trade  and  he  continued  thus  employed  until  1882.  Mr.  Young, 
the  senior  member  of  this  firm  which  established  the  boiler  works,  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest  in  1875  and  thereafter  Mr.  Fernstrum  was 
in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Young  until  the  year  1882.  He  then  manifested 
a  desire  to  go  East,  in  order  to  secure  more  profitable  employment,  but 
Mr.  Young  was  so  appreciative  of  his  ability  and  service  that  he  prevailed 
upon  him  to  remain  in  Menominee  and  sold  to  him  a  one-quarter  interest 
in  the  business.  The  enterprise  was  continued  under  the  firm  name  of 
Lewis  Young  &  Company  until  Mr.  Young  met  an  accidental  death  in 
November,  1886.  Thereafter  Mr.  Fernstrum  continued  as  superintendent 
of  the  establishment  and  business  until  January,  1888,  when  he  purchased 
from  the  estate  of  his  former  and  honored  employer,  Lewis  Young,  the 
entire  business.  Shortly  afterward  he  admitted  to  partnership  C.  J. 
Fred,  a  practical  boiler  maker  and  plate  worker,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
retaining  a  three-fourths  interest  in  the  business.     In   1895  !Mr.  Fern- 


2282  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

strum  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  since  that  time  he  has  indi- 
vidually continued  the  large  and  prosperous  enterprise,  under  the  title  of 
the  -Menominee  Boiler  Works,  being  sole  proprietor.  In  the  well  equipped 
plant  are  manufactured  steam  boilers  of  the  best  type  and  various  kinds 
of  sheet  iron  work,  besides  which  a  general  repair  department  is  main- 
tained. The  works  and  office  are  located  at  1208  Ogden  Avenue.  Mr. 
Fernstrum's  son,  John  E.,  is  foreman  of  the  shops  and  his  son,  Herbert 
W.,  now  has  executive  charge  of  the  oftice  affairs  of  the  concern.  Mr. 
Fernstrum  has  been  a  man  of  indefatigable  industry  and  perseverance 
and  through  his  well  directed  efforts  has  achieved  a  worthy  success.  He 
is  numbered  among  the  substantial,  reliable  and  valued  business  men  of 
Menominee  and  is  a  citizen  who  commands  unqualified  confidence  and 
esteem.  He  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  1869,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Fernstrum  to  Aliss  Christiana  Carolina  Lagergren  who,  like  himself,  is  a 
native  of  Sweden,  whence  she  came  to  America  when  young.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fernstrum  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now 
living.  Concerning  them  the  following  brief  record  is  given :  Rosina  C. 
is  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  C.  S.  Nelson,  who  is  a  clergyman  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  Church,  and  they  reside  in  South  Dakota ;  John  E.  is  associated 
with  his  father's  business,  as  has  already  been  noted;  Ellen  Marie  is  the 
wife  of  George  Quimby  of  Menominee;  Caroline  J.  is  the  wife  of  Harry 
H.  Hulbert  and  they  reside  in  the  City  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin ;  Herbert 
W.,  Albert,  Benjamin  and  Mabel  remain  at  the  parental  home. 

W--\RREN  S.  C.VRPENTER.  There  is  no  need  for  conjecture  or  uncer- 
tainty in  determining  as  to  the  value  and  success  of  the  work  thus  far 
accomplished  by  this  honored  and  public-spirited  business  man  of  Menomi- 
nee, where  his  interests  are  of  wide  scope  and  importance  and  where  he 
stands  exponent  of  enlightened  and  loyal  citizenship  and  where  he  has 
utilized  his  splendid  powers  and  ability  to  a  goodly  end.  Looking  into  the 
clear  perspective  of  his  career,  there  may  be  seen  the  strong  line  of 
courage,  persistence,  determination  and  self-confidence,  along  which  alone 
is  definite  success  attained.  Menominee  has  reason  to  take  pride  in  claim- 
ing him  as  a  citizen,  even  if  consideration  is  taken  of  nothing  further  than 
his  great  work  in  connection  with  the  establishing  of  the  new  Alenominee 
Hotel,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  admirably  conducted  in  the 
Northwest. 

Warren  S.  Carpenter  was  born  at  Pike,  Wyoming  County,  New  York, 
on  the  13th  of  December,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  William  O.  and  Lucetta 
(Spencer)  Carpenter.  The  father  was  likewise  a  native  of  the  old  Empire 
State,  w^here  he  was  born  on  the  17th  of  C)ctober,  1823,  and  he  passed  the 
closing  years  of  his  life  in  I\Ienominee,  Michigan,  where  he  died  on  the 
loth  of  November,  1906.  His  wife,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
state  as  was  he  himself,  was  summoned  to  the  life  eternal  in  i8gi,  and 
of  the  two  children  of  this  union,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  elder; 
the  younger,  Frederick  I.,  resides  in  Barrington,  Illinois. 

\\'illiam  Oscar  Carpenter  was  reared  with  the  sturdy  discipline  of  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  Wyoming  County,  New  York,  and  his  father, 
Alvin  A.  Carpenter,  moved  from  that  state  to  the  historic  old  \Vestern 
Reserve  in  Ohio  in  the  early  '60s.  In  1830  William  O.  Carpenter  went  to 
California,  having  been  lured  to  the  new  Eldorado  by  the  memorable  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  the  preceding  year.  He  made  the  voyage  in  a  sailing 
vessel  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  in  California  he  was  iden- 
tified with  gold-mining  operations  until  1832.  when  he  returned  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  where  his  marriage  was  solemnized  in  that  year.  He 
then  returned  to  California,  where  he  continued  to  be  identified  with  min- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2283 

ning  operations  and  the  merchandise  business  until  1856.  In  that  year  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Ehnira,  New  York,  where  he  estabhshed  himself 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  in  the  following  year,  1857,  he  came  to 
Wisconsin  and  located  in  Monroe,  Green  County,  where  three  years  later 
he  became  associated  with  his  brother  August  in  the  mercantile  business. 
In  1861  he  took  a  caravan  of  horses  overland  to  California  and  in  1863 
he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  the  City  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
becoming  associated  in  this  enterprise  with  the  late  Abner  A.  Kirby  and 
the  late  Samuel  N.  Stephenson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kirby,  Carpenter 
&  Company.  This  concern  had  much  to  do  with  the  development  of  the 
great  lumber  industry  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  of  [Michigan,  and  operated 
a  large  and  well  equipped  sawmill  at  Menominee.  William  O.  Carpenter 
during  most  of  this  time  maintained  his  home  in  Chicago,  where  he  had 
large  interests,  but  he  passed  his  summers  in  Menominee  from  1887  until 
his  death.  William  O.  Carpenter  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Lum- 
bermen's Mining  Company,  which  is  the  better  part  of  the  Chapin  at  the 
present  time.  This  corporation  was  prominently  identified  with  the  iron 
mining  industry  in  the  Upper  Peninsula.  Its  mines  are  located  at  Iron 
Mountain.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  also  organizer  of  the  Iron  Mountain  Elec- 
tric Company,  at  Iron  Mountain,  Michigan,  and  of  the  Menominee  Street 
Railway  Company.  Under  his  efficient  generalship  both  of  these  corpora- 
tions installed  well  equipped  systems  which  contributed  materially  to  the 
metropolitan  facilities  of  the  two  cities  in  which  they  operated  and  which 
proved  of  inestimable  value  in  affording  urban  transportation.  His  pro- 
ductive energies  knew  no  limitations  and  every  enterprise  that  tended  to 
advance  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  sections  in  which  his  interests 
centered,  received  his  earnest  and  faithful  co-operation.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Lumbermen's  National  Bank  of  Menominee,  in  which 
he  continued  as  a  stockholder  until  his  death.  In  1880  he  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  South  Dakota  and  forthwith  initiated  the  developn 
ment  of  the  same.  He  later  added  to  his  holdings  in  that  state  until  his 
landed  estate  there  comprised  an  area  of  about  15,000  acres.  There  he 
gave  special  attention  to  the  breeding  of  high  grade  cattle,  principally  of 
the  Short-horn  Durham  and  Polled  Angus  type.  He  also  attained  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  breeder  of  Percheron  horses.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
utilize  artesian  wells  in  South  Dakota,  and  from  wells  that  were  con- 
structed by  him  was  derived  sufficient  water  to  make  an  attractive  lake 
on  his  property.  His  identification  with  the  lumber  industry  was  not  con- 
fined to  Northern  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  for  as  early  as  1877  he  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  pine  timber  land  in  Louisiana.  Mr.  Carpenter  was 
numbered  among  the  best  known  and  most  influential  business  men  of  the 
Upper  Peninsula  of  Alichigan,  was  especially  active  in  the  promotion  of 
enterprises  tending  to  advance  the  civic  and  material  welfare  of  the  City 
of  Menominee,  and  ever  commanded  the  implicit  confidence  and  respect 
of  all  who  knew  him.  His  name  merits  an  enduring  place  upon  the  roll 
of  those  sterling  citizens  who  have  made  this  section  of  the  Wolverine 
State  forge  to  the  front  as  an  eligible  place  for  residence  and  the  exploit- 
ing of  manifold  lines  of  industry.  Though  never  a  seeker  of  public  office, 
he  accorded  a  staunch  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party. 

Warren  S.  Carpenter  has  well  upheld  the  prestige  of  the  honored 
name  which  he  bears  and  he  today  ranks  among  the  leading  business  men 
of  the  Upper  Peninsula.  He  received  his  early  educational  discipline  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  and  after  a  course  in  the  high 
school  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  in  1871.  In  1874  he 
identified  himself  with  the  meat-packing  business  in  that  city,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  be  identified  with  the  same  until  1885.  In  the  following  year  he 
came  to  Menominee  and  became  prominently  concerned  with  the  lumber 
industry,  with  which  he  was  associated  thereafter  until   1894,  when  he 


2284  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

established  himself  in  the  dairy  business  in  Menominee  County,  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  became  a  large  and  successful  breeder  of  full-blood 
Holstein  cattle  and  standard-bred  horses.  In  1897  he  shipped  to  Guate- 
mala, Central  America,  a  car  load  of  his  fine  Holstein  cattle  and  in  the 
following  year  he  exported  to  Japan  one  car  load  of  the  same  blooded 
stock,  this  being  the  first  exportation  to  Japan.  His  stock  farm  attained  a 
high  reputation  and  the  sales  mentioned  were  made  after  personal  visits 
to  his  farm  had  been  made  by  representatives  of  the  countries  mentioned. 
He  owned  a  three-year-old  Holstein  heifer  which  secured  first  prize  in 
butter  fat  test  under  the  auspices  of  the  Holstein  Association  of  America. 
From  the  milk  of  this  animal  eighty-seven  pounds  of  butter  were  made 
in  thirty  days.  The  standard-bred  mare  that  was  raised  by  him  and  that 
attained  a  high  reputation  on  the  turf  was  "Florence  \Mlton,"  and  she 
made  a  trial  heat  of  one  mile  in  2  :o634.  besides  which  he  bred  many  other 
fine  trotting  horses. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1908,  Mr.  Carpenter  purchased  the  hotel  build- 
ing erected  in  Menominee  by  the  late  Samuel  M.  Stephenson,  and  he  has 
remodeled  this  property  and  made  it  one  of  the  finest  hotels  not  only  in  the 
Upper  Peninsula  but  also  in  the  Northwest,  its  reputation  being  such  as  to 
attract  to  it  a  large  and  appreciative  patronage.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
a  large  amount  of  very  valuable  realty  in  the  City  of  Menominee  as  well 
as  in  other  cities  and  various  other  states.  He  has  never  cared  to  enter 
the  arena  of  practical  politics,  but  is  essentially  public-spirited,  as  even 
the  foregoing  statements  indicate,  and  his  support  is  given  to  the  cause  of 
the    Republican   party. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1887,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Car- 
penter to  Miss  Elizabeth  Armstrong,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Menomi- 
nee, and  who  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Hiram  Armstrong,  long  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  this  city.  The  two  children  of  this  union  are  \\'iIliaiTi 
Spencer  and  Florence  Lucetta.  In  conclusion  of  this  sketch  is  entered  the 
following  excerpt  from  an  article  published  in  the  Menominee  Herald- 
Leader  at  the  time  when  Mr.  Carpenter  purchased  the  hotel  property  men- 
tioned. He  has  since  made  the  best  of  improvements  upon  the  hotel  and 
it  is  now  one  of  the  distinctive  attractions  of  Menominee. 

"Menominee's  roll  of  honor,  made  up  of  the  men  of  wealth  and  enter- 
prise who  back  their  views  of  Menominee's  future  with  open  pocketbooks 
and  level  heads,  contains  well  up  towards  the  top  the  name  of  \\'arren 
S.  Carpenter.  Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  man  of  few  words  but  many  enterprises. 
His  counsel  and  his  money  are  a  part  of  nearly  every  one  of  the  indus- 
trial propositions  that  are  so  rapidly  making  ]\Ienominee  well  known  as  a 
good  town  growing  better  with  giant  strides.  He  takes  the  view,  which  is 
shared  by  hustlers  like  C.  I.  Cook,  August  Spies,  John  Henes,  John  W. 
Wells,  William  Holmes  and  many  others,  that  money  made  in  Menominee 
may  well  be  reinvested  in  the  industrial  city  which  is  supplanting  the  lum- 
ber town. 

"Mr.  Carpenter  bought  the  hotel  and  will  make  it  the  best  in  the  West, 
not  to  make  a  great  return  from  the  investment,  but  to  give  Menominee 
first  place  in  this  regard.  He  will  spare  nothing  in  accomplishing  his  pur- 
pose, and  it  is  a  compliment  to  him  that  no  one  doubts  that  when  he  has 
completed  his  work  the  new  Menominee  Hotel  will  be  in  a  class  by  itself. 
We  believe  the  financial  returns  will  quickly  follow,  giving  to  Mr.  Car- 
penter a  double  satisfaction  m  his  new  enterprise." 

Ai.FKF.D  ^^^  Blom.  Among  those  who  are  well  deserving  of  the  title 
of  captain  of  industry  in  the  City  of  Menominee  is  Alfred  \\'.  Blom.  who 
is  one  of  the  essentially  aggressive  and  jniblic-spirited  citizens  of  the 
Ujiper  Peninsula.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Menominee  Abstract  and  Land 
Company,  has  been  prominently  identified  with  real  estate  operations  in 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2285 

this  section  of  the  state  for  a  number  of  years  and  through  his  connection 
with  this  important  line  of  enterprise  has  contributed  his  quota  to  the 
civic  and  material  advancement  and  prosperity  of  his  home  city  and  other 
sections  of  the  Northern  Peninsula.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Menominee 
practically  the  entire  time  since  his  boyhood  days,  and  here  holds  a 
secure  place  in  popular  confidence  and  esteem.  It  has  well  been  said 
that  "he  stands  in  the  front  rank  of  those  who  have  been  untiring  in  their 
efforts  to  upbuild  the  new  Menominee.  He  has  for  years  been  identified 
with  every  movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  city  and  has  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  with  right  good  will  and  helped  to  move  many 
projects  toward  prosperity.  The  Menominee  Abstract  and  Land  Com- 
pafly,  of  which  he  is  secretary,  has  afforded  him  a  field  of  endeavor  irt 
which  he  has  made  the  most  of  opportunities,  and  the  development  of 
the  large  and  flourishing  business  of  this  concern  has  been  a  factor  in 
the  opening  of  farm  lands  in  this  county,  with  resultant  and  substantial 
benefit  to  Menominee." 

Alfred  W.  Blom  was  born  at  Casco,  Kewaunee  County,  Wisconsin, 
on  the  7th  of  February,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Johanna  ( Sour- 
mouth  j  Blom,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Holland, 
on  the  i8th  of  January,  1818,  and  the  latter  in  the  same  place  on  the 
29th  of  April,  1827,  both  being  representatives  of  stanch  and  honored 
old  families  of  Holland.  The  father  died  on  the  9th  of  March,  1907, 
and  the  mother  passed  to  the  life  eternal  on  the  26th  of  February,  1902. 
Their  marriage  was  solemnized  in  their  native  land  in  1847,  and  of  their 
ten  child/en  only  four  are  now  living,  namely :  Minnie  H.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  William  H.  Copp,  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin;  Etta,  the  wife  of 
William  D.  Hutchinson,  of  Chippewa  Falls,  Wisconsin ;  Frances,  the  wife 
of  Fletcher  McDonald,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Alfred  W.,  who  is 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  parents  came  to  America  in 
1855,  making  the  voyage  on  a  sailing  vessel  and  having  had  three  chil- 
dren at  the  time.  From  New  York  City  they  came  west  to  Wisconsin, 
locating  at  Sheboygan  Falls,  where  the  father  engaged  in  work  at  his 
trade,  that  of  cabinetmaker.  In  1875  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Menominee,  Michigan,  where  he  established  himself  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness. For  a  number  of  years  he  conducted  the  old  Kirby  House,  which 
was  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  Lumbermen's  National  Bank  and 
on  a  part  of  which  site  the  new  Stephenson  Hotel  now  stands.  In  1880 
Mr.  Blom  was  engaged  in  the  furniture  business,  and  in  1887  '''^  admitted 
Peter  Sibernaler  to  partnership.  He  lived  retired  for  several  years  prior 
to  his  death,  and  he  ever  commanded  the  unqualified  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  men,  as  his  life  was  one  of  inflexible  integrity  and 
honor.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Alfred  W.  Blom  was  but  seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  parents' 
removal  to  Menominee.  Here  he  was  reared  to  maturity,  receiving  the 
advantages  of  the  public  schools,  and  later  supplementing  this  discipline 
by  a  course  in  the  business  college  at  Appleton,  Wisconsin.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  secured  employment  in  the  lumber  yard  of  Ramsey 
&  Jones,  and  later  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  conducted  by 
this  firm.  In  1887  he  completed  a  course  in  the  Appleton  Business  Col- 
lege, and  after  leaving  this  institution  he  entered  the  railway  mail  service 
as  postal  clerk  on  the  line  between  Milwaukee  and  Ishpeming.  He  con- 
tinued to  be  thus  engaged  until  1891,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
L.  M.  Packard  and  J.  A.  Leisen,  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
abstract  business  in  Menominee.  In  1896  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
this  business  and  opened  a  land  and  insurance  office,  which  he  conducted 
individually  for  some  time.  His  experience  has  given  him  a  most  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  business  in  all  of  its  details.     He  is  an  authorita- 

Vol.  IV— 34 


2286  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

tive  judge  of  real  estate  \alues  and  has  been  instrumental  in  compassing 
the  consummation  of  many  large  and  important  land  deals.  He  has  been 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Menominee  Land  and  Abstract  Company 
since  1900;  he  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Peninsula  Land  Company,  of 
whose  board  of  directors  he  is  chairman ;  was  president  and  director  of  the 
Menominee  Commercial  Club  in  1910  and  is  a  verj-  active  member  of  the 
Menominee  County  Agricultural  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  direc- 
torate of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  is  commissioner  of  the  John  Henes 
City  Park.  It  may  be  said  incidentally  that  through  his  active  associa- 
tion with  the  Menominee  County  Agricultural  Society  he  has  wielded 
a  potent  influence  in  making  the  afi^airs  of  that  organization  so  definitely 
■successful. 

In  politics  Mr.  Blom  accords  stanch  allegiance  to  the  republican  party, 
and  while  never  desirous  of  public  office,  he  has  served  two  terms  as  city 
assessor.  He  is  affiliated  with  Menominee  Lodge  No.  269,  Free  and 
Accepted  ^Masons,  with  the  local  organization  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

On  the  2ist  of  September,  1893,  Mr.  Blom  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mae  A.  Frost,  of  Menominee,  who  was  born  in  Bay  City,  Michi- 
gan, and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Elizabeth  Frost,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Scotland.  Mr.  and  Jklrs.  Frost  now 
reside  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  of  their  two  children  Airs.  Blom  is  the 
elder;  William  J-,  the  younger,  is  now  a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blom  have  three  children — Berenice,  Margaret  and  Eliza- 
beth. 

Walter  R.  Hicks,  M.  D.,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  City  of  Menomi- 
nee since  his  boyhood  days  and  here  has  attained  marked  prestige  in  the 
profession  which  has  been  dignified  by  the  services  of  his  father,  who 
has  been  for  many  years  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  riiedicine  in 
Menominee.  He  whose  name  initiates  this  sketch  devotes  his  attention 
esf>ecially  to  the  surgical  department  of  his  profession,  and  his  skill  in 
the  same  has  brought  him  into  prominence  among  his  confreres  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  controls  a  large  and  representative  practice, 
has  served  as  United  States  marine  surgeon,  and  is  distinctively  one  of 
the  representative  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  L'pper  Peninsula. 

Dr.  Walter  Raleigh  Hicks  was  born  in  the  City  of  .Appleton,  Wis- 
consin, on  the  27th  day  of  May,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  F.  and 
Jennie  (McPherson)  Hicks.  His  father  was  born  in  Kent  County,  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  on  the  27th  of  May,  1838,  and  was  the 
eldest  of  the  nine  children  of  Thomas  and  Alargaret  (Fullerton)  Hicks, 
who  continued  to  reside  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada  until  their  death. 
Dr.  John  F.  Hicks  gained  his  early  educational  training  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  province,  and  for  some  time  he  was  a  successfid  teacher  in 
the  public  schools.  In  1863  he  was  graduated  in  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, at  Ann  Arbor,  and  in  the  following  summer  he  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Kent  County,  Ontario,  where  he  remained  until 
1878,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Menominee,  Michigan,  where 
he  has  since  been  engaged  in  active  practice,  being  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  this  section  of  the  Upper  Peninsula  and  being  identified 
with  prominent  professional  organizations,  including  the  American  Med- 
ical Association.  He  is  of  stanch  Scotch  and  Irish  ancestry,  and  the 
family  was  early  founded  in  Ontario,  Canada.  The  doctor  served  three 
terms  as  member  of  the  ^^lenominee  Board  of  .\ldermen,  and  in  1893-94 
he  represented  this  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  city  health 
officer  for  the  long  period  of  eighteen  years.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  attained  the  cliivalric  degrees  in  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2287 

in  which  he  was  affiHated  with  the  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  in 
Menominee,  and  with  the  Temple  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in  the  City  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan. 

In  the  year  1863  Dr.  John  F.  Hicks  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Jennie  McPherson,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  and  who  was  a  child  at  the 
time  of  her  parents'  removal  to  Appleton,  Wisconsin.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Jennie  (McPherson)  McPherson,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  they  having  passed  the  closing  years  of  their  lives  in  Trenton, 
New  Jersey.  Airs.  Jennie  (McPherson)  Hicks  was  born  in  the  year 
1845,  receiving  a  collegiate  education  at  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  and  was  a 
woman  who  gained  and  held  the  affectionate  regard  of  all  who  came 
within  the  sphere  of  her  gracious  influence.  She  was  summoned  to  the 
life  eternal  in  March,  1890. 

Dr.  \Valter  R.  Hicks,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  gained  his 
rudimentary  education  in  the  public  schools  and  was  twelve  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  the  family  removal  to  Menominee,  where  he  continued  his 
studies  until  he  had  completed  the  curriculum  of  the  high  school,  and  after 
which  he  entered  Lake  Forest  University,  at  Lake  Forest,  Illinois.  He 
was  matriculated  in  his  father's  alma  mater,  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  the  class  of  1888.  To  further  fortify  him- 
self for  his  exacting  profession,  he  then  passed  a  year  in  effective  post- 
graduate and  clinical  work  in  the  celebrated  Bellevue  Hospital  in  New 
York  City  from  which  he  received  his  medical  degree.  In  1888  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  Menominee,  where  he  has  since  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  work  of  his  profession,  with  whose  advances  he  keeps 
in  close  and  constant  touch.  He  devotes  special  attention  to  surgery, 
as  has  already  been  stated,  and  he  is  incumbent  of  the  position  of 
United  States  marine  surgeon  for  this  section.  In  1907  the  doctor 
completed  a  special  course  in  the  Postgraduate  Medical  College  of 
New  York  City,  where  he  gave  his  attention  almost  entirely  to  surgical 
work.  Since  that  time  he  has  also  taken  a  course  in  the  City  of  Chicago. 
Doctor  Hicks  is  identified  with  the  American  Medical  Association,  the 
Menominee  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Fox  River  Medical  Society, 
of  which  last  mentioned  he  has  served  as  president  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  and  progress ' 
of  his  home  city,  is  a  stanch  republican  in  his  political  proclivities,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  i8go.  Dr.  Walter  R.  Hicks  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Esther  Phalen,  who  was  born  in  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  John  Phalen,  a  native  of  England.  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  Hicks  have  two  children — Helen  and  Braxton. 

George  H.  Haggerson  has  been  identified  with  industrial  and  busi- 
ness interests  in  the  Upper  Peninsula  from  his  boyhood  days,  and  has 
not  only  gained  a  secure  position  as  a  substantial  and  essentially  repre- 
sentative business  man,  but  has  also  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  various 
positions  of  public  trust  and  responsibility.  His  advancement  is  the 
direct  result  of  his  own  well-directed  eft'orts,  and  he  has  so  ordered  his 
course  as  to  merit  and  retain  the  imalloyed  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
fellow  men.  He  is  one  of  the  popular  and  influential  citizens  of  Menomi- 
nee, and  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Menominee  County  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  within  which  he  was  long  concerned  with  the  great  lumber 
industry.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  abstract  business  in 
Menominee,  is  president  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  this  city  and  is  secre- 
tary of  the  "Peninsula  Land  Company. 

George  H.  Haggerson  was  born  at  Geneva,  Ontario  County,  New 
York,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah 
(Bradford)  Haggerson,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  England  in 
1827  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  she  was 


2288  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

bom  in  the  year  1833.  The  parents  passed  the  closing  years  of  their  Hves 
in  Oconto  County,  Wisconsin,  where  the  father  diecl  in  1872  and  the 
mother  in  1885.  Of  their  seven  children  five  are  now  living,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  having  been  second  in  order  of  birth. 

He  whose  name  initiates  this  article  was  an  infant  at  the  time  of  the 
family  removal  from  the  old  Empire  State  to  Oconto,  Wisconsin,  in  which 
citv  he  was  reared  to  maturity,  there  receiving  his  early  educational  train- 
ing in  the  public  schools,  in  which  he  continued  his  studies  until  he  was 
sixteen  vears  of  age.  He  then  secured  a  position  as  baggageman  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company,  by  which, 
only  five  months  later,  he  was  advanced  to  the  office  of  station  agent 
and  telegraph  operator  at  Powers  and  Spalding,  Menominee  County, 
Michigan.  He  had  learned  the  art  of  telegraphy  through  study  of  _  the 
same  "while  serving  as  baggageman.  At  Spalding  he  was  also  given 
charge  of  the  office  and  general  store  of  the  Spaulding  Lumber  Company, 
one  of  the  leading  concerns  then  identified  with  the  great  lumber  indus- 
try in  this  section  of  the  state.  The  rapid  increase  in  the  business  of  the 
lumber  company  at  Spalding  finally  led  him  to  resign  his  position  w-ith 
the  railroad  company  in  order  to  devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
the  interests  of  the  company  previously  mentioned.  The  Spalding  mills 
were  located  at  Cedar  River  and  had  a  daily  capacity  of  160,000  feet  of 
lumber :  at  that  time  employment  was  given  to  a  corps  of  fully  600  men. 
Mr.  Haggerson  gained  a  secure  hold  on  popular  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  community  in  which  he  thus  maintained  his  home,  as  is  evident  when 
we  revert  to  the  fact  that  in  1876-77  he  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of 
Spalding  Township.  Further  evidence  of  public  esteem  was  given  in  the 
latter  vear  when  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  township,  an  office  of 
which  he  continued  incumbent  by  successive  elections  for  nearly  a  score 
of  years,  having  retired  therefrom  in  1895.  Incidental  to  his  service  in 
this'  office  he  had  the  distinction  of  being  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors of  Menominee  County  from  1890  to  1892,  inclusive. 

^Ir.  Haggerson  continued  his  residence  at  Spalding  until  1897  when, 
owing  to  the  decline  of  the  lumber  business  with  which  he  w^as  identified, 
he  removed  to  the  City  of  Menominee,  in  whose  business  life  he  has 
since  been  a  prominent  and  influential  factor.  He  here  conducts  an  exten- 
sive real  estate  business,  handling  both  city  and  farm  properties,  and 
having  a  well-arranged  and  comprehensive  system  of  abstracts  of  title 
covering  Menominee  and  neighboring  counties.  In  1905  he  became  one 
of  the  organizers  and  incorporators  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Menomi- 
nee, of  which  he  was  elected  president  and  of  which  he  has  since  con- 
tinued the  able  executive  head.  His  discriminating  and  conservative 
policv  has  done  much  to  make  this  one  of  the  substantial  and  influential 
institutions  of  the  Upper  Peninsula.  As  noted  in  the  opening  paragraph 
of  this  sketch,  he  is  also  secretary  of  the  Peninsula  Land  Company, 
besides  which  he  is  secretary  of  the  L'pper  Peninsula  Taxpayers'  Asso- 
ciation and  chairman  of  the  Menominee  Insurance  Agents'  Association, 
as  he  conducts  a  large  general  insurance  business  in  connection  with  his 
real  estate  business. 

Essentially  loyal  and  public-spirited  as  a  citizen,  Air.  Haggerson  takes 
a  deep  interest  in  all  that  tends  to  conserve  the  civic  and  material  pros- 
perity of  his  home  city  and  county,  and  in  politics  he  accords  a_  stanch 
allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  at  present  road  commissioner 
of  the  county,  and  he  has  served  with  marked  efficiency  as  mayor  of 
Menominee,  to  which  office  he  was  first  elected  in  1904,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  he  was  chosen  as  his  own  successor.  In  1906  he  was  again 
called  to  this  office,  of  which  he  is  incumbent  at  the  present  time.  In  a 
fraternal  way  Mr.  Haggerson  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  the  Alac- 
cabees  and  has  attained  to  advanced  degrees  in  the  time-honored  ^vlasonic 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2289 

order  in  which  his  affihations  are  here  briefly  noted :  Menominee  Lodge 
No.  269,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Menominee  Chapter  No.  107,  Royal 
Arch  Masons;  Menominee  Commandery  No.  35,  Knights  Templar; 
Ahmed  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  at  Marquette,  Michigan ;  Michigan  Consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  at  Grand  Rapids,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Alenominee  Commercial 
Club  and  is  an  appreciative  supporter  of  its  high  civic  policies  and  ideals. 
He  has  been  particularly  active  in  the  work  of  this  organization  and 
served  as  its  president  in  1906. 

Mr.  Haggerson  has  been  twice  married.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1876, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  Peterson,  who  was  born  in 
Denmark  in  1858  and  who  was  a  child  at  the  time  of  the  family  immi- 
gration to  America,  being  a  daughter  of  Rasmus  Peterson,  who  was  a 
pioneer  of  Northern  Michigan.  Mrs.  Haggerson  was  summoned  to  the 
hfe  eternal  on  the  3d  of  October,  1891,  and  is  survived  by  five  children: 
Eva  M.,  who  remains  at  the  paternal  home ;  Elizabeth  C.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Frank  E.  Krapp,  of  the  State  of  Washington ;  George  W.,  who  resides 
in  Menominee  and  who  married  Miss  May  Robinson;  Fred  H.,  who  like- 
wise resides  in  Menominee  and  the  maiden  name  of  whose  wife  was  Ethel 
Stephenson ;  Charles  N.,  who  remains  at  the  paternal  home.  On  the 
29th  of  August,  1900,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Haggerson 
to  Miss  Linna  Bock,  who  was  born  in  Calumetville,  Wisconsin,  and  the 
only  child  of  this  union  is  Harriet  D.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Reverting  to  the  honored  father  of  the  subject  of  this  review,  it  may 
be  noted  that  he  came  from  England  to  America  in  1849,  making  the 
voyage  on  one  of  the  old-time  sailing  vessels.  From  New  York  City  he 
went  to  Geneva,  that  state,  where  he  maintained  his  home  until  1855, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Oconto.  At  the  inception  of  the 
Civil  war,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Wisconsin  X'olunteer  Infantry,  from  which  he  was  later  trans- 
ferred to  the  First  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  with  which  gallant  command 
he  continued  in  active  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  received 
his  honorable  discharge.  He  then  returned  to  Oconto,  where  he  con- 
tinued actively  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  until  his  death  in  1872.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as  was 
also  his  wife,  and  he  identified  himself  with  the  Grand  Army-  of  the 
Republic  shortly  after  its  organization. 

John  Henes.  By  his  presentation  to  the  City  of  ^Menominee  of  the 
beautiful  park  that  bears  his  name,  Mr.  Henes  shall  long  be  remembered 
as  one  of  the  city's  most  generous  benefactors,  but  this  represents  only  a 
tithe  of  the  able  and  effective  service  he  has  rendered  in  connection  with 
the  civic  and  material  progress  and  development  of  the  city  whose  every 
interest  lies  close  to  his  heart.  He  has  achieved  pronounced  success 
through  his  own  well-directed  endeavors,  is  numbered  among  the  most 
prominent  and  influential  business  men  of  the  city,  and  his  sterling  per- 
sonal characteristics  have  gained  and  retained  to  him  the  unequivocal 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community.  He  is  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Leisen  &  Henes  Brewing  Company,  one  of  the  extensive  and 
important  industrial  concerns  of  Menominee ;  is  vice  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  the  Richardson  Shoe  Company  and  the  Menominee 
River  Sugar  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  interested  principals  in  the 
erection  of  the  Leisen  &  Henes  Block,  one  of  the  finest  business  structures 
in  Menominee.  He  has  other  important  capitalistic  interests  in  his  home 
city,  and  in  every  way  he  has  done  well  his  part  in  promoting  its  upbuild- 
ing and  civic  and  commercial  prosperity. 


2290  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

John  Henes  was  born  in  Gamniertingen,  HohenzoUern,  Germany,  on 
the  6th  of  January,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Eusebius  and  Ursula  (Goeggel) 
Henes,  both  of  whom  were  likewise  natives  of  Gammertingen,  where  they 
continued  to  reside  until  1884,  when  they  came  to  America  and  joined 
their  son  John  in  Menominee,  where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  They  became  the  parents  of  three  children :  Anton,  who  is  now 
a  resident  of  Seymour,  Wisconsin;  John,  who  is  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  review;  and  Mary,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Kessler.  Both  of  the  parents 
were  zealous  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  John  Henes  is  indebted 
to  the  excellent  schools  of  his  nati\e  land  for  his  early  educational  dis- 
cipline, and  there  also  he  learned  in  his  youth  the  brewer's  trade  under 
most  effecti\-e  conditions.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  1871,  Mr. 
Henes  came  to  America,  as  he  felt  assured  of  better  opportunities  for 
gaining  success  through  individual  effort  by  making  this  important  step. 
He  landed  in  New  York  City  and  thence  came  west  to  Wisconsin,  a  state 
to  whose  development  his  countrymen  have  contributed  in  most  generous 
measure.  He  first  located  at  Seymour,  Outagamie  County,  that  state, 
in  which  vicinity  he  was  employed  at  farm  work  for  a  short  interval, 
after  which  he  went  to  the  City  of  Milwaukee,  where  he  followed  the 
work  of  his  trade  until  1874.  He  then  came  to  Menominee,  Michigan, 
where  he  secured  the  jwsition  of  brewmaster  in  the  brewery  of  Adam 
Gauch.  In  1876  he  became  associated  with  his  father-in-law,  Jacob 
Leisen,  in  the  purchase  of  the  Gauch  brewery,  and  later  they  also"  pur- 
chased that  conducted  by  George  Harter.  Thereafter  they  conducted 
the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Leisen  &  Henes  until  i8(3o.  when  the 
Leisen  &  Henes  Brewing  Company  was  organized  and  duly  incorporated 
under  the  laws'  of  the  state.  The  company  now  has  a  large  and  essen- 
tially modern  plant,  and  its  products  are  of  the  highest  excellence,  as  is 
shown  in  the  large  and  appreciative  patronage  accorded  to  the  institution. 
Concerning  the  enterprise  further  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  the 
career  of  Jacob  Leisen  on  other  pages  of  this  publication.  Careful  and 
progressive  management  has  enabled  the  company  to  build  up  a  substan- 
tial and  constantly  expanding  business,  which  is'a  valuable  contribution 
to  the  industrial  prestige  of  Menominee.  Mr.  Henes  is  vice  president 
of  each  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Menominee  River  Sugar  Company 
and  the  Richardson  Shoe  Company,  and  the  two  concerns  last  mentioned 
are  among  the  most  important  manufacturing  companies  in  this  section 
of  the  state.  Air.  Henes  is  also  a  member  of  the  directorate  of  the 
Menominee  &  Marinette  Light  &  Traction  Company,  supplying  light  and 
street  car  service  to  the  "twin  cities"  on  opposite  shores  of  the  Afenominee 
River;  he  is  a  director  of  the  Lloyd  Manufacturing  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  wooden  ware;  is  president  of  the  Henes  &  Keller  Company, 
manufacturers  of  a  bottle-filling  machine  invented  by  him  anct  utilized  in 
the  most  diverse  sections  of  the  world,  and  for  ten  "years,  until  iqo:;,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  the  Michigan  State  Peniten- 
tiary at  Marquette.  Fie  served  one  term  as  alderman  of  the  old  Fifth 
Ward  of  iVIenomince,  and  later  was  supervisor  of  this  ward.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Menominee  County  School  of 
Agriculture,  and  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  the  representative  civic 
and  fraternal  organizations  of  his  home  city,  including  the  Menominee 
Turn  \'erein,  of  which  he  was  president  many  years.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stanch   adherent   of  the   Republican   party. 

The  fine  park  presented  to  the  city  by  I\lr.  Henes  in  IQ07  is  known 
as  the  John  Henes  City  Park  and  comprises  fifty  acres  of  land.  This 
benefaction  is  one  that  will  constitute  an  enduring  monument  to  his  gen- 
erosity and  civic  pride  and  that  will  ever  be  a  source  of  pleasure  to^the 
citizens  of  Menominee.     From  a  newspaper  article  are  taken  the  follow- 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2291 

ing  pertinent  statements,  which  are  well  worthy  of  reproduction  in  this 
article:  "Mr.  Henes  is  one  of  Menominee's  most  sterling  citizens.  He 
has  done  much  in  the  way  of  advancing  the  city's  best  interests  along 
industrial  lines,  as  well  as  taking  great  pride  in  the  commercial  and  gen- 
eral growth  of  the  city.  He  was  largely  interested  in  the  erection  of 
the  fine  Leisen  &  Henes  business  block,  and  by  promoting  other  enter- 
prises he  has  added  materially  to  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity. His  success  is  largely  due  to  close  application,  keen  discrimina- 
tion and  resolute  purpose.  By  the  presentation  of  the  John  Henes  park 
to  Menominee  Mr.  Henes  takes  a  place  among  the  city's  greatest  bene- 
factors. His  name  will  be  remembered  with  love  and  veneration,  and 
children  of  this  generation  and  of  generations  yet  to  come  will  profit  by 
his  generosity  and  thoughtfulness." 

On  the  29th  of  January,  1879,  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Henes  to  Miss  Rosa  Leisen,  eldest  daughter  of  that  honored  citizen  of 
Menominee,  Jacob  Leisen.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Henes  have  five  children : 
Alfred  A.,  Emaline  J.,  John  E.,  Walter  E.  and  Othmar  H.  The  only 
daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Caley,  and  they  reside  near  Denver, 
Colorado. 

Alexis  C.xswell  Angell.  For  thirty-five  years  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  bar,  and  a  former  Laiited  States  district  judge  of  the  Eastern 
District  of  ^lichigan.  Judge  Angell  since  leaving  the  bench  has  resumed 
private  practice  at  Detroit,  where  his  offices  are  in  the  Dime  Bank 
Building. 

Alexis  Caswell  Angell  was  born  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  April 
26,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Burrill  Angell.  Judge  Angell  was 
educated  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  gained  his  A.  B. 
degree  in  1878  and  received  his  law  degree  in  1880.  With  the  exception 
of  the  period  spent  on  the  bench  Judge  Angell  has  been  in  the  practice 
of  law  at  Detroit  since  1880.  From  1892  to  1902  he  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  Wells,  Angell.  Boynton  &  McMillan,  and  from  1902  to  191 1  was 
senior  partner  of  Angell,  Boynton  &  McMillan.  By  appointment  he  served 
as  United  States  district  judge  from  July  i,  191 1,  to  June  i,  1912,  when 
he  resigned.  Since  then  he  has  been  senior  partner  of  the  firms  of  Angell, 
Boynton,  AIcMillan,  liodman  &  Turner,  now  Angell,  Bodman  &  Turner. 

From  1893  to  1898  Judge  Angell  was  professor  of  law  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Country  Club,  and  his 
home  is  at  300  Iroquois  Avenue.  On  June  6,  1880,  he  married  Fanny  C. 
Cooley,  of  Ann  Arbor. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Xewton  McCormick.  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  Western  Michigan,  with  residence  at  Grand  Rapids, 
Bishop  ]\IcCormick  first  came  to  this  state  in  1898  as  rector  of  St.  Mark's 
at  Grand  Rapids. 

He  was  born  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  February  i,  1863,  a  son  of  John 
and  Virginia  (Xewton)  ^IcCormick.  He  early  manifested  studious 
inclinations  and  had  chosen  his  career  before  he  attained  manhood.  In 
1883  he  graduated  A.  B.  and  also  in  the  theological  course  at  Randolph- 
Macon  College,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  South  in  1884.  During  1886-88  he  pursued  postgraduate 
courses  in  Johns  Hopkins  University  at  Baltimore.  In  1903  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  South  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  D.  D.  His  first  work 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  ministry  was  as  pastor  at  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, during  1884-85,  following  which  he  was  at  Arlington,  Maryland,  in 
1885-87;  pastor  of  Trinity  Church,  Baltimore.  188S-89,  and  at  Winches- 
ter, \^irginia,   1890-91. 


2292  HISTORY  OF  MICIIIGAX 

In  1893  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  and  in  1894  a  priest  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  During  1893-95  ^^  ^^'^^  rector  of  St.  Paul's  of  Suf- 
folk. X'irginia,  and  at  St.  Luke's,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  from  1895  to  1898. 
In  the  latter  year  he  became  rector  of  St.  .Mark's  Church  at  Grand 
Kapids.  and  had  charge  of  that  church  as  its  minister  until  1906.  Feb- 
ruary 14.  i(/3(\  he  was  consecrated  bishop  coadjutor,  Diocese  of  Western 
Michigan,  and  on  March  19.  1909,  became  bishop  of  the  diocese  on  the 
death  of  Bishop  Gillespie.  He  served  as  a  deputy  to  general  conventions 
in  1901  and  1904. 

Bishop  McCormick  is  author  of  "Distinctive  Alarks  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,"  1902;  "The  Litany  and  the  Life,"  1904;  "Pain  and  S.ympathy," 
1907 ;  "Good  News  from  a  Far  Country,"  1910.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
University  Club  of  Chicago,  the  Kent  Countrv',  Colonial  and  Peninsular 
clubs  of  Grand  Rapids.  October  9,  18S9,  he  married  Bessie  Qiapman 
Tucker,  of  Baltimore. 

Gerrit  John  Dikkem.\.  A  representative  of  that  fine  class  of  people 
that  was  introduced  into  Western  Michigan  as  a  result  of  the  Holland 
emigration,  Gerrit  John  Diekema  has  for  more  than  thirty  years  been  a 
member  of  the  bar  at  Holland,  has  filled  with  conspicuous  ability  many 
iwsitions  of  jjublic  trust  and  is  one  of  the  most  influential  men  of  the 
present  day  in  the  western  part  of  the  state. 

Born  at  Holland.  Michigan,  March  27,  1859,  he  is  a  son  of  W.  and  H. 
(Stegeman)  Diekema.  He  was  graduated  A.  B.  from  Hope  College  in 
Michigan  in  1881.  received  the  degree  A.  M.  at  the  same  institution  in 
1884.  and  in  the  meantime  in  1883  had  graduated  from  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1913  Hope  College  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary-  degree  LL.  D. 

Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883,  Mr.  Diekema  has  ever  since  been  in 
practice  at  Holland.  From  1901  to  191 1  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Diekema  iJt  Kollen.  and  has  since  been  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Diekema,  Kollen  &  Tencate.  Since  1902  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Fir.st  Slate  I'.ank  of  Holland. 

In  addition  to  numerous  local  offices,  I\Ir.  Diekema  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  1885  to  1891.  and  was  speaker 
of  the  House  in  1889.  He  was  president  of  the  .Michigan  Municipal  Com- 
mission during  1894-95.  and  mayor  of  Holland  in  1895.  He  has  long 
been  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Republican  party  in  his  section  of  the  state. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Re]niblican  National  Convention  in  1896,  and 
chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee  from  1900  to  igio. 
Mr.  Diekema  succeeded  William  .\lden  .'^mith  when  the  latter  was  pro- 
moted from  the  House  of  I\e])resentati\es  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
being  elected  for  the  unexpired  term  of  1907-09  on  .April  27,  1907,  and 
was  regularly  elected  to  the  .Si.xty-first  Congress,  1909-11,  from  the  Fifth 
Michigan  District  in  November,  1908.  In  1912  he  was  manager  of  the 
speakers'  bureau  of  the  Republican  National  Committee  at  Qiicago. 

Mr.  Diekema  served  as  a  member  of  the  Spanish  Treaty  Claims  Com- 
mission from  1901  to  1907.  At  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in 
Chicago  in  1893  he  was  the  chief  orator  on  "Netherlands  Day."  He  was 
married  October  27,  1885,  to  Mary  E.  .\lcott,  of  Holland. 

TiidM.xs  J.\MEs  O'Brien.  Former  minister  to  Denmark  and  ambas- 
sador to  Japan  and  to  Italy.  Thomas  J.  O'Brien  is  one  of  a  notable  group 
of  men  furnished  by  the  State  of  Michigan  to  the  higher  jxjsitions  in 
national  afTairs.  and  for  mcjre  than  forty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Rapids  bar. 

.■\  son  of  Timothy  and  l-'lizalieih  (Lander)  O'Brien,  he  was  born  at 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2293 

Jackson,  ^lichigan,  July  30,  1842.  In  1865  he  graduated  from  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  for  his  distinguished 
services  in  this  country  and  abroad  received  from  that  institution  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  in  1908.  Mr.  O'Brien  began  active  practice  at  Grand 
Rapids  in  1871,  and  from  that  year  until  1905  was  assistant  and  general 
counsel  for  the  Grand  Rapids  &  Indiana  Railway. 

He  entered  diplomatic  circles  under  appointment  from  President 
Roosevelt,  who  made  him  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipoten- 
tiary to  Denmark  in  1905.  In  1907  he  was  advanced  to  ambassador 
extraordinary  and  plenipotentiary  to  Japan.  He  continued  to  represent 
this  country  in  the  Empire  of  Japan  until  191 1,  and  from  August  11, 
191 1,  to  September  17,  1913,  was  America's  ambassador  to  the  govern- 
ment of  Italy.  Mr.  O'Brien  has  long  been  prominent  in  the  Republican 
party  in  Michigan,  and  served  as  delegate  at  large  to  the  national  con- 
vention in  1896  and  1904.  He  was  a  candidate  for  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1883.  On  September  4,  1873,  he  married  Delia  Howard,  of 
Grand  Rapids,  daughter  of  the  late  William  A.  Howard,  formerly  of 
Detroit. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Samuel  Foley.  The  venerable  bishop  of  Detroit, 
and  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  dignitaries  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  America,  John  Samuel  Foley  was  born  at  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
November  5,  1833.  In  1850  he  graduated  from  St.  Mary's  College,  and 
continued  his  studies  in  St.  Mary's  Ecclesiastical  Seminary  at  Baltimore 
and  at  the  Roman  Seminary. 

He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1856,  and  was  first  rector  at 
St.  Bridget's  in  Baltimore  and  for  six  years  was  at  Ellicott  City,  Mary- 
land. He  then  became  assistant  pastor  at  St.  Peter's  at  Baltimore,  and 
was  the  founder  and  for  many  years  pastor  of  St.  Martin's  Church  in 
Baltimore.  He  was  consecrated  bishop  of  Detroit  November  4,  1888. 
Bishop  Foley's  residence  is  at  31  Washington  Boulevard,  Detroit. 

Henry  Harrison  Swan.  United  States  district  judge  of  the  Eastern 
District  of  IMichigan,  Judge  Swan  is  a  native  of  Detroit,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Alichigan  bar  almost  half  a  century. 

Bom  October  2,  1840,  Judge  Swan  is  a  son  of  Joseph  G.  and  Mary  C. 
(Ling)  Swan.  He  was  a  student  in  the  University  of  Michigan  from 
1858  to  1861,  and  then  went  west  and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in 
steamboating  on  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  rivers  in  California. 
He  studied  law  while  in  the  West,  and  was  admitted  to  the  California 
bar  in  1867,  and  returning  to  Michigan  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  this 
state  in  the  same  year.  In  1902  the  University  of  ^Michigan  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary  degree  LL.  D. 

Judge  Swan  was  assistant  United  States  district  attorney  at  Detroit 
from  1870  to  1877.  Then,  after  an  interval  of  fourteen  years  spent  in 
private  practice  with  admiralty  law  as  his  specialty,  he  was  appointed 
Federal  judge  for  the  Eastern  District  of  ^Michigan  and  held  that  office 
continuously  from  January  26,  1891,  until  his  retirement,  July  i,  191 1. 
Judge  Swan  is  a  Republican,  and  since  1893  has  been  non-resident  lecturer 
in  the  law  faculty  of  the  L'niversity  of  Michigan.  His  home  is  at  Grosse 
Point?,  a  suburb  of  Detroit.  He  was  married  April  30,  1873,  to  Jennie 
Clark,  of  Detroit.     Children :     William  Maynard  Swan,  Mary  Coe  Swan. 

Hon.  George  Alvin  Loud.  For  ten  years  a  representative  of  the 
Tenth  Michigan  District  in  the  United  States  Congress,  George  Alvin 
Loud  is  one  of  Michigan's  notable  men  and  for  many  years  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  lumber  business  at  Au  Sable. 


2294  HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN 

George  Alvin  Loud  was  born  at  Bracebridge,  Ohio,  June  i8,  1S52, 
a  son  of  Henrj-  yi.  and  Villetta  (Kile)  Loud.  He  came  to  Michigan 
during  his  childhood,  and  in  1869  graduated  from  the  Ann  Arbor  High 
School.  Since  leaving  school  he  has  been  continuously  identified  with 
the  lumber  industry,  and  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  M.  Loud's  Sons 
Company.  He  has  also  ser\-ed  as  vice  president  and  general  manager 
of  the  Au  Sable. &  Northwestern  Railroad,  and  was  paymaster  of  the 
United  States  revenue  cutter  McCuUough  when  it  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Manila  Bay. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Loud  was  elected  in  1902  to  the  Fifty-eighth  Con- 
gress from  the  Tenth  Michigan  District,  and  held  his  seat  continuously 
from  the  Fifty-eighth  to  the  end  of  the  Sixty-second  Congress.  In  1914 
he  was  re-elected  to  the  Sixty-fourth  Congress.  JMr.  Loud  was  married 
December  5,  1888,  to  Elizabeth  Glennie. 

J.AMics  0"DoxNELL,  who  died  at  Jackson  in  1915  at  the  age  of  seventv- 
three  years,  was  conspicuous  among  the  men  of  achievement  in  Michigan. 

Credit  is  given  him  for  having  originated  the  rural  free  delivery 
system  in  the  United  States.  He  was  also  father  of  the  beet  sugar  indus- 
tr\'  in  Alichigan.  For  ten  years  he  represented  the  Jackson  district  in 
Congress,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  candidates  for  governor  before  two 
Re))ublican  state  conventions. 

The  profession  to  which  he  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life  was  journal- 
ism. Mr.  O'Donnell  was  for  many  years  editor  of  the  Jackson  Citizen, 
now  the  Citizen-Press.  After  selling  the  newspaper  a  number  of  years 
ago  Mr.  ()T)onncll  was  not  engaged  actively  in  business,  except  to  look 
after  his  investments,  which  were  of  an  extensive  character.  For  nearly 
forty  years  he  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Michigan  Republican  party. 
He  was  noted  for  his  genial,  courtly  manner  and  his  brilliant  wit.  He 
was  survived  by  his  widow  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Francis  P.  Horan 
and  Miss  Kathleen  O'Donnell. 

Ch.\se  S.  Osborn  spent  most  of  his  early  life  at  Lafayette,  Indiana. 
For  three  years  he  was  a  student  at  Purdue  C'niversity,  but  did  not  grad- 
uate. His  scholarly  attainments  and  distinguished  public  service  subse- 
quently brought  him  the  honorary  degree  LL.  D.  from  the  University  of 
Michigan  in  191 1,  from  Olivet  College  and  from  Alma  College. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  he  gained  his  knowledge  of  printing  at  Lafavette 
and  was  also  a  newsboy,  and  his  early  enterprise  gained  him  the  control 
of  the  sale  of  Chicago  papers  at  Lafayette.  He  did  his  first  work  as  a 
newspaper  reporter  on  the  Lafayette  Home  Journal,  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  went  to  Chicago  and  worked  as  a  reporter  there,  and  in  1880 
went  on  the  staff  of  the  ^filwaukee  Sentinel.  He  was  connected  with 
several  of  Milwaukee's  papers,  and  also  had  charge  of  the  Chicago  Trib- 
une bureau  in  that  city.  In  1883  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Florence 
Mining  Xews  at  Florence,  Wisconsin,  and  while  editor  of  that  journal 
came  into  close  touch  with  the  mining  interests  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  state.  During  1887  he  was  again  in  Milwaukee,  assisted  in  founding 
the  Miner  and  Manufacturer,  for  a  time  was  city  editor  of  the  Milwaukee 
Sentinel,  hut  toward  the  close  of  the  same  year  moved  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie,  Michigan,  and  with  M.  A.  Hoyt  bought  the  Sault  .Ste.  Marie  \ews. 
In  1889  he  became  sole  proprietor  of  that  journal.  He  published  it  until 
1901.  and  then  sold  out  and  bought  the  Saginaw  Courier-Herald,  which 
he  published  until  1912.  Few  of  Michigan's  newspaper  men  have  been 
more  successful  both  as  editors  and  managers  than  Mr.  Osborn.  He 
made  the  Xews  a  great  influence  for  the  general  develojiment  and  civic 
improvement  of  the  Xorthern  Peninsula  and  one  of  the  most  important 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2295 

factors  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party  in  that  part  of 
the  state.  In  the  meantime  he  also  carried  his  work  as  a  writer  into 
more  general  fields,  became  a  contributor  to  various  magazines,  and  has 
long  enjoyed  a  reputation  both  as  a  vigorous  writer  and  an  entertaining 
public  speaker.  He  is  the  author  of  an  interesting  book  of  travel,  "The 
Andean  Land,"  published  in  1909,  an  able  contribution  to  South  Ameri- 
can descriptive  literature.  He  is  an  extensive  traveler,  and  has  made 
discoveries  of  scientific  interest  in  many  out  of  the  way  corners  of  the 
globe,  and  especially  in  Africa  and  Madagascar,  and  has  visited  the  colo- 
nies of  every  suzereign  power  engaged  in  colonizing  Africa. 

]\Ir.  Osborn  is  a  naturalist  and  scientist  of  more  than  ordinary  dis- 
tinction. Many  years  ago  he  began  a  special  study  of  the  geology  of 
the  Upper  Peninsula,  and  he  is  credited  with  being  the  discoverer  of  the 
greatest  iron  range  in  Canada,  the  Moose  Mountain  District,  into  which 
region  he  also  extended  his  geological  in\'estigations.  He  possesses  a 
rugged  physique  which  has  served  him  well  in  his  travels  and  investiga- 
tions in  the  realm  of  nature.  He  is  regarded  as  an  authority  on  the  bird 
life  of  the  entire  state  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  the  Michi- 
gan Academy  of  Science,  the  Lake  Superior  Mining  Institute  and  is  the 
only  American  who  has  an  honorary  membership  in  the  Madagascar 
Academy  of  Science.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  is  a 
thirty-third  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  also  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  member  of 
various  social  and  civic  organizations  in  his  home  City  of  Sault  Ste.  Alarie, 
belongs  to  the  Prismatic,  the  Detroit  and  University  clubs  at  Detroit,  and 
the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  Press  clubs. 

For  more  than  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Osborn  has  been  a  factor  in  the 
public  life  of  his  home  state.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  held  that  office  four  years  during  the  administration 
of  President  Harrison.  In  January,  1893,  he  was  appointed  state  game 
and  fish  warden,  and  held  that  office  until  January  i,  1899.  He  retired 
from  that  position  to  become  state  railroad  commissioner,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  during  the  administration  of  Governors  Pingree  and  Bliss. 
As  railroad  commissioner  he  rendered  his  most  admirable  public  service 
prior  to  his  election  as  governor.  He  is  credited  with  having  given  effi- 
ciency to  the  commission,  and  made  it  an  instrument  for  the  correction  of 
many  abuses,  and  showed  neither  fear  nor  favor  in  the  performance  of  his 
duty.  He  retired  from  that  office  in  1903.  In  1910  he  was  elected  on  the 
Republican  ticket  to  the  office  of  governor,  and  during  the  following  two 
years  gave  the  state  the  benefit  of  his  broad  experience,  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  men  and  affairs,  and  a  service  actuated  by  the  highest 
ideals.  From  1908  to  191 1  he  served  as  a  regent  of  the  Universitv  of 
Michigan. 

Mr.  Osborn  was  married  May  7,  1881,  at  Milwaukee  to  Lillian  G. 
Jones.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Ethel  L.,  George  A., 
Chase  S.,  Jr.,  and  Emily  F. 

Cl.\udius  Buch.\nan  Gr.\nt.  After  a  long  career  in  the  public  life 
of  Michigan,  which  began  as  an  officer  in  a  Michigan  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war  and  concluded  with  twenty  years  of  service  on  the  Supreme 
bench  of  the  state.  Judge  Grant  on  January  i,  1910,  retired  from  the 
high  court  over  which  he  had  several  times  presided  as  chief  justice,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  the  private  practice  of  law  at  Detroit,  with 
offices  in  the  Union  Trust  Building. 

Claudius  Buchanan  Grant  was  bom  at  Lebanon.  York  County,  Maine. 
October  25,   1835,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary   ([Merrill)   Grant.     Judge 


2296  IIISTORN'  Ol'    .MICHIGAN 

Grant  has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  .Michi,<;an.  and  in  i8s<;  graduated  A.  P.. 
from  the  state  university.  In  1862  tlic  degree  .Master  of  Arts  was  con- 
ferred upon  him,  and  in  1891  his  distinguished  services  were  honored 
with  the  degree  LL.  D.  From  1859  until  1862  he  was  teacher  and  prin- 
cipal in  the  .Ann  Arbor  High  School,  leaving  the  school  room  to  enter 
the  army.  He  fought  the  battles  of  the  Union  from  1862  to  186c;.  and 
rose  from  captain  to  colonel  of  the  Twentieth  Michigan  \"oluntecr 
Infantn,-. 

During  1S65-66  he  was  a  student  of  law  in  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  iS(')f)  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the 
law  in  .Ann  Arbor.  His  first  public  jjosition  in  civil  life  was  recorder 
and  postmaster  at  Ann  Arbor,  which  he  held  from  1867  to  1870.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Michigan  House  of  Representatives  from  1870  to 
1874,  and  was  honored  by  election  as  speaker  pro  tem.  During  1872-80 
he  was  a  regent  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1873  lie  removed  to 
Houghton,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  where  he  remained  until  1882 
in  the  active  practice  of  the  law.  He  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Houghton  County  from  1876  to  1S77,  and  as  judge  of  the^Twenty-fifth 
Judicial  Circuit  from  1881  to  1889.  Judge  Grant  was  elevated  to  the 
.Sui>reme  Court  of  Michigan  in  1889,  aiid  was  on  that  bench  continuously 
for  twenty  years.  He  was  chief  justice  for  the  years  1888,  1889  and 
igo8.  On  retiring  from  the  bench  in  1910  he  engaged  in  practice  as  gen- 
eral counsel  for  the  law  firm  of  Warren,  Cady  &  Ladd  at  Detroit. 

Judge  Grant  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  was  married  Tunc  i^. 
1863,  to  Caroline  L.  Felch,  of  Ann  .Arbor. 

Henry  Fr.anklin  Skverens.  Until  his  retirement  in  191 1  Judge 
.Severens  occupied  a  seat  on  the  Federal  bench  in  Michigan  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the" bar  of  .Southern 
Michigan,  having  begun  practice  in  St.  Joseph  County  before  the  war,  and 
the  greater  part  of  his  career  has  beenspent  at  Kalamazoo. 

Henry  Franklin  Severens  was  born  at  Rockingham,  \'ermont,  May 
II,  1835,  a  son  of  Franklin  and  Elizabeth  (Pulsifer)  Severens.  He  came 
of  old  New  England  stock  and  finished  his  literary  education  at  Middle- 
bury  College  in  Vermont,  from  which  he  was  graduated  A.  B.  in  1857. 
In  1897  the  University  of  Michigan  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  LL.  D. 
and  he  received  similar  honors  from  his  alma  mater  in  1901.  " 

Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859,  he  was  in  practice  at  Three  Rivers,  Alichi- 
gan,  from  i860  to  1865,  and  then  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  where  he  was 
an  active  practitioner  more  than  twenty  years.  He  served  as  state's 
.-ittorncy  of  St.  Joseph  County  during  1862-65.  In  1886  he  was  elevated 
to  the  bench  as  United  States  district  judge  of  the  Western  District  of 
Michigan,  and  continued  with  that  branch  of  the  Federal  judiciary  until 
1900,  when  he  was  appointed  United  States  circuit  judge  and  judge  of 
the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  .Apjx^als  in  the  Sixth'judicial  Circuit. 
Judge  .Severens  retired  from  the  bench  October  3,  191 1."  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat.  August  6,  1858,  he  married  M'iss  Rhoda  Ranney,  of 
Westminster.  A'ermont.  On  December  i,  1863,  he  married  Sarah  Ga- 
rissa  (Whittlesey)  Ryan,  of  Medina,  New  York. 

Cn.VRT.ES  Moore,  of  Detroit,  was  born  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  October 
20,  1855.  His  father  (Charles)  and  mother  (.Adeline  MacAl'laster)  came 
to  Michigan  from  New  Hamp.shire,  in  1836:  his  uncles  Franklin  and 
Stephen  of  Detroit,  Reuben  of  St.  Clair  and  Henry  C.  Moore  of  Bay 
City  also  came  to  this  state  in  pioneer  days.  They  were  descended  from 
John  Goffe,  who  came  to  lioston  in  1662.  The  grandson  of  lohn  was 
Capt.  John  Goft'e,  prominent  in  the  New  Hampshire  annals  of  tlie  French 


HISTORY  OF  MICHIGAN  2297 

and  Indian  war.  His  daughter  married  Capt.  Samuel  ]\Ioore,  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire,  and  before  the  Rev- 
olution they  settled  at  Goffe's  Falls  on  the  Merrimac.  The  homestead  is 
still  in  the  family. 

Charles  Moore  prepared  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover, 
Massachusetts,  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1878,  and  married 
Alice  Williams  Alerriam  (a  descendant  of  Rev.  John  Cotton)  of  Middle- 
ton,  Massachusetts.  In  igoo  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  phil- 
osophy from  Columbian  (now  George  Washington)  University.  After 
ten  years  of  editorial  work  on  Every  Saturday,  the  Morning  Times,  the 
Sunday  News  and  the  Detroit  Journal,  he  became  the  political  secretary 
of  United  States  Senator  James  ^IcMilan  and  clerk  of  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  the  District  of  Columbia,  continuing  in  such  service  from  1889 
to  1903.  During  those  years  he  edited  and  compiled  reports  on  the  filtra- 
tion of  water  supplies,  on  the  charities,  the  public  schools  and  the  parks  of 
Washington,  and  on  the  restoration  of  the  White  House.  In  1901  he 
accompanied  Daniel  H.  Burnham  of  Chicago,  Charles  F.  McKim  of  Xew 
York  and  Frederick  Law  Olmsted  of  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  on  a  tour 
to  investigate  the  parks  of  Europe ;  and  he  edited  the  report  made  by  those 
men  (and  Augustus  Saint-Gaudens)  on  the  park  system  of  the  District  of 
Columbia.  The  American  Institute  of  Architects  elected  him  correspond- 
ing member  on  account  of  this  work ;  and  he  was  also  elected  a  life  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Academy  in  Rome.  During  his  residence  in  \\'ash- 
ington  he  published  "The  Xorthwest  L'nder  Three  Flags,"  a  history  of  the 
discovery  and  development  of  the  Old  Xorthwest ;  the  "Gladwin  Manu- 
scripts," based  on  original  documents  discovered  in  England ;  and  articles 
in  the  Harper's,  Century  and  other  magazines.  In  1909  he  edited  and  pre- 
pared the  text  for  "The  Plan  of  Chicago,"  in  which  the  studies  of  Daniel 
H.  Burnham  and  Edward  H.  Bennett  for  the  development  and  adornment 
of  that  city  are  presented.  This  work  led  fo  his  election  as  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Xational  Conference  on  City  Plan- 
ning, and  his  appointment  as  president  of  the  Detroit  City  Plan  and  Im- 
provement Commission  and  as  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Commission  of  Fine  Arts.  Mr.  Moore  is  the  Director  of  the  Detroit 
Museum  of  Art  and  the  Secretg,ry  of  the  Michigan  Historical  Commis- 
sion. He  is  a  member  of  these  clubs :  the  Detroit,  the  University  and 
the  Old  Club  of  Detroit,  the  Century  and  Harvard  dubs  of  New  York, 
the  Harvard  Club  of  Boston,  and  the  Cosmos  Club  of  Washington. 

Mrs.  Moore  died  in  1914.  The  two  sons  are  MacAllaster,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Katharine  Jones  of  Xew  York  City  and  who  resides  at  Belle- 
ville, Ontario ;  and  Lieut.  James  Merriam  Moore,  U.  S.  A.,  who  married 
Mary  Hinchman  O'Brien  of  Detroit.  / 


^